Metal Gear Acid is a departure from the traditional stealth-action gameplay that I've always loved and been accustomed to from Metal Gear. It instead introduces a turn-based, card-driven gameplay mechanic that's set within the universe. I'm a huge fan of Metal Gear, so I got some shit to talk about here.

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Like I already said; Metal Gear Acid's gameplay revolves around a unique blend of turn-based strategy and card-based mechanics. In this game you'll have to construct decks of action cards, equipment cards, and special ability cards to navigate through each level. The strategic depth lies in planning each move, considering the limited actions available per turn and the resources provided by the cards.
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I am not that big of a fan when it comes to this style of gameplay, but I can say that the card system does add an extra layer of complexity and unpredictability to the gameplay, requiring you to adapt to changing circumstances and make strategic decisions on the fly. However, the reliance on RNG for drawing cards lead me to some frustrating moments where my shitty luck played a significant role in how situation went.
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The stealth mechanics, y'know the hallmark of Metal Gear gameplay, are still present obviously but feel somewhat diluted in this iteration. While you can utilize stealth tactics to avoid enemies and complete the objectives, the emphasis shifts more towards tactical combat and card management. Which I just personally didn't get into, but enough about gameplay. Time for my favorite part of games; the story.

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True to Metal Gear tradition, Metal Gear Acid delivers a compelling narrative filled with political intrigue, conspiracies, and larger-than-life characters. Set in an alternate universe where bioterrorism is rampant, you'll assume the role of Solid Snake as he, like any Metal Gear game in existence, unravels a sinister plot involving a new weapon of mass destruction.
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The story is told through stylishly presented cutscenes and in-game dialogue sequences (again like every Metal Gear ever), that keeps you engaged and invested in the unfolding plot. The themes of government manipulation, genetic engineering, and the ethics of warfare are explored as well as always, adding depth to the overall experience.

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Visually, this game showcases impressive graphics for the PSP hardware of its time. Character models are well-detailed, environments are immersive, and the visual effects during combat sequences are satisfying. While I don't really give a shit about fps and whatnot, I do feel the need to point out that occasional frame rate drops and texture pop-ins detract from the overall polish of the presentation.
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The sound design is servicable, with a fitting soundtrack that sets the mood for each mission but with no track that stands out in any way. Voice acting, while limited, effectively conveys the personalities of the characters. However, repetitive sound effects and lackluster enviromental audio prevents the game from achieving auditory excellence personally.

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Now onto something I don't really mind not having present but is still a nice addition. Metal Gear Acid offers moderate replay value thanks to its branching mission paths, unlockable cards, and multiple difficulty settings. Completing the game unlocks additional challenges and rewards, encouraging you to revisit levels and experiment with different strategies.
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But I do have to say that the repititive nature of the card-based gameplay and linear progression structure may deter some people (including me) from seeking out additional playthroughs. While there is enjoyment to be found in mastering the game's mechanics, the lack of substantial rewards or incentives beyond completion may limit long-term engagement.

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Overall, Metal Gear Acid is an ambitious departure from the traditional Metal Gear formula, blending this unique gamplay togehter with the series' signature storytelling. While it offers an engaging narrative, these unique gameplay mechanics, and impressive visuals for it's platform, it falls short in certain areas that can range from small to moderately big. If you're a fan of the Metal Gear franchise looking for more content beside pachinko machines (fuck Konami), I recommend this game, because even through it's less than favorable areas this is still a game worth exploring as a fan. However, those seeking a more traditional Metal Gear you'll probably be better off with being covered through YouTube retrospectives.

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6.5/10

It wasn't until roughly four years after the release of the critically acclaimed Ghost Babel that fans were finally given another Metal Gear spin-off directed by Shinta Noriji and with writing credits from Tomokazu Fukushima. The latter of whom this would serve as his penultimate contribution to the franchise. Due to qualms with the PSP's controls, and the "encouragement" of Hideo Kojima himself, the team behind the project decided to take the property in an entirely new direction in order create something a little easier to jump in & out of on the go. Thus AC!D was born, which forgoes the typical real-time action in favor of becoming a turn-based tactical stealth card game. A unique combination of genres as I'm sure you can imagine.

It's still a Metal Gear title at the end of the day. Meaning you'll do familiar things like walking into a level just long enough to receive a codec call explaining how you need to collect an item in a completely different stage before you can actually progress in that one and be forced to backtrack to it later. All the while sitting through lengthy storytelling segments of a ridiculously complex nature. Only now everything you do be it moving, healing, attacking, or almost anything in-between requires you to play from a selection of cards in your hand.

It's not a perfect system by any means. Having to rely on luck of the draw to get something useful in the moment and the "cost" mechanics assigned to actually using a card, which essentially act as a timer that determines when your next turn will arrive, can lead to a lot of waiting around while you pray to eventually be given the tools that will allow you to effectively contend with whatever obstacle is currently in your way. Especially early on. As a result, it's one of those experiences that gets better the longer you stick with it. Not so much because of how you'll continue to gain a greater understanding of how the various aspects of its design work, which is obviously the case and of course very helpful, but more primarily thanks to the gradual expansion of your deck slowly granting you more options on the battlefield.

For all of its changes to the gameplay however, longtime MG devotees might also struggle a bit with the narrative half of the package. AC!D tells one of the wilder tales in the series, featuring psychic little girls, spiritual possession, and a few potential cases of schizophrenia ON TOP of the usual hidden agendas, double-crosses, and political intrigue. Aside from the fact that it's non-canon, the issue most people are going to have with this is that it's not being told via the expected movie quality cutscenes. Rather it's wholly text-based, so you'll be clicking through line after line of dialog while looking at beautiful hand-drawn character portraits in a manner akin to a visual novel. The lack of the brand's typical cinematic flair is certainly disappointing, but personally it didn't trouble me too much. Instead my biggest problem was that the script is constantly dropping little hints that if you're paying attention can clue you in on all the crazy twists long before they're revealed, causing them to land with far less impact than they otherwise would.

Nonetheless, this is a clever reinvention of the series that's gone underappreciated and overlooked simply because it's different and takes place in a continuity separate than that of the main outings. You'll be hard-pressed to find too many talking about this entry, which is kind of a shame considering how it requires players to reassess their approaches to classic Metal Gear scenarios that they've been relying on for years. There are undoubtedly some kinks and issues that need to be ironed out (don't even get me started on how long the alert phases last!), but what's here proved enjoyable enough regardless to make me very interested in its sequel. I'd recommend it to the more discerning and open-minded members of the fanbase.

7/10

I’m not the biggest Metal Gear fan. I’ve played most of them all the way through, but it takes a certain kind of patience to finish an MGS game. Whether it’s the stealth trial and error or the sometimes nearly hour-long cut scenes and convoluted story, MGS is an acquired taste. I hesitated on Acid for years and years because it was a slower-paced strategy game set in the MGS universe. Normally this would be okay as plenty of action games adopted strategy gameplay and it worked. Acid also uses a card-based system that determines what moves you can make and this is the bullet in the foot for the game.


The story is pretty basic MGS stuff. Nothing really interesting, but you do play as Snake who is trying to rescue a US Senator who is aboard a plane that has been taken over by a terrorist. A typical weird MGS villain. It’s nothing as deep as the console games but it’s there. Once you get based on the first cut scene (there is no voice acting here) you are introduced to the game’s tutorial. You move on a tile-based system and you will be dealt a random set of cards. These cards have actions like healing, guns, grenades, melee attacks, camo, a box, etc. However, the first major flaw is you must sacrifice a card for a move turn. Each card has a move option and once the move is complete the card is gone. Why? This makes no sense. Why can’t I keep my cards for strategic actions, but now I have to throw away cards I could be using later on and this happens all the time. You get a deck refresh after all your Cost points are depleted.


Once you move you can pick a direction to face and whether to stay in the current position, crawl, or flatten against a wall so you can knock on it and distract a guard. The second biggest issue is not being able to tell what the guard patterns are or being able to move around the map and see what’s ahead so you can plan. The whole point of a strategy game is to plan, but Kojima wants you to do things on the fly with a turned-based card system What? Most of the time I restarted levels over and over because I got stuck in a situation in which I was spotted, the alarm sounded, and I had too many enemies on me and not enough fighting cards. The alarm runs down three phases at 15 seconds each and it takes around three turns to get to the next phase. You’re in alarm mode for about nine turns! What?!

A lot of times you can’t see an enemy make a move on their turn unless they are in view which is so dumb. I will just walk into a hallway or around a corner and there’s a guard there. I either have to kill him or run away before his turn. You usually get two moves per turn and that’s it. The same goes for cameras. I walked down hallways just to get spotted by a camera I didn’t see or couldn’t do anything about because I ran out of moves. Not being able to see what’s ahead is a serious detriment to this game. I wish I could at least bank cards I want to keep until the next turn and not sacrifice them for moves. The enemies also seem to have random times when they turn around and move. Sometimes they would take three whole turns before moving, then the next guard would do it every other turn, then some guards alert the whole area right away and some don’t. You either have to go full strategy with this or don’t bother.


The game looks good. The game is sharp and looks like MGS2 and that’s about it. There’s nothing special here, and while finishing missions gives you new cards for your 30 card deck, I just set the thing to auto. The game is also very long-winded and can take you 20 hours or more to finish if you end up restarting a lot, and that’s just too damn long for a handheld game. As a launch title it was fine, but not the strongest. We didn’t get much of a choice and it was the only strategy title for the longest time until Field Commander blew it out of the water. Acid just doesn’t mesh MGS action with card strategy. It’s a dull, dry, and downright boring game that only the most diehard MGS fans will want to play. Even strategy fans won’t want to bother at all here. Clearly, Kojima didn’t want to part with conventional MGS gameplay elements like knocking on walls as an actual move, being able to see ahead, shortening the alarm stages, etc. These all could have just been cards dealt by the enemy. Real-time actions don’t mesh well with a pure strategy like this and it shows.