This review contains spoilers
"This is good…isn't it?"
I can’t think of any better words to definitely close the curtains on the entire Metal Gear Saga than this. It sounds sentimental, deceptively profound even, but very uncertain. It tracks when you would dig into the development of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of Patriots and discover how Kojima originally wanted no part of this finale but because of immense pressure from the fans, bringing in death threats, he reluctantly stepped back into the role as director to give them the game he felt they deserved. It’s why the end product we received feels like Kojima giving absolutely no fucks at all anymore with how overwhelmingly bitter and depressing this game feels. It’s easy to point at Solid Snake himself to understand this unbridled vision; he’s so eerily old and withered, not like the stealth action hero at his prime we’ve grown to love and adore. He’s reached the logical endpoint of his life, dealing with the harsh reality of his existence which prevents him from becoming part of this future he’s been fighting to preserve since the beginning. It’s not just him though, every beloved character from the past MGS games comes back to the fold here either being miserable, depressed, or reminds you of just how old they’ve gotten since their first appearances. This results in some very questionable creative choices when bringing closure for some of these lovely guys (some examples include: Naomi, Meryl, and maybe even Raiden), which arguably goes against their previous characterizations on what makes them click with us. If it wasn’t for the last hour where Solid Snake confronts XXXX then I’d say this is the most bitter sendoff you could give to fans on a series they’ve strongly followed behind. Instead, I was surprised by what got out from that last hour, that the last remaining moments of these characters in this series chronologically, was something bittersweet than…well, uh, just bitter?
Now, this isn’t perfect. Especially by direct comparison for the last three MGS games where the flaws bleed out so transparently that it feels weird to group this with the other three that I consider being unique masterpieces of gaming. Like I mentioned before, the characters are treated questionably and even while writing this I still don’t quite know whether I firmly believe that it succeeds in further enriching them with a sense of satisfying finality or retroactively weakens them in certain parts. The gameplay, I find, is to be the weakest out of the mainline entries. It’s basically MGS3: Snake Eater, even keeping mechanics it added like camouflage, but twisted to conform into a 7th Gen Military Cover Shooter which makes it feel creatively at odds with the tactical stealth action foundation that MGS excelled in. I guess it’s not too bad, but to address the elephant in the room, yeah, there’s very little actual gameplay in proportion to the amount of cut-scenes going on. I don’t…hate this, really. I actually enjoy most of the cut-scenes because I thought they were still very well directed, and the story proved to be at the very least engaging. The problem I have is how they’re placed between the segments of gameplay which feels stilted and gives you very little reason to engage with the stealth and combat mechanics like how you can do in the previous games because everything feels too tunnel-visioned and sparse. The bosses honestly miss much more than they hit this time around. They have the really cool premise of being monstrous versions of the older MGS1 boss but put into practice they lack what made those bosses feel creative and fun. Laughing Octopus is probably my favorite of the bunch because it made well use of a tight quarters space with enough legroom to navigate around while using your gadgets to find and attack her. Crying Wolf is only interesting just because of the significance of where you fight her. Raging Raven is just annoying, trenching dangerously into “7th Gen Bosses Were Really Whack” territory. Screaming Mantis was especially disappointing because while it cheekily invokes the meta of the original Psycho Mantis boss fight it’s just way too easy because it relies on using the exact same tactic from a previous boss fight, which also wasn’t very good btw, to defeat it. I think what dulls them for me is how they’re given these awkwardly placed exposition once you kill them to explain all this characterization for how and why they became the way they are. I won’t pretend MGS bosses are always like super deep characters with so much pathos going on, sometimes they can just be a pyrotechnic astronaut and that’s just wonderful, but when they are, the characterization they’re given feels well woven into the narrative and sometimes gameplay even. Here, it just feels low-effortly artificial and very unlike how Kojima usually tries to make the bosses truly memorable. I will give credit and say the Metal Gear boss fight, simplistic as the gameplay during it was, is a welcomed bit of fun fan service.
With how I’m laying out my criticisms, especially knowing my stance on this series from the last three games, it would seem like I don’t like this too much and even feels it almost betrays the spirit of MGS but oddly enough I think the inherent failures are what makes it so compelling too? Like, as much as it can feel like Kojima was projecting his bitterness and frustration onto this game, he also never once stopped showing how much he still deeply cares about these characters and this series he’s been instrumental in. Solid Snake is in the most unfavorable state that any of us would want him to be in but he finally broke free from the systems that had forever controlled his identity and accepted his fate in an incoming future where soldiers aren’t needed anymore. Meryl actually settling down with a guy (you can really tell Kojima gave no fucks at all once you find out who he really was) feels…odd, but satisfying because she can give up her adventurous desire to be some war hero and find comfort in living a peaceful life free from a need for soldiers. For the sake of pretending Metal Gear Rising isn’t canon here to make my point look totally legit, Raiden went on a roller coaster of a development since MGS2 but now has the chance to just hang up his cyborg ninja sword to become a father and feel complete as a person. The final boss is an all-timer. It rivals MGS3’s final boss for being Kojima’s artistic masterwork and for being my absolute favorite climax in any video game because of the sheer emotional catharsis I felt. It wasn’t just the culmination from playing the game from start to finish, but the culmination of your entire journey throughout these games to this very moment. Where everything has been building up to fighting the man who you’ve long since needed to settle the personal score with, who, like you, represents a part of this generational conflict that should’ve been put to rest long ago so that the future may prosper. This is kicked off with how the fight cycles through and plays each banger musical track from MGS1 (Encounter), to MGS2 (Tanker Incident), to MGS3 (Snake Eater), and finally here with MGS4 (Old Snake). It’s equally triumphant as it is sad to see two legendary soldiers, two twin sons, twin snakes even, far past their prime now, with too much history needing to be settled already and remain broken by it.
There’s other phenomenal moments like this here. Even amidst all the messiness, I find it hard not to still appreciate the way this still does an effective job of closing the book on this series which is unlike any other. I genuinely can't think of a more appropriate ending than this that makes me think deeply on my connection to these games and why they'll stick around with me. There’re games after that try to fill in the gaps of this story by moving away from Solid Snake, shifting the focus to other important characters and playing around with the gameplay formula MGS baked. However, I don’t think it detracts from how, although not in the most preferred circumstances, Kojima managed to end this all on his own terms, whether you like it or not.
also this is me after beating the game on RPCS3
I can’t think of any better words to definitely close the curtains on the entire Metal Gear Saga than this. It sounds sentimental, deceptively profound even, but very uncertain. It tracks when you would dig into the development of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of Patriots and discover how Kojima originally wanted no part of this finale but because of immense pressure from the fans, bringing in death threats, he reluctantly stepped back into the role as director to give them the game he felt they deserved. It’s why the end product we received feels like Kojima giving absolutely no fucks at all anymore with how overwhelmingly bitter and depressing this game feels. It’s easy to point at Solid Snake himself to understand this unbridled vision; he’s so eerily old and withered, not like the stealth action hero at his prime we’ve grown to love and adore. He’s reached the logical endpoint of his life, dealing with the harsh reality of his existence which prevents him from becoming part of this future he’s been fighting to preserve since the beginning. It’s not just him though, every beloved character from the past MGS games comes back to the fold here either being miserable, depressed, or reminds you of just how old they’ve gotten since their first appearances. This results in some very questionable creative choices when bringing closure for some of these lovely guys (some examples include: Naomi, Meryl, and maybe even Raiden), which arguably goes against their previous characterizations on what makes them click with us. If it wasn’t for the last hour where Solid Snake confronts XXXX then I’d say this is the most bitter sendoff you could give to fans on a series they’ve strongly followed behind. Instead, I was surprised by what got out from that last hour, that the last remaining moments of these characters in this series chronologically, was something bittersweet than…well, uh, just bitter?
Now, this isn’t perfect. Especially by direct comparison for the last three MGS games where the flaws bleed out so transparently that it feels weird to group this with the other three that I consider being unique masterpieces of gaming. Like I mentioned before, the characters are treated questionably and even while writing this I still don’t quite know whether I firmly believe that it succeeds in further enriching them with a sense of satisfying finality or retroactively weakens them in certain parts. The gameplay, I find, is to be the weakest out of the mainline entries. It’s basically MGS3: Snake Eater, even keeping mechanics it added like camouflage, but twisted to conform into a 7th Gen Military Cover Shooter which makes it feel creatively at odds with the tactical stealth action foundation that MGS excelled in. I guess it’s not too bad, but to address the elephant in the room, yeah, there’s very little actual gameplay in proportion to the amount of cut-scenes going on. I don’t…hate this, really. I actually enjoy most of the cut-scenes because I thought they were still very well directed, and the story proved to be at the very least engaging. The problem I have is how they’re placed between the segments of gameplay which feels stilted and gives you very little reason to engage with the stealth and combat mechanics like how you can do in the previous games because everything feels too tunnel-visioned and sparse. The bosses honestly miss much more than they hit this time around. They have the really cool premise of being monstrous versions of the older MGS1 boss but put into practice they lack what made those bosses feel creative and fun. Laughing Octopus is probably my favorite of the bunch because it made well use of a tight quarters space with enough legroom to navigate around while using your gadgets to find and attack her. Crying Wolf is only interesting just because of the significance of where you fight her. Raging Raven is just annoying, trenching dangerously into “7th Gen Bosses Were Really Whack” territory. Screaming Mantis was especially disappointing because while it cheekily invokes the meta of the original Psycho Mantis boss fight it’s just way too easy because it relies on using the exact same tactic from a previous boss fight, which also wasn’t very good btw, to defeat it. I think what dulls them for me is how they’re given these awkwardly placed exposition once you kill them to explain all this characterization for how and why they became the way they are. I won’t pretend MGS bosses are always like super deep characters with so much pathos going on, sometimes they can just be a pyrotechnic astronaut and that’s just wonderful, but when they are, the characterization they’re given feels well woven into the narrative and sometimes gameplay even. Here, it just feels low-effortly artificial and very unlike how Kojima usually tries to make the bosses truly memorable. I will give credit and say the Metal Gear boss fight, simplistic as the gameplay during it was, is a welcomed bit of fun fan service.
With how I’m laying out my criticisms, especially knowing my stance on this series from the last three games, it would seem like I don’t like this too much and even feels it almost betrays the spirit of MGS but oddly enough I think the inherent failures are what makes it so compelling too? Like, as much as it can feel like Kojima was projecting his bitterness and frustration onto this game, he also never once stopped showing how much he still deeply cares about these characters and this series he’s been instrumental in. Solid Snake is in the most unfavorable state that any of us would want him to be in but he finally broke free from the systems that had forever controlled his identity and accepted his fate in an incoming future where soldiers aren’t needed anymore. Meryl actually settling down with a guy (you can really tell Kojima gave no fucks at all once you find out who he really was) feels…odd, but satisfying because she can give up her adventurous desire to be some war hero and find comfort in living a peaceful life free from a need for soldiers. For the sake of pretending Metal Gear Rising isn’t canon here to make my point look totally legit, Raiden went on a roller coaster of a development since MGS2 but now has the chance to just hang up his cyborg ninja sword to become a father and feel complete as a person. The final boss is an all-timer. It rivals MGS3’s final boss for being Kojima’s artistic masterwork and for being my absolute favorite climax in any video game because of the sheer emotional catharsis I felt. It wasn’t just the culmination from playing the game from start to finish, but the culmination of your entire journey throughout these games to this very moment. Where everything has been building up to fighting the man who you’ve long since needed to settle the personal score with, who, like you, represents a part of this generational conflict that should’ve been put to rest long ago so that the future may prosper. This is kicked off with how the fight cycles through and plays each banger musical track from MGS1 (Encounter), to MGS2 (Tanker Incident), to MGS3 (Snake Eater), and finally here with MGS4 (Old Snake). It’s equally triumphant as it is sad to see two legendary soldiers, two twin sons, twin snakes even, far past their prime now, with too much history needing to be settled already and remain broken by it.
There’s other phenomenal moments like this here. Even amidst all the messiness, I find it hard not to still appreciate the way this still does an effective job of closing the book on this series which is unlike any other. I genuinely can't think of a more appropriate ending than this that makes me think deeply on my connection to these games and why they'll stick around with me. There’re games after that try to fill in the gaps of this story by moving away from Solid Snake, shifting the focus to other important characters and playing around with the gameplay formula MGS baked. However, I don’t think it detracts from how, although not in the most preferred circumstances, Kojima managed to end this all on his own terms, whether you like it or not.
also this is me after beating the game on RPCS3