lost in the bloody shadows of war are the cries of those who seek the light.

the golden standard for equally balanced gameplay and story. blended together in such a way where one cannot exist without the other. each and every guard we come across, unknowingly trapped as pawns in a much deeper game whose players show blatant disregard for their own pieces on the board. everyone has selfish reasons for fighting, despite war never ending in favor of its soldiers turned victims. victory is reliant on how mercilessly you can move forward while forgetting the scent of past’s bloody aroma.

i’m a huge fan of every character here but the one i felt most connected to was surprisingly meryl. she’s almost like this self insert for some of the audience with her portrayal of the battlefield as this larger-than-life action flick displaying heroes and villains. as the game goes on, both us and meryl slowly discover the truth of it. there are no heroes, no villains. on the surface there appears to be two different sides, but on the battlefield there are just people, people who simply do what they’re told. mgs1 doesn’t sugarcoat anything, conveying the cold truths beneath what we know as “war.” the mysteries run deeper than we initially thought.
the game’s content wouldn’t have worked as well as it did if not for the unconventional yet effective writing combined with the surprising amount of production value. at times it can be a bit infodumpy but the subject matter is relevant and intriguing enough to keep me interested. the cutscene presentation was initially what blew me away like many others. each scene has some really good shot composition and directing. it’s definitely reminiscent of the terminators and the predators of the time while still managing to be distinct in its own right. there’s a noticeable amount of attention to detail paid to both the cinematics and gameplay. when roaming the foreboding mechanical hallways of shadow moses you have all the tools at your disposal, it’s up to you to figure out how to use those tools realistically and efficiently. there’s no one set way to do basically anything in the game. experimentation is encouraged and even today i find it to be pretty ingenious.

the past can be used as an excuse to justify our present actions. in our strive for personal benefit sometimes we lose sight of who we really are. the past is important, no doubt, but what we make of ourselves now is what counts (if you can excuse my bit of cliche regurgitation). live on snake, otacon, meryl.

metal gear solid’s legacy speaks for itself. there’s not much more i can add to the discussion that hasn’t already been said. it’s considered one of the greatest games ever made for a reason, setting a new standard for the medium that still echoes throughout the modern gaming world. one of the most revolutionary titles i’ve played in recent memory.