An Overview and Review of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain

Introduction

Developed by Hideo Kojima, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain is an action/adventure, open-world, stealth-based video game. It was just recently released worldwide this September 2015. It is the final installment to the Metal Gear series and is in some ways, the send-off game to the Metal Gear’s creator and developer, Hideo Kojima as this is also his last Metal Gear game due to some issues with Konami.

We pick up where we left off at the end of Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes and Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain is a continuation of the narrative from there. The new game design direction that allows for players to have more free-reign of the story events allows them to choose what order they take missions unlike the other Metal Gear games which basically tries to get the player from point A to point B. Players can be surprised by how much more freer they can be while playing the game and one player potentially have a totally different gaming experience than another player due to this new gaming direction.

In this sense, Kojima was able to realize his vision of a “true open wolrd experience” and many have already agreed on this. The playable world of The Phantom Pain is infinitely bigger than Ground Zeroes for example and shows players a myriad of different climate conditions and environments in which a player can explore.

Players also have the choise to freely roam through the game world going on story missions or sidequests as the player wishes unlike with previous games who have a more structured, linear gameplay style.

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Gameplay

Players start off the game as Big Boss or Punished “Venom” Snake. For players of the previous game, Ground Zeroes, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain will feel very familiar. As in the previous game, players will be going through the same motions of sneaking around the game world, constantly avoiding the enemy, and trying to remain undetected.

Big Boss has several items with him at the start of the game:

• Assault rifles
• Binoculars
• Explosives
• Maps
• Pistols

You can also start developing weapons and other items on your home base.

The Phantom Pains open-world environment allows for players to explore to many different locations in different ways such as:

• Vehicles (cars, tanks, etc.)
• On foot
• Horseback

As in Peacewalker, players will be reacquainted with the Mother Base and can now go and explore the complex on foot rather than just by air. Also like in Peacewalker, you can also start sending captured soldiers and other objects (animals or vehicles) back to Mother Base.

Multiplayer

There are two multiplayer modes in Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain:

• Metal Gear Online
• Foward Operating Base

Premise

As was mentioned before, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, starts where Ground Zeroes ends, at the destruction of MSF and when Big Boss falls into a coma. Fast-forward nine years, Big Boss awakens and starts up the Diamond Dogs, a mercenary group and becomes their leader.

At this time, he adopts the codename “Punished Venom Snake” and ventures through Afghanistan during what is known as the Soviet-Afghan War. His main purpose is to find out who was responsible for MSF’s downfall.

Characters

During this time, he bumps into his rival Ocelot and another character called Quiet, an assassin/sniper with remarkable, supernatural abilities.

With Benedict “Kazuhira” Miller, Big Boss tries to incite revenge but then he stumbles upon a plot by the Cipher organization.

Other familiar characters include:

• Code Talker
• Skullface
• Emmerich

Story

We already know that Big Boss is in a coma and only after nine years, in 1984. A Cipher assassin by the name of Quiet tries to finish the job but Big Boss ends up recruiting her later on. He is saved momentarily by a mysterious man that calls himself only by the name Ishmael. You will need to play the game to figure out what happens next however.

One side-mission is about Skull Face and Quiet and how she ends up with Big Boss. Another side-mission is about “The Phantom” and a big reveal.

These side-missions are all very interesting and add to the character depth. But it has yet to be seen whether it really is important to the continuity of the overall main story.

As we have already tackled, the game play for Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain is rich and more weighty than previous Metal Gear games.

However, the story itself though very hopeful, feels in the end very lacking and under-developed. And this is where most players of the game will feel dissappointed in especially for a final installment to a beloved game series. Thankfully, inspite of this, there is so much to explore and unfold all on your own.

For the most part, The Phantom Pain’s story are at least well-made and well-produced coupled with the world’s quite beautiful cinematography and the characters.

And it is a good thing that the game doesn’t really need the story for it to be enjoyable for players. However, it can also be said that, for a game that is note-worthy for story in previous games, it can also be seen as a letdown.

Music

The music for Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain was produced by Harry Gregson-Williams which is his fourth Metal Gear game. It is a mix of acoustic, ambient, classical and electronic music genres that give an overall feel for the game.

In interviews given by some of those involved in the music production half of the game, it was revealed that a good chunk of the music already developed for The Phantom Pain had to be scrapped due to the tight budet given for the game project by Konami.

Conclusion

The Phantom Pain is an awesome game that a lot of users couldn’t believe could exist until now. The detail and complex gameplay is what draws the players into this world. However, for those players that are story-driven, you might be slightly disappointed by all the odd-endedness of it all. But take that aside, is a game that really adapts and lets you improvise throughout the game and will keep you on your toes. There is a chance that you will be playing for hours and hours.