To anyone from Backloggd staff reading this: there is an extra Ghost Babel in the research database (called "Metal Gear Solid (2000)")! Fix it by deleting the other one when you have the chance (or this or the other as you prefer tbh). And naming this Ghost Babel if possible...Thank you!

Whoever got the idea of naming it exactly like the PS1 masterpiece should never be allowed to localize game ever again.

This is a non canonical filler episode starring Solid Snake with a similar gameplay to Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake, but more cinematic (basic cutscenes btw) and better to play.
Wish they could release it on NSO, I would properly play it better since in other forms of way you all know very well I can't find the will for the commitment.
But from what I've managed to do is impressive, definitely one of the most important GBC games.

aka Metal Gear: Ghost Babel

This getting branded as "Metal Gear Solid" outside of Japan was a massive disservice, as this is not simply a ported/demake'd MGS1. Sure, it's heavily inspired by MGS1 gameplay-wise, but Ghost Babel is a totally unique and strange alternate-universe sequel to the original Metal Gear. Even more bizarre is how much future games seem to pull directly from Ghost Babel. The narrative is, shockingly, a proto-MGSV in a lot of ways with the subplot of Viper (a venomous snake, if you will) and his crusade of vengeance against FOXHOUND. There's even straight up [REDACTED] in this game, whereas MGSV held back and wouldn't go all the way despite the themes. Some of MGS3's narrative and best moments are taken right out of this game, too. And the post-game special VR missions are just straight up Raiden's VR training alluded to in MGS2, that's not even up for debate - the missions are literally conducted by one of the Patriot AIs! It's impressive how overlooked Ghost Babel is in the Metal Gear series history given all that.

Overall, this is a delightful experience: the visuals are oozing with charm (that codec screen is just eye candy to me), and the gameplay is that classic Metal Gear 2 top-down goodness. It's retro in all the right ways if you ask me, and it doesn't overstay its welcome. Metal Gear fans owe it to themselves to check this one out - just play it with save states to bypass some of the frustrating padding introduced in the last few levels.

🐍📦

Or Metal Gear: Ghost Babel as it was released in Japan. This was originally solicited by Konami's European branch to be a bite-sized portable port of the PS1 classic, similar to what Max Payne on the GBA (which is fantastic BTW) would be for its home console counterparts years later. At some point during its development though it took on a life all its own, becoming an alternate timeline sequel to the 1987 title that started the whole franchise. You can definitely see some overlap between the two games when it comes to certain story beats and gameplay set pieces, but for the most part this is an entirely distinct, standalone product.

Ghost Babel really helps reveal exactly what kind of narrative material Tomokazu Fukushima, who co-wrote the first three main Solid entries and receives the sole writing credit here, brought to the series. It shares its predecessor's penchant for lengthy (for a GBC release) cutscenes and Codec conversations, but gone are most of the fourth wall breaking antics and goofy comedic bits. This is a very serious, even grim tale with themes of abuse, racism, and references to ethnic cleansing to go alongside all the political treachery and double-crosses. Those who prefer the hard-edged government conspiratorial and wartime tragedy side of the series to Kojima's trademark silliness may find this to be their ideal Metal Gear yarn.

Don't let the limitations of the handheld hardware trick you into thinking this will be a severely scaled back version of the "tactical espionage action" we'd seen prior. The style may be of a throwback nature to the two early MSX2 installments, but what you'll actually be tasked with doing offers a very close approximation to what's present in that first 3D outing. I was regularly impressed with the variety of scenarios and their complexity. They extend far beyond what anyone would reasonably expect from a Game Boy spin-off. The only issues being some frustrating design choices (oh yay, a boss that spams flash grenades... Terrific...) and a lot of backtracking to previously visited rooms that calls to mind that infamous shape memory alloy card-key mission and the very worst tendencies of Metroidvanias, but it isn't like that sort of stuff wasn't par for the course to this point.

The fact that this takes place in a separate branch away from the primary canon shouldn't be a deterrent for fans. It's just as big of a must experience as the core numbered chapters directed by Hideo himself are due to the strength of its plot and playability. Both of which stand as particular high points in a brand well-known for regularly receiving acclaim for its levels of quality in those areas. Who would've thought that one of the best Metal Gear offerings would be hiding on the GBC!

9/10

While Metal Gear started out in 2D, this game came out two years after Metal Gear Solid, so it had to find a way to join the old style of gameplay with the new 3D cinematic presentation. Ghost Babel is somewhat successful in this regard, with a narrative that lives up to the series’ standard while maintaining adding to the stealth mechanics with some unique gadgets. However, even with fun tools, the stealth isn’t robust enough to support the level of backtracking the game relies on in the second half. The 3D games transition to action setpieces towards the end for this very reason, but the limitations of the Game Boy meant the potential for impressive cinematography was limited. While it makes for a remarkable achievement for the console, it’s probably not going to wow anyone other than series fans.

apesar da história ser um metal gear solid alternativo que segue a história de metal gear 1 e 2, o jogo presume que você também jogou o solid original, referenciando ele diretamente nas mecânicas e quebra-cabeças. portanto, está mais pra mgs2 (inclusive nos temas de forjar um herói politicamente através de seu contexto cultural) mas com uma conclusão mais vingativa do que transformativa, embora igualmente individualista.

no final ele fala com o snake mesmo e não com o jogador, e essa talvez seja o maior ponto de cisão com o resto da série

After posting several long-winded reviews for the Metal Gear series already, I'm going to attempt to keep this one succinct.

Ghost Babel is a bite-sized Metal Gear, styled far more in the vein of the original two games than the Solid series they spawned, despite the fact that it uses the Solid branding. Gameplay is presented in a top-down fashion, and the screen-to-screen puzzle based stealth action that I've praised other titles in the series for is even more puzzley, and well tailored to the hardware the game is running on. You can absolutely sit down and do a full run through the game, but similar to Peace Walker it's much better enjoyed in quick bursts.

While the gameplay still works when being scaled down for a handheld, the same cannot be said of the story. I do not remember pretty much anything that happened in it. This is not just a consequence of it being considered a gaiden non-canon story, completely unimportant to Metal Gear's complex over-arching narrative, but because it just wasn't that interesting to me. This seems to be a common thread with the handheld Metal Gear games, for whatever reason. Portable Ops, Ac!d, and even Peace Walker fell flat for me in many ways, but at least the gameplay is so strong in Ghost Babel that it makes up for having a weak story.