Metro Exodus: The Two Colonels trailer reveals a return to tunnels and horror

4A Games said when the Metro Exodus expansion The Two Colonels was announced that it would be more in the style of the first two games in the series, with linear gameplay in "claustrophobic environments." Based on the reveal trailer released today, it wasn't kidding.

The Two Colonels is set in the tunnels beneath the dead city of Novosibirsk, where Colonel Khlebnikov has traveled to visit his son, Kirill. But the survivors are in trouble: Radiation is growing worse, and mutant attacks are on the rise. One year later, Colonel Miller will follow in Khlebnikov's footsteps, retracing his journey and the experiences of those harrowing days.

The trailer does look like a slice of 2033 or Last Light: It's all filthy tunnels, bad lighting, and horrific beasts. One new addition is the flamethrower, which strikes me as kind of a risky weapon for indoor use. Big problems call for big solutions, I suppose.

Metro Exodus: The Two Colonels is available today for $8 on the Epic Games Store and Steam, or as part of the $25 Metro Exodus expansion pass. The second expansion, Sam's Story, will follow the adventures of a US Marine who was serving at the Moscow embassy when the bombs fell, as he finally begins his journey home. It's expected to be out in early 2020.

Andy Chalk

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.