Review for Metal Gear Survive. Game for PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, the video game was released on 20/02/2018 The version for PC came out on 21/02/2018
Did Metal Gear Really Survive? The title of the new spin-off of the well-known Konami series sounds almost like a declaration, shouted out loud, that all that universe, those characters, those game mechanics were not lost at all with the divorce from Kojima Productions. However, being able to stand up to comparison with the visionary game designer's team is not at all easy and even for us who are here to evaluate the product, not falling into the trap of unfair comparisons is anything but simple. Metal Gear Survive, however, immediately declares that it is not a main episode of the series. He doesn't even try to pretend to be so much that wormholes, parallel realities and alien organisms are immediately brought up in the narrative, even too much pushed fantasy journeys even for the controversial Metal Gear Solid V.
Having said that, therefore, what we really have in front of us is a game with very interesting bases, which in the first hours of the game puts a lot of meat on the fire and which catapults the player into a hostile world, therefore full of threats and at the same time poor in resources. Yes, because, as you may have understood, the main objective in Metal Gear Survive is precisely to survive by any means possible. Although therefore the situation lends itself very well to the theatricality and drama typical of the series, the development team has well thought of not going to challenge, at least for the moment, Kojima Production in its own field and to focus mostly on the gameplay, relegating the narrative to an altogether marginal role.
In short anyway, the protagonist is a former soldier of Militaires Sans Frontières, the military company founded by Big Boss, who following the attack on Mother Base at the end of Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes, is infected with a mysterious alien parasite and falls into a state of apparent death. It will then be discovered that following experiments carried out on teleportation, wormholes have been activated throughout the world that lead to another dimension in which, in fact, a mysterious alien parasite attacks humans, turning them into real zombies. To save the Earth and all of humanity, the unfortunate protagonist is then sent to this dimension to obtain data in order to find a cure and, at the same time, understand how to exploit the immense energy produced. Yes, in short, nothing striking and honestly it's also okay: it is still a spin-off created by a young team that has to deal with a heavy legacy.
The gameplay is in fact the real pillar on which the whole production rests. Metal Gear Survive goes to place itself in a very specific niche, that of survival games, differentiating itself from competitors thanks to the presence of the refined stealth system of Metal Gear Solid V. A more elaborate State of Decay if you want, from which it borrows some of mechanics also creating new ones. So here we will find ourselves gathering resources of all kinds, from medicinal plants to metal, even going so far as to capture animals for the production of food and fabrics. The purpose of this is twofold: it will serve both to satisfy the protagonist's primary needs for food and water, and to develop the base camp. It is in fact the real nerve center of the game world, since in it we will also have access to all the tools necessary to enhance the character and equipment.
All while paying attention to the zombies that populate the locations, renamed Vaganti for the occasion, who despite the deterioration of their body possess excellent senses and reflexes. In short, formidable enemies, who will not make us regret the perfectly trained soldiers of the other Metal Gear. However, the change in focus in the clashes, mostly short-range and requiring the use of sidearms, should be emphasized, also due to the scarcity of firearms and ammunition.
However, this is only the first part of the gameplay: in fact there is also a second one, much less successful and fun, which unfortunately cannot be avoided. We are talking about the defensive phase of Metal Gear Survive, the one that will see you forced to defend the base camp from waves of angry Wanderers. The control system and, more generally, the entire gaming system were not in fact conceived for this type of situation and are therefore extremely inadequate. In fact, the invasions of the Wanderers require a fluid and simple management of resources and defense systems, which unfortunately does not happen as everything is performed directly from the player's avatar. The game over is therefore always around the corner and with him also a constant sense of frustration.
In multiplayer, things improve significantly thanks to the presence of other players in the flesh, in any case there remains an incorrect management of the defensive phases that could and should have been thought differently. Multiplayer actually can be a bit of Metal Gear Survive's salvation as the collaboration often leads to a series of very funny and intriguing situations. As you progress in the single player campaign, however, you realize how other elements do not work in this spin-off. The level design is in fact flat, monotonous and at times frustrating, the variety of environments is scarce and the missions are all a little alike. Add to that a subdued Fox Engine, which presents decent performance on PS4 and PC, but in the face of unlikely animations and washed-out textures, you get a picture that's anything but idyllic.
Metal Gear Survive could have been a great way to show the audience that yes, even without Kojima Production Konami could take the series to new and unexplored horizons. However, this only happened in part: if on the one hand the basic idea of Survive is intriguing and valid, on the other hand its development leaves something to be desired. In fact, by playing the campaign, you realize how this is a continuous succession of brilliant ideas and trivial slips that the multiplayer sector manages to mitigate only in part. If the new development team had been given a little more time, we're sure they would have been able to make a much better product out of it.
► Metal Gear Survive is a Shooter-Survival game developed and published by Konami for PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, the video game was released on 20/02/2018 The version for PC came out on 21/02/2018
Our latest game news: Metal Gear Survive trophy list available
