The Metro series is, to me, one of gaming’s most underrated franchises. They’re fantastic games with rich worlds, memorable characters and gorgeous visuals. The fact that Metro 2033 was developer 4A Games’ debut is impressive, but the more impressive feat lies with Metro: Last Light. That sequel surpassed the original in every way, and it’s a fantastic showcase for one of the most talented independent developers out there.

Even still, this series goes unnoticed by too many gamers.

The post-apocalyptic world the Metro games are set in may be bleak, but the future of the series has never been brighter. This is partly thanks to Deep Silver, the publisher that bought the IP when THQ closed in January. Despite being relatively new, they’ve already proven to be very adept at fostering successful franchises like Dead Island.

Metro: Last Light was able to expand the series’ audience, but there’s still way too many people out there who, for some reason, are still hesitant to make the trip to post-apocalyptic Moscow. If you’ve been on the fence, get off it so you can savor the remarkable attention to detail that 4A Games invests into their games.

Where most shooters rely on bombastic set pieces and levels whose sole purpose is to get your adrenaline pumping, the quiet moments 4A Games uses to break up that stream of non-stop action and spectacle is something that makes this series so special.

It may be shooter set in a world that’s been decimated by a nuclear holocaust and infested with terrifying, mutated versions of creatures that were once familiar to us, but that’s only a small part of the Metro experience. In fact, while there are a number of more action-oriented levels that are likely to remain in your memory long after you’ve beaten the game — including a particularly intense standoff with a giant bear — it’s the levels where nothing is happening that I enjoyed the most.

Much of the game takes place underground, where humanity has retreated to after some dumbass decided to nuke the planet, but every so often you get to travel to the surface. The first time you do is akin to stepping out of Vault 101 at the beginning of Fallout 3. The world is a broken shell of what it once was, but it’s been realized in such a way that it becomes more breathtaking than sad.

Since I’ve already reviewed both Metro 2033 and Metro: Last Light, this review is going to focus on what’s new in this fancy Redux package. If we have time, I may even give you some tips on how to properly season a Spiderbug.

This series has never cut corners in the visuals department. Metro 2033 still looks fantastic, and it released in 2010. The reason the game seems to have aged slower than most of the shooters that released around the same time is that attention to detail I mentioned earlier. There’s so much going on at any given time that the world comes alive. NPCs converse with each other, live their shitty post-apocalyptic lives, and the world looks believable.

Though it might not have been necessary, that didn’t stop 4A Games from rebuilding it in the latest version of their proprietary engine. The result is a four year-old game that comes impressively close to looking like a new release.

The massive evolution the 4A engine has undergone since 2010 means Metro 2033 benefits from so much more than the higher resolution textures and added details that tend to be the sole contribution of a majority of the deluge of “remakes” and “remasters” we’ve endured over the years. There’s also the addition of dynamic weather, destructible environments that are even more destructible, and more realistic particle effects (better-looking fire, water, smoke, etc.).

The lighting has also been improved. That’s especially important for anyone who prefers to get the job done without anyone ever realizing they were there. Me? I go in guns blazing. I want them to see me. That way they know.

We’ve established that Metro 2033 Redux looks better, but how about that gameplay? For starters, the moderately wonky combat — a common complaint of the original version — has been refined to better match the high standards set by the top FPS franchises like Call of Duty and Halo. The weapons handle better, can be customized and should you grow sick of them, you can always rely on the silent takedowns that have been carried over from Metro: Last Light.

Much of that might sound like minor tweaks, but you’ll be thankful for them when you go up against the new-and-improved enemy AI.

When Metro: Last Light arrived last year, it quickly became one of the most graphically impressive video games out there. It pushed the last-gen consoles to their limits. Sit it next to a blockbuster shooter like Battlefield 4 and you might not be able to tell that one game has a budget that exceeds the other by the tens of millions.

Aside from a handful of changes, the gameplay has been left largely unchanged. There are new melee animations, and checking your watch or inventory has been made a bit more intuitive.

As if Two games for the price of one wasn’t a solid deal already, the Redux bundle also comes with the Faction, Tower, Developer and Chronicles packs that make up the Last Light season pass. That’s about ten more hours of single-player content to tack on to the 10-12 hours each game takes to complete.

The last big feature the Redux versions bring is the option to choose between two different play styles. Both of the Metro games tread the line between grim post-apocalyptic shooter and survival horror. Unsettling environments are to be expected, but the horror goes deeper than that. Those who enjoy the unique challenge survival horror games offer will want to choose the ‘Survival’ play style, as it will force you to conserve your resources by limiting what’s available, as well as make your character, Artyom, a bit less capable with firearms.

If that sounds too difficult, the ‘Spartan’ play style eschews the slow burn of the survival horror genre for something more fast paced. Choosing this will make resources more plentiful and it will turn Artyom into more of a badass.

I’m sure you’ve noticed the recent flurry of relatively new games that have been re-released for the Xbox One and PS4. The last year has already brought us the Tomb Raider Definitive Edition, The Last of Us Remastered and Diablo III: Reaper of Souls Ultimate Evil Edition, making the Redux bundle the fourth to make the leap to current-gen consoles. This trend isn’t likely to end soon, and I don’t want it to, so long as future re-releases strive match the quality of the Metro Redux bundle.

If you’re still undecided, I’d like to share a brief anecdote with you. Early on in my playthrough of Metro 2033 I followed a female escort into her room to relieve some stress. Instead of a brief reprieve from the harsh and unforgiving world that is the Moscow underground all I got was drugged and robbed. I lost 56 military grade bullets that day and I’m still not over it. If that doesn’t make you want to drop everything and dive into this series right away, I’m afraid nothing will.

The Final Word: The Metro Redux bundle brings together two of gaming’s most underrated video games and makes them better than ever. This is The Orange Box for fans of the apocalypse.

Redux versions of Metro 2033 and Metro: Last Light can be purchased individually for $24.99, or together for $49.99.