Classic MSX game.
Grandpa of all stealth games and father of Metal Gear Solid series. Really impressive games for end of 80s. Games seems to have some better english translation than that horrible one from NES version.
Only cons, its not true MSX emulated version, so forget for savestates and quicksave/quickload which is handy feature for really stressfull final part.
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Even 20 years later i am keep laughing when i see that "czech genius and biologist, Dr. Kio Marv"
*Notice for non-czech gamers: Kio Marv is totaly obscure 1000% non czech name. Kojima had to be seriously high when wrote that. :)
Thanks to gog for bringing this back. I don't know if I have the patience to play it again, but dude, the memories. I am so happy other people will get to enjoy this.
The OG Metal Gear that began it all! A great game that doesn't hold your hand, but is still not too difficult when playing on Original Difficulty. An absolute must play if you're a fan of Metal Gear Solid as the story here takes place before MGS.
I wish I had Metal Gear when it originally came out over 30 years ago! I cannot recommend it to players today, unless you are particularly interested in observing game design circa 1987. Metal Gear comes across as a predecessor to most, if not all, isometric/side scrolling stealth action games.
Gameplay:
Playing as agent Solid Snake, you infiltrate an enemy base, moving from one screen location to the next and often retracing steps to unlock a previously inaccessible content. You have weapons that you can fire, but most of the time you are better off staying out of line of sight. Every so often you encounter novel mechanics and tricks, rather impressive for a game this old. Movement, actions, inventory, and menus are controlled via keyboard.
Characters/Customization:
Your pixel protagonist wears a headband... and you have limited choice of what weapon to wield. That's about it.
Story/Atmosphere:
There is actually narrative and lore embedded in dialogue with NPCs. Even with its limited graphics and audio, the game has the consistent feel of a military action-infiltration game. While not a JRPG by any measure, there are definitely influences from the genre here, particularly when it comes to "cutscenes" given the technical constraints.
Graphics/Sound:
Graphics are dated to be sure, but they get the job done, and the audio, including the tense soundtrack, are pretty good... for its time.
Replay Value: None. Although the game is not entirely linear, the story is rather linear, taking you from one objective to the next, even if sometimes that means tracking back.
Overall Score: 6/10. This game seems pretty great for its day, but in today's environment, it just has too many outdated mechanics (such as screens respawning upon re-entry), most of which are probably due to technicaly constraints. And these make it not so fun to play. But as a museum piece, the game is a masterclass of design from the 1980s.
Played in 2021 - 2022. Note: Did not finish.
