Voila, Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain is finished. When you put the controller down, it's hard not to give in to a certain form of melancholy at the end of a great game or even a series, who knows. But it is the impression of having climbed a mountain that predominates. Breathless. The kind of experiences that, as I said above, do not leave the player untouched. Like a certain Snake Eater for example. Still, Hideo Kojima and his studio had every reason in the world to goof off. The almost forced passage to an open-world that is much too fashionable, the fact that the creator of the saga did not necessarily want this fifth opus at the start, the link that it is supposed to constitute between the two narrative arcs of the series , the transition with a new generation of machines that had been relatively disappointing until then… So many pitfalls that the game nevertheless managed to thwart brilliantly. Metal Gear Solid 5 goes even further and completes the transformation of the company saga with Peace Walker.
BACK TO SQUARE ONE
First of all, let's take a little pee on the "Context" box to better understand what's next. The action takes place in 1984, nine years after the attack on Mother Base illustrated in Ground Zeroes, the prologue of the game marketed (alas) last year. Big Boss, voiced by a Kiefer Sutherland not really bothersome but not great either, comes out of a long coma in a mysterious Cypriot hospital. His organization, Mercenaries Without Borders, was destroyed. Hero of Groznyj Grad lost his base. His men were decimated. His body is riddled with bone fragments and shrapnel. And one of his two forearms was torn off in the crash of his helicopter. He remains a man to beat for his opponents. As in our preview, we will prefer to remain approximate so as not to spoil the discovery of the thunderous opening scene, which is definitely one of the best moments of the game and a pivotal scriptwriting pivot. But already Kojima's sense of staging is fully expressed, with these long sequence shots that we had seen in Ground Zeroes, and the FOX Engine gives a new glimpse of its terrible potential.
WAR DOGS
Snake is alive then, but he is only the ghost of the legend that he was. Yes, you will quickly understand that Kojima does not choose his titles at random. Exfiltrated to Afghanistan by Ocelot (superbly interpreted by Troy Baker), Big Boss will recover a Kaz Miller, also badly damaged, in the midst of the conflict between the Soviet forces and the mujahideen. This guerrilla war led by the local populations against the Russian invaders will serve as breeding ground for the development of their new military organization: the Diamond Dogs. An organization based, like Mercenaries Without Borders, on the ideals of freedom, the desire for peace, the balance of the world order, but whose foundations also bear the terrible scars of revenge. This is one of the many themes tackled in depth by the game, notably through the character of Kaz, tormented by the phantom pain (again) of his missing limbs and his fallen comrades.
Metal Gear Solid 5 is much less linear and compact than its predecessors.
The starting point of Metal Gear Solid 5 is therefore quite similar to that of Portable Ops or Peace Walker, namely the development of a new Mother Base. At first glance, the structure of the game may also seem quite close to the PSP games. We thus find the division between Main Missions and Side Ops, the first being supposed to advance the plot like so many episodes of a TV series. But we quickly note several differences in size. First of all, Metal Gear Solid 5 is much less linear and compact than its predecessors, especially after ten hours of play. From then on, the game lets you choose between several missions to accomplish, in the order you want. More varied than before, less scripted, they only very rarely offer a single way of doing things. Some will advance the scenario to unlock new events and so on. But above all, you are constantly in control of Snake, during and between missions. A three-times-nothing that considerably changes the rhythm of the game and its narration.
HIS STORY, YOUR EXPERIENCE
Far from wanting to push you to move forward on the screenplay red thread, Hideo Kojima lets you manage your progress. Missions ? It's up to you to activate them via Snake's iDroid, which also serves as a map, audio player and allows you to manage your base remotely. So you can very well visit your Mother Base, meet your soldiers, discover its secrets. Then, for example, get into a helicopter to explore one of the operating areas or perform some Side Ops. Those who were therefore expecting a Metal Gear modeled on the model of the first three episodes, or even the fourth, therefore have every chance of being surprised or even disconcerted. Accustomed to being guided by the expert hand of Kojima, they are here gradually released into nature, in a larger framework all the same established by the game designer. Exit for example the many bosses who usually punctuated the episodes of Metal Gear: here it is not justified. The result is a different narrative structure, destabilizing at times, sometimes looser, more stingy in cinematics, but no less intense for all that. Kojima thus enhances these scripted passages by distributing them more reasonably until the end of the game. And he lets you write the lines of your story between the lines of his. A controlled balancing act (and which is also perfectly reflected in the outcome of the adventure). It should be noted, however, that this change also has an impact on the way of enjoying the game, which is actually enjoyed over the long term rather than in a compact rush which would give a false impression of repetitiveness. Only downside to report: the somewhat WTF cutting of certain missions, which end on a cliffanger crossed out with a big “To be continued” and send you back to the command helicopter to do a side mission if you feel like it. Thanks for the dive...
WITHIN REACH OF ALL?
This change in the way of telling its story also makes Metal Gear Solid 5 much more affordable than the other opuses for neophytes. Indeed, they shouldn't be overwhelmed by the omnipresence of a story whose ins and outs they don't master, the detailed dialogues having been essentially carried over to the audio cassettes. But the game will still inspire them to put their foot in the stirrup and discover the missing pieces in the great puzzle Metal Gear. The fans meanwhile, as long as they adapt to this new narrative situation, will probably twist in front of the ton of information available. This is also one of the great strengths of this new episode and one of its great differences with the others: it leaves the choice to the player of what he wishes to retain from the scenario. He can skim through the story of the game with the bare necessities. To be honest, it's sacrilege, but it can be done. Or he can dig in and realize just how rich and fucking detailed the game is, from the dozens of unlockable tapes to NPC testimonials and side missions. Kojima Productions therefore avoids the trap of excessive fan-service, the one that had done so much harm to Guns of the Patriots in 2008. And this thanks to a story as monumental as it is unexpected, which does not permanently self-reference but which still has its share of strong moments. Difficult to go further without spoiler. But to evoke (in bulk) the cycle of revenge, the feeling of being incomplete, the place of language in globalization and in human culture, the utopia of an impossible peace, child soldiers, advanced genetics, everything that with such accuracy of tone, in accordance with a double chronology, that of the saga and that of History: honestly, we stand up and applaud.
OPEN WORLD NO, OPEN LEVEL YES
But as of now, I haven't yet spoken to you about this famous open-world gameplay that was so much touted during the promotion of the game, before being put into perspective by Kojima himself. Simply put, the game features two large areas of operation rather than one large open world. One is therefore located in Afghanistan, north of Kabul, in the heart of a rocky and arid massif dotted with abandoned villages and Soviet checkpoints. The other, unlockable after ten hours of play, is in Central Africa, on the border between Angola and the former Zaire; a sector where the savannah adjoins the tropical jungle. Everything is driven by day/night cycles, a change in weather that brings rain or sandstorms (each unfortunately endemic to a region), troop movements and local wildlife. Two different environments where the attentive eye will be able to see the same exceptional work of the level designers to disguise real game levels, meeting its gameplay requirements, in natural settings. At the heart of these open spaces, you are totally free to move. Free to jump from one mission to another, from a prisoner extraction in Side Ops to a convoy attack in Main Mission, including a little looting for your base. There will therefore be many trips and if you are not a great walker, you will have every interest in using the fast-travel system by delivering boxes (unfortunately badly presented at the start of the game). And above all, you will be free to choose your approach to achieve your goal.
If the game does not reward nags, it nevertheless offers ways to react during the mission if things go wrong.
And that's where the "open" world serves the gameplay of Metal Gear: by opening up the field of possibilities; by offering multiple solutions to each problem. Go through the window rather than the door, cut the power to the generators to create a diversion, destroy the relay antennas to isolate a checkpoint, wait for nightfall or the changing of the guard thanks to the Cigar Ghost to infiltrate a less well-guarded camp , take advantage of a sandstorm kidnapping a soldier under the nose of his colleagues... Frustration is never really felt in the face of any lack of opportunity. Air support can supply you with ammunition, weapons and even vehicles or even come as reinforcements if needed. And this contributes in particular to one of the pleasant points of this Metal Gear Solid 5, namely the change of pace in the middle of a mission. If the game does not reward nags, it nevertheless offers ways to react during the mission if things go wrong. You can very well get to a prisoner to extract discreetly, before being spotted on a careless mistake and trying to make your way with shotgun shots to the helicopter which will take care of eliminating your pursuers. . Anticipate, adapt, react are the key words of the experience. And Snake's optimized maneuverability, introduced in Metal Gear Solid 4 and then tweaked in Ground Zeroes for the needs of a more open environment, takes on an added dimension here. At the same time, the expansion of the Mother Base and the development of new technologies further expand your range of possibilities.
SHE DOESN'T KNOW THE CRISIS
As in Peace Walker, you will have to grow your small business, most of the time remotely, via the iDroid. Look no further, Snake was addicted to smartphones long before you. Above all, this involves the use of the famous Fulton balloon, a rather special military extraction system that will be used to send new recruits with unique abilities to the base, but also, once you have developed the appropriate technology, containers of resources, vehicles or even animals (a dark NGO story, you'll find out soon enough). Note that the use of the Fulton has been improved: impossible to fulton anything indoors, and the weather or the state of health of the target will vary the chances of success of the extraction. The purpose of all this open-air traffic is to expand your base of course, but above all to have the personnel and equipment necessary for the development of new weapons, upgrades, gadgets. Items that will be as many means at your disposal to complete your missions and facilitate their progress. In addition, you can quickly send teams of soldiers on missions like an Assassin's Creed Brotherhood, in order to improve their skills. But also, and this is where this feature stands out, in order to deprive soldiers of certain areas of helmets/lamps/sniper rifles, which will have an impact on your game. In a word, addiction. And this is only part of the colossal content offered by the game, with its 157 Side Ops, its enormous replayability, its well-hidden secrets, its dozens of cassettes to unlock. We can promise you that if you put your mind to it, you will exceed fifty hours of play without any problem. However, we have not been able to test the online modes, only a taste included in the solo, the Forward Operation Base mode, in which it will probably be a question of attacking and defending your base against the attacks of a other player. We are waiting for the launch of the game to tell you about it.
D-BUDDIES
But The Phantom Pain does not just transpose ideas to a new level design, it also brings its share of novelties, such as the system of companions who can support Snake on the battlefield. The D-Horse, to cover long distances and escape quickly; the dog D-Dog, our favorite, to use his sense of smell to identify everything in the vicinity, including enemies, without having to take out the binoculars and possibly create a diversion; the D-Walker bipedal robot for a more frontal approach and maximum mobility; and finally Quiet, the sniper with extraordinary capabilities, for spotting and covering. The variety of styles should please everyone, and everyone should find a shoe that suits them, especially since they too are customizable and can be sent/exchanged at any time during the mission. On the other hand, if we believed for a time that the companions were an easy solution to get out of all situations, we saw them fall too often under enemy bullets not to change our minds. Special mention also for the enemy AI which, with a few exceptions (not always consistent reactions, sometimes a little narrow fields of vision), pleasantly surprised us with its adaptability and responsiveness. The nag style is not only not rewarded by the game, but it is also particularly difficult to apply everywhere without being knocked out.
FROM THE MAN WHO SOLD THE WORLD
And as if all that weren't enough, The Phantom Pain also prides itself on being one of the most technically clean titles of the new generation of consoles, and also one of the most beautiful. No aliasing, no drop in framerate at 60fps/1080p, ultra-discreet clipping: it's Swiss watchmaking. The animations are fluid, Snake is amazingly flexible and handling it is disconcertingly easy. Only a few unfortunate approximations in the collisions (a very common evil in the open-world unfortunately) and capricious shadows at times come to obscure the picture. But when you see the quality of what the FOX Engine is capable of producing, you think it's all forgiven... I'll remember one thing: Metal Gear Solid 5 was one of the first games to offer something rare in video games, an embodied look for its characters (after that of... The Boss in Metal Gear Solid 3). A visual quality that would probably not have shone so much without Kojima-san's virtuoso staging, based on more obvious cinematic influences than ever and at the same time freed from the material constraints of the camera. The soundtrack, less present than before, is nevertheless more effective, to return to the most relevant moment (this cover of "The Man Who Sold The World" by Bowie...), and even becomes a small issue of gameplay, with audio cassettes to unearth, each featuring a pop song from the early 1980s.
