After Konami’s very[1] public[2] split[3] with Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima[4], comes Metal Gear Survive - the company’s first entry in the franchise since Kojima’s departure. For better or worse, it shuns its stealth roots for survival and crafting elements, along with action aplenty.
Metal Gear fans might cringe at the prospect of this take on the series, but much like Metal Gear: Ghost Babel, Konami claims that Survive is non-canon despite taking place between Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes[5] and Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain[6].
Metal Gear Survive puts you in the role of a soldier brought out of a coma and sent to an alternate dimension, in order to put an end to a zombie scourge (known as Wanderers) that threatens the Earth. You’ll discover what happened to Charon Corps - a battalion of soldiers that were sent before you - and rescue survivors to help you stem the tide.
In a series fraught with conspiracy theories, nano-machines, and more than its fare share of the supernatural, Metal Gear Survive’s premise seems downright pedestrian. It doesn’t help that the opening couple of hours are far from entertaining. In fact they’re probably the most misleading in gaming history since Deus Ex’s Liberty Island mission, in the year 2000. Persist though, and you’re treated to a surprisingly solid experience.
In terms of its narrative, Metal Gear Survive feels like a step up over 2015’s Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain simply because its major revelations aren’t limited to audio recordings. Without spoiling much, Metal Gear Survive’s story manages to be good enough to see you through the end once you’ve slogged past...