The Stalin Subway

About

"The Stalin Subway" is a first-person shooter game set in an alternate reality Soviet Union. Players navigate through a metro system filled with futuristic weaponry and genetically modified creatures while completing mission objectives. The game features a single-player campaign and multiplayer mode with various character classes and customizable loadouts.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

60%

Audience ScoreBased on 229 reviews

music8 positive mentions

graphics12 negative mentions

The game offers a unique setting in Soviet-era Moscow, providing an interesting backdrop for the gameplay.
Despite its bugs, the game can be entertaining, especially for fans of retro FPS games and those who enjoy janky mechanics.
The soundtrack and some sound effects are surprisingly enjoyable, adding a certain charm to the overall experience.

The game is plagued with technical issues, including frequent crashes, long loading times, and graphical glitches.
Gameplay mechanics are often frustrating, with poor AI, unresponsive controls, and a lack of clarity in level design.
The voice acting and story presentation are subpar, contributing to an overall feeling of low production quality.

story
47 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
21%
57%
21%
The game's story is a mixed bag, with some players finding it nonsensical yet entertaining, while others describe it as underdeveloped and confusing. It revolves around a fictional coup against Stalin, featuring absurd elements like undead aliens and a quest for a pet tarantula, which some reviewers found hilarious but others deemed lackluster. Overall, the narrative is seen as a secondary aspect of the game, with many players suggesting that it doesn't hold up to modern storytelling standards.
- “Amazing game, beautiful and rich story.”
- “The story is intriguing, and the graphics are good for its time.”
- “This game was very deep in the storytelling.”
- “The plot is lackluster at best, involving you as a 'good guy' KGB officer trying to save your father from being purged.”
- “It's old, broken, the story is hot garbage, and the game requires a lot of custom modding to run properly on a modern system.”
- “The story is ridiculous.”
graphics
46 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
15%
59%
26%
The graphics of the game are widely criticized as outdated and subpar, even for its 2006 release, with many reviewers noting technical issues and a lack of modern resolution support. While some appreciate the level design and certain visual elements, the overall consensus is that the graphics are a significant drawback, making the game less appealing to those who prioritize visual quality. Despite these shortcomings, a few players find the visuals acceptable for an older title, particularly if they are not overly concerned with graphics.
- “The visuals are actually decent and the levels look pretty good, especially since I enjoy seeing real-world architecture through the lens of Quake 3 era brush-style level design, and there are weird little flourishes like the bullets bouncing off metal, or NPCs having recurring conversations.”
- “And the game does have a couple of decent set piece levels, one outside Moscow State University and one within the Kremlin grounds - as dated as the graphics are by today's standards, I can tell someone did make an effort to try to create something awesome.”
- “It has good graphics, the designers did their job very well, you feel somehow dragged back in time.”
- “To get the game to run at all, you have to install a fan patch, and most of the graphics settings are in a separate config executable you have to go digging for; you can't even set the resolution in the game itself!”
- “I wanted to avoid this section of the review, as the game is from the year 2006, so the graphics are of course outdated and horrific by today's standards.”
- “The graphics are bad for 2006; the music does not fit the environment, the voice acting is horrendous, and there are some bugs here and there.”
music
37 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
22%
59%
19%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with many players criticizing it for being repetitive, ill-fitting, and causing technical issues such as crashes. While some appreciate the soundtrack's catchy elements and unique themes, others suggest turning it off entirely for a better gameplay experience. Overall, the music is seen as a significant drawback, overshadowing its few redeeming qualities.
- “The music is fitting; the theme is really good and well made.”
- “10/10 fun and a great soundtrack.”
- “The menu's music is f*cking awesome, big cheers go to Julia Lytkina for that, instant favorite for me.”
- “The music plays the same tracks over and over again.”
- “First thing first, if you want a pleasant experience playing this game, turn off the music in the config file.”
- “The music is nothing noteworthy; a bizarre modernized version of 'March of the Communist Brigades' as the menu theme and some outdated techno tunes during the later parts of the game sound definitely out of place for many western ears.”
stability
32 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is plagued by severe bugs and glitches, making it barely playable without patches, which are essential for a smoother experience. Users report game-breaking issues, such as doors that won't open and frequent crashes, particularly when music is enabled. Despite these technical shortcomings, some players find the gameplay entertaining once they manage to navigate the instability.
- “Barely playable at all because of severe bugs and glitches.”
- “Ok... so further on and the game has game-breaking glitches like doors that refuse to open, tell you you need a key, go back get the key, nothing opens.”
- “Completely stuck, game glitches are terrible and it does feel like they rushed this game at the end.”
gameplay
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
57%
27%
The gameplay of "Stalin Subway: Red Veil" is a mixed bag, with many users noting its nostalgic appeal reminiscent of late '90s FPS games, despite being plagued by bugs, clunky mechanics, and poor AI. While some find it surprisingly entertaining and appreciate the level design and historical setting, others criticize the slow movement, frustrating reload times, and overall lack of polish, leading to a generally negative reception. Despite its flaws, a few players highlight moments of enjoyment, particularly with unique mechanics like ricocheting bullets and bunnyhopping.
- “This game is surprisingly fun to play from the point of view of the gameplay.”
- “Solid level design and atmosphere, a historical setting involving cold war intrigue, nostalgic gameplay mechanics from '90s shooters, a hilariously bad dub, ridiculous enemy AI, endless communist propaganda, it has it all!”
- “The mechanics are solid, and the controls feel tight.”
- “However, one thing I can say for sure is the continuation of this game 'Metro-2: Death of the Leader', known on Steam as 'Stalin Subway: Red Veil', is even worse, both technically and in terms of plot and gameplay.”
- “The gameplay is clunky and slow; the weapons are in some cases fine, and in other cases awful, and probably the biggest problem is the enemies do too much damage.”
- “My main criticism of the gameplay would be that reload time and movement speed are painfully slow and can cause frustration when there are a lot of enemies around.”
humor
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized by its nonsensical story, hilarious glitches, and intentionally poor voice acting, which many players find amusing despite the game's frustrating mechanics. The absurdity of the plot, combined with ridiculous enemy AI and outdated production values, creates a charm that resonates with players, especially when enjoyed in a group setting. Overall, while the game may lack polish, its comedic elements and unintentional hilarity make it a memorable experience for those who appreciate its unique brand of humor.
- “The game's one saving grace is its completely nonsensical story, which is hilarious.”
- “An unintentionally hilarious gem.”
- “Solid level design and atmosphere, a historical setting involving Cold War intrigue, nostalgic gameplay mechanics from '90s shooters, a hilariously bad dub, ridiculous enemy AI, and endless communist propaganda—it has it all!”
atmosphere
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
17%
50%
The game's atmosphere is described as generally dull and confusing, with a few levels capturing a strong Soviet/Russian vibe amidst repetitive and poorly designed environments. While some players appreciate the unique and oppressive atmosphere enhanced by sound design, many criticize the lack of open areas and the overwhelming presence of copy-pasted corridors filled with enemies, detracting from the overall experience.
- “Solid level design and atmosphere, a historical setting involving cold war intrigue, nostalgic gameplay mechanics from '90's shooters, a hilariously bad dub, ridiculous enemy AI, endless communist propaganda, it has it all!”
- “- unique, oppressive atmosphere that's helped by the game's good sound design”
- “The atmosphere was dull, confusing, and 'dark' (mysterious even) because you have no idea what is going on and can't distinguish between friend or foe.”
- “There was some atmosphere in a few maps, but usually they were repetitive and poor looking. The game lacks open areas; there are about two of them, one near the story's start and one at the Kremlin. As far as I remember, that's all.”
- “And the brief, mysterious, indescribable noises you hear without visual accompaniment when you first launch the game really help to build the atmosphere of being a blind man trying to navigate a confusing world of communist dictators and underground rolly-mabobs.”
optimization
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
60%
The game is widely criticized for its poor optimization, with users reporting significant performance issues, slow menu navigation, and overall subpar animations. Many reviewers suggest that optimization is one of the game's many shortcomings, detracting from the overall experience.
- “Also, don’t worry about the performance.”
- “The optimization in this game allows for smooth gameplay even on lower-end systems.”
- “I appreciate how the developers have focused on optimization, making the game run efficiently.”
- “Horrific optimization is the least of this game's problems though, that would be everything else.”
- “Really poorly animated game, opening the menu would take years, poorly optimized, just don't buy it.”
emotional
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the game's story profoundly moving, often leading to tears due to its heart-wrenching beauty and emotional depth. The nostalgic experience of replaying the game further enhances its emotional impact.
- “This is the best game ever created, and I have literally broken down in tears several times at how heart-wrenchingly beautiful the story is.”
- “Playing it again made me feel so nostalgic.”
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The character development in the game is generally considered mediocre, lacking depth and complexity that would enhance player engagement and emotional investment.
- “Very mediocre character development.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious and frustrating, primarily due to the heavy emphasis on physics, which can make gameplay feel unplayable at times.
- “The game's heavy emphasis on physics really made the gameplay tedious and sometimes outright unplayable.”
- “Grinding feels like a never-ending chore rather than an engaging part of the game.”
- “The repetitive nature of grinding takes away from the overall enjoyment and immersion.”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization aspect of the game is not explicitly discussed in the provided text, but it suggests that the game's marketing and nostalgic appeal may have influenced players' interest. Further details on monetization strategies, such as in-game purchases or ads, are not mentioned.