Metal Gear Solid is art. It showcases what the art form of gaming is capable of, an amazing leap forward for its time and a hallmark of art as a medium ever since. A video game that encapsulates everything beautiful about art into one conglomeration, beautiful music, a powerful story, admittedly average gameplay that surprisingly still feels good to this day, all coupled with voice acting unprecedented for its time, especially for a title from a Japanese studio being localized for the United States.

From the minute I stepped into Metal Gear Solid, it is very clear that it is something special. The framing of the narrative is well crafted, something that strikes fear in man. A nuclear war will breakout should you fail, all that stands between humanity and death is you. A man who is staid and cold, Snake, the legendary mercenary, a man who cares little about those around him. Putting a man like this in a situation like this feels like an oxymoron, one who cares little about his fellow man is the one who is left to save the world.

The game stays tense, everything about it is stressful, one mistake and everything we know is gone. As Snake proceeds in his mission we are shown more human sides of him, Snake is not a sore winner or one that stands over the fallen and beats his chest. Snake shows compassion to those he defeats and kills, holding them in their final moments or staying by their side as they pass. This is most notable after his fights with Sniper Wolf and Raven, that near the tail end of the game. Snake’s humanity is also shown through Meryl and Otacon, people who get wrapped up in the mess that comes with the mission. At first, Snake is uncaring for their presence, willing to let them die in order to not get dragged down. As the game progresses he is shown to care for Meryl, facing torture from Revolver Ocelot in order to protect her from being harmed.

When we rescue Hal Emmerich, Otacon, we are introduced to Grey Fox, as his name entails, a character who is grey, one with mysterious and unknown motives. (without knowledge of Metal Gear) Grey Fox first appears to cut off Revolver Ocelot’s hand, then reappears as a boss. He then appears throughout the game as an ally that will randomly show up and help Snake. His final appearance is in the final boss of the game, Metal Gear Rex. He shows up and sacrifices his life to assist Snake, we learn that he is Snake’s former ally, and as he dies he gives his final words. Regardless of who he worked for, he was never a tool. Grey Fox fought for what he believed in.

That moment helps us further Snake’s character, a mercenary being manipulated and used by the government, information for his mission being held from him in order to keep him around. This all culminates in the end of the game, after the defeat of Liquid Snake, Solid Snake, now known as David, leaves Mother Base with Meryl (or Otacon). Deciding to leave and decide that for himself how to live his life. His life now has meaning past fighting and being a mercenary.

No matter how bad or scary life can be, life is beautiful and we should cherish it. Our existence is defined by our own choices and growth through life. Not through genetics, a key point of the game, the Genome soldiers, born and created to be the perfect soldiers to fight and kill, Liquid Snake, Snake’s brother, also a clone of Big Boss who believes all he can do is fight, as thats what his genetics and existence was made to do. The outlier being Snake, a man who lets go of his genetics and becomes independent, understanding the beauty and importance of free will and life, not letting others dictate what he should do and letting them control their life.

Metal Gear Solid is an amazing game, one that teaches us no matter the misery or destitution that may come with life, we must carve our own futures and our own paths forward. We should not hold ourselves back by what we believe we were supposed to do, but lift ourselves up by what we want to do. We must continue to live, we must continue to fight, we must continue forward to carve the paths for ourselves now, ourselves in the future, and the generations that will come after us.