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Metal Gear Survive (PS4) Review
Developer: Konami Digital Entertainment
Publisher: Konami
Genre: Action-Adventure / Survival / Stealth
Release: 2018
Metal Gear Survive is one of the most unusual spin-offs in the history of the Metal Gear franchise. Rather than continuing the traditional espionage-focused formula of Metal Gear Solid V, it combines the series' stealth mechanics with survival, crafting, base building and cooperative tower-defense gameplay.
Set in an alternate timeline following the events of Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes, the game sends the player through a wormhole into the hostile world of Dite. Here, survival depends on gathering resources, managing food and water, constructing equipment and fighting mysterious creatures known as Wanderers.
The result is a surprisingly enjoyable survival game that makes excellent use of the FOX Engine and some of MGSV's mechanics. However, its repetitive objectives, awkward survival systems and unusual connection to the Metal Gear universe prevent it from reaching the quality of the main series.
Gameplay & Mechanics
At its core, Metal Gear Survive combines stealth, third-person combat and survival mechanics.
The familiar movement and shooting mechanics from Metal Gear Solid V provide an excellent foundation. Players can crouch, crawl, sneak behind enemies, perform close-quarters attacks and use firearms or melee weapons.
The major difference is that survival itself becomes part of the gameplay.
Food and water need to be monitored, while resources gathered from the environment can be used to craft weapons, ammunition, equipment and other necessities. Early in the game, managing these resources can be particularly demanding.
As the player's base develops, many of these problems become easier to manage. Crops can be grown, animals can be raised and additional facilities can be constructed, gradually turning survival from a constant struggle into a more manageable system.
The crafting system is extensive and gives exploration a genuine purpose.
Strengths
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Excellent movement and controls inherited from MGSV.
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Stealth remains satisfying.
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Extensive crafting system.
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Resource gathering gives exploration purpose.
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Base building is surprisingly enjoyable.
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Wide selection of weapons and equipment.
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Character progression provides a sense of development.
Weaknesses
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Survival mechanics can initially feel overly restrictive.
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Food and water management can become tedious.
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Resource gathering can become repetitive.
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Some crafting requirements require excessive grinding.
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Combat against large groups can become repetitive.
Exploration & World Design
The world of Dite is one of the game's more interesting ideas.
It is a strange, distorted landscape filled with abandoned structures, wreckage, resources and the remnants of military facilities. A mysterious dust storm constantly threatens large portions of the environment, forcing players to carefully prepare before venturing too far.
Exploration is encouraged through hidden resources, blueprints, collectibles and new locations.
The world isn't enormous by modern open-world standards, but it provides enough freedom to make exploration worthwhile. Players can establish fast-travel points and gradually expand their knowledge of the environment.
The setting also creates an interesting contrast with traditional Metal Gear. Instead of sneaking through military bases in realistic geopolitical conflicts, you're exploring a bizarre alternate dimension populated by supernatural creatures.
Story & Themes
The story begins after the destruction of Mother Base in Ground Zeroes. A group of soldiers is pulled through a mysterious wormhole and transported to Dite.
The player creates their own character and joins the effort to understand the strange environment, locate missing soldiers and discover a way back home.
The narrative initially feels disconnected from traditional Metal Gear, but gradually incorporates familiar elements and explains how the events relate to the main timeline.
The story is certainly strange, but that isn't necessarily a negative. The unusual setting allows Survive to experiment with the franchise's mythology.
The biggest problem is that the story isn't particularly compelling for long stretches. Characters can feel underdeveloped and some dialogue is unnecessarily exposition-heavy.
Still, the campaign provides enough mystery to encourage players to keep exploring Dite.
Mission Design & Progression
Missions generally involve exploring an area, collecting resources, rescuing survivors, activating equipment or defending important locations.
This structure works reasonably well during the early stages but becomes increasingly predictable.
The base development system provides the strongest sense of progression. New facilities unlock additional crafting possibilities, while rescued survivors can be assigned to different jobs.
Developing the base therefore becomes an important part of the overall progression loop.
Unfortunately, many missions eventually feel like variations of the same objectives. The game could have benefited from greater variety and more memorable set pieces.
Final Verdict
Metal Gear Survive is a much better game than its reputation suggests. It is certainly understandable why longtime Metal Gear fans were initially skeptical, particularly because it arrived after Metal Gear Solid V and without Hideo Kojima's involvement. However, judged on its own merits, there is a surprisingly solid survival game underneath the Metal Gear branding.
The FOX Engine provides excellent movement and combat, while the combination of stealth, crafting, exploration and base building creates an unusual but effective gameplay loop. The cooperative missions are also enjoyable when played with a coordinated team.
Unfortunately, the game is held back by repetitive missions, excessive resource management and a story that doesn't match the ambition of the main series. The survival mechanics can initially feel more like an inconvenience than an engaging challenge, while the later progression relies too heavily on grinding.
Ultimately, Metal Gear Survive is an interesting experiment rather than an essential Metal Gear experience. Players who approach it as a survival-action spin-off will find considerably more to appreciate than those expecting another Metal Gear Solid.
Score: 7/10
