If you were to remove the entire story of MGSV, it would still be the best stealth-action game there is.

There are healthy comparisons to be made with specifically Chaos Theory, maybe Blacklist, maybe GR Wildlands, but I don't think MGSV is even trying to compete with those titles. The game wants to punish you consistently for running around like a headless chicken relying on headshotting people with silenced pistols, it lets you do that, but the things you miss out on by killing every soldier you see far outweigh the convenience of making Snake be a ruthless killing machine. Kojima has stated that one of the main driving points of player freedom is that MGS will guide you towards playing non-lethal, but won't restrict you to only doing so. Violence is nearly always an option. It's refreshing, it adds character and healthy difficulty. The natural progression of difficulty is incredibly fluid, from being able to tranq any guard you want with little consequence, to guards wearing helmets, night vision, claymores, snipers, decoys, and face masks. You go from the tame and relaxed approach of taking down outposts, to genuinely needing to avoid consequence for miss-stepping.

I could praise this game endlessly for gameplay design alone, but under that, it's still a Metal Gear Solid game.


Metal Gear has always been borderline absurdist, enjoyably so, but teetering that line can easily drag the player out of immersion. This story is believable, with some caveats. Particular elements, namely the Eli arc start to cross the line unenjoyably. Easily forgivable, just noteworthy. The comments you will hear about the disjointed and rushed nature of the storyline have truth to them, but it's not nearly as heavy as you'd expect. A lot of it is purely derived from the push and pull of open world gameplay. There's a lot of sudden stops between missions, the motherbase, and the open world. If you were to only look at the story, ignoring the jolts, a very compelling and engaging story is there, I'll get into that shortly. This is probably the most grounded and least silly entry in the series, maybe not in story, but at least in presentation.


Punished "Venom" Snake.
Where to start.

This version of snake is older, experienced, maybe cynical. He's tired, the commitment to his role is there only because he's stuck there, there is no real way out of his position. This approach to his personality directly results into this being one of the most human portrayals of Snake. The restrained compassion and humanity creates so much tension, half the time you'll be thinking "Oh my god please say something"
It's surprising how much attachment can be had to this version of Snake who almost acts like a proxy for the player. A main critisism of this game was that Snake didn't talk a lot, and that he wasn't voiced by Hayter. It's true, he doesn't talk a lot. The dialogue is restrained in a way that makes the moments where he does speak have so much weight, nearly always quotable, and offers a glimpse into the way he's perceiving the world. Those moments where he talks are without a doubt some of the best in the game. Sutherland does an amazing job portraying this hardened version of Big Boss. Ocelot's character is genuinely likable, he's smart and logical. Sometimes serving as a way to ground the events occuring. Miller is in my opinion, deeply unlikable. Not in an intrusive way, he's just very intense and hard headed. It serves the story well. Quiet's story arc was surprisingly interesting and nuanced, her appearance really does harm the weight of it though. Oh Kojima... All things considered, i really enjoyed her story, and really the stories of the entire supporting cast. HEAVY SPOILERS: It's a real shame that the Snake you play as isn't really Snake. The reminder of it is almost painful, thinking that this story, this character progression, does not carry over to the Snake you play as in Snake Eater and Peacewalker. It's easy to let that fact suck you out of the story. The post quarantine arc is almost taxing to play through, ending with one of the most heartfelt speeches you'll hear in gaming. Bonus points for the demon symbolism, but I wont spoil that.

It's saddening that this was the farewell installment of the series, with Kojima "leaving" to create his own studio. Does it wrap the series up well? It's arguable, it's a messy ending. I would've loved to be able to play as Venom Snake again. I think anyone could play the series as is and be happy with it. Saying goodbye to Snake really does hurt though. Nearly 40 years ago, almost double my age, we got to meet him. One of the true gaming icons.

MGSV is without a doubt one of the best gaming experiences you can have, for fans of the series, or as newcomers.

"Heaven's not my kind of place anyway"