Metal Gear -MSX- 8

October 14, 2024

Metal Gear originally released in 1987 for the Japanese MSX console, which we never received here in the United States. There was an NES port of the game, but it made a lot of changes and was inferior to the original MSX version. The MSX edition of Metal Gear is Solid Snake’s true first mission. I originally played it a couple decades ago through emulation, and I just played through it a second time now on the Metal Gear Solid Legacy Collection for PlayStation 3.

Metal Gear is a promising start for the popular series. This entry chronicles the events where Big Boss enlists the rookie Solid Snake to infiltrate Outer Heaven and destroy the Metal Gear weapon. You will have to either fight or sneak past guard soldiers to rescue hostages and find items that will unlock further sections in the enemy base to complete your mission.

Many of the series’ signature elements originated here. Emphasis on stealth over action, asking for clues over codec conversations, hiding in cardboard boxes, and even fourth wall breaking — it all started here. These were the early days of stealth gameplay, so it is dated, but I still had fun. I like how you are given some freedom to choose how to neutralize the enemies in each encounter, even though the options are rather limited in a game this old. You do your best to stay out of each soldier’s line of sight, but you have some powerful weapons to use in case you are spotted. Finding some of the key items and figuring out where to go next can be cryptic, though, even with some help from the codec conversations. But this was very common in games of this era. Thankfully, we have access to internet guides now, which I had to make use of on occasion in this playthrough.

Metal Gear is a fairly brief game, only taking a few hours to beat. The story is also pretty simple and straightforward, especially when compared to future installments. But it’s a good entry point and introduction for Solid Snake, one of my all time favorite lead characters in a videogame series. There is even a cool plot twist in the final stretch, where you find out who is secretly in charge of the enemy operation. Despite the short length and some antiquated game mechanics, this was still a very good title for the time it was made. I rate Metal Gear an 8 out of ten.