It’s been three years since Metro 2033 dragged players into the dark, mutant-infested hell of post-apocalyptic Moscow. Nuclear war had rendered the surface a barren wasteland, and all that remained of humanity had to eke out a desperate existence deep underground.

Did you miss it? Good. Because it’s time to go back.

Metro: Last Light picks up where 2033 left off. It’s 2034, and you, as reluctant hero Artyom, must face both the toxic surface world beyond the Metro system’s walls and a ravaged society on the brink of civil war within. This is a world that forces you to commit atrocities to stay alive, and the stakes are as high as ever. Navigating the dangerous and labyrinthine catacombs beneath Moscow means everything, from your bullets to your oxygen, is a precious commodity. And making matters worse, a new doomsday weapon threatens to wipe out what’s left of mankind. In short: things are about to get real.

In yesterday’s interview, author Dmitry Glukhovsky, the series’ creative mastermind, described this entry in the Metro opus as “way more mature, controversial, and certainly more sophisticated than Metro 2033.” Not bad for the follow-up to a cult classic. Gamers can be sure to expect an immersive FPS experience that forces them to reckon with just how scary the world after nuclear war can be.

It’s too late to turn back now. Click here to pick up Metro: Last Light and head down into its post-nuclear underworld.

Deep Silver is the publisher of Metro: Last Light and Metro 2033 and the author of this post.