Metal Gear Solid: The Board Game Review

Metal Gear Solid: The Board Game is simply a campaign-style committee crippled that retells the communicative of the archetypal Metal Gear Solid game, primitively released connected the PlayStation successful 1998. Designed for 1 to 4 players (at slightest according to the box; much connected that below), the crippled has players determination integrative miniature versions of bid favorites similar Meryl, Otacon, Cyborg Ninja Gray Fox, and Solid Snake himself done 14 scenarios featuring iconic moments from the game, specified arsenic the confrontation with Ocelot, changing the PAL Keycard, and, of course, taking retired REX.

Unfortunately, determination is 1 important omission that didn’t marque the cut: the last confrontations betwixt Solid and Liquid are not recreated arsenic playable scenarios. It’s a bummer that neither the barehanded combat connected apical of REX nor the Jeep flight is included. Perhaps the developers couldn’t find a mode to equilibrium oregon explicate a 4v1 conflict connected REX oregon fig retired however the flight would enactment with each contiguous characters. Instead, they've opted to extremity connected the precocious enactment of a melodramatic and memorable team-up against Metal Gear REX. But successful the meantime, the instrumentality assemblage astir this crippled has you covered. Over connected BoardGameGeek, idiosyncratic @Geoff907 and their woman devised and published their ain unsocial Stage 15 for this crippled for you to effort out, if you conscionable perfectly request to get immoderate of that shirtless fist-fight enactment into your game.

If you opt for the much costly “Integral Edition,” the remainder of the communicative bits that aren't told done gameplay are alternatively presented successful a striking 109-page graphic caller with creation by comic creator Kenneth Loh. It's reminiscent of the scenes successful Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker oregon the Digital Graphic Novels connected PSP. But MGS wouldn’t beryllium MGS without its CODEC calls. These small burst transmissions betwixt Snake and his enactment squad person been faithfully adapted to this caller format, with prompts directing players to circumstantial calls successful the included Codec Book, arsenic good arsenic pre and post-scenario briefings. I peculiarly admit the attraction the developers person taken to marque them conscionable arsenic campy yet informative arsenic those successful the video game. For example, Snake refers to however galore actions helium tin instrumentality oregon offers tips connected beating Psycho Mantis involving “Player 2”-like trickery. Even arsenic a crippled made of cardboard and dice, this inactive feels distinctly Metal Gear.

Regarding gameplay, players instrumentality up to 4 actions per turn, chosen from those listed connected their character’s unsocial subordinate boards. As scenarios progress, players unlock caller equipment, from Snake’s favourite sidearm, the Socom, to the iconic cardboard box, which tin beryllium utilized successful aboriginal scenarios. This instrumentality expands each character’s accomplishment pool, efficaciously replicating the video game’s “procure on-site” philosophy. Once players instrumentality their actions, it’s clip for the enemies to act. Both generic guards and bosses person enactment cards that dictate their movements and behaviors, which tin alteration depending connected whether they’ve spotted the player. Guards besides person a abstracted absorption platform utilized successful assorted situations, specified arsenic spotting a knocked-out defender oregon investigating a noise.

Boss encounters airs their ain unsocial challenges, forcing you retired of your comfortableness cardboard container and requiring you to deliberation connected your feet. Each brag combat feels distinct, from Revolver Ocelot darting astir portion bouncing bullets disconnected walls to the Hind D having aggregate people areas to damage. Thanks to the game’s tile-based nature, each brag combat takes spot connected a unique, ample committee with peculiar elements affecting the encounter. For example, successful Ocelot’s arena, the injured Kenneth Baker tin beryllium deed and killed, adding a caller mode to trigger a crippled over. These peculiar tweaks lone heighten the excitement and hostility of the encounters, arsenic they are seldom designed to favour the players.

This constituent of randomness kept maine connected my toes, ne'er knowing precisely however acold guards would determination oregon which mode they’d turn. The added dice rolls for checking if my actions made sound oregon if force shots would deed maine resulted successful an acquisition that balanced strategy with luck. There were aggregate moments wherever I held my enactment arsenic I pulled a defender question card, waiting to spot if I’d beryllium spotted. I ne'er felt the crippled was unfair, but I besides ne'er expected it to beryllium kind. Metal Gear does a superb occupation balancing strategy and luck.

While the container suggests the crippled tin beryllium played with up to 4 players, astatine slightest for the run mode, I wouldn’t urge going beyond 2 players. Personally, I recovered playing it arsenic a solo committee crippled offered the champion experience. Each script specifies which of the 4 playable characters tin beryllium used, with the archetypal 2 scenarios playable lone by Snake. Only 5 scenarios successful the full run let for 4 players (with nary missions designed for 3 players), and the archetypal four-player ngo doesn’t look until the ninth scenario.

From a communicative standpoint, this makes sense. It wouldn’t beryllium logical for Snake to infiltrate Shadow Moses with Gray Fox astatine his broadside oregon for Otacon to tackle Vulcan Raven alone. But from a committee crippled perspective, this regulation importantly impacts the experience, making it hard to person my MGS-loving friends to play erstwhile lone 1 of them could enactment successful astir of the game, portion the others had to hold for the past fewer missions. I would person loved to spot optional modifiers allowing further characters successful two-player scenarios oregon “What if?” scenarios offering alternate viewpoints and subordinate counts.

To the game’s credit, the developers addressed this contented by allowing up to 4 players successful the “VR Missions” mode. This further mode, which includes its ain acceptable of peculiar unlockable instrumentality cards,

has its ain caveat: a deficiency of content. The included VR Missions publication features six ngo types – Recon, Escape, and Sabotage, among others – but each benignant has lone 1 associated representation layout. While immoderate tokens and traps whitethorn alteration betwixt sessions, and you tin swap successful a brag exemplary for other challenge, the defender layouts and objectives stay the same. With the representation ne'er changing, erstwhile you cognize what to do, the mode rapidly loses its luster. I anticipation that CMON oregon the assemblage releases originative and amusive caller maps and missions to support things fresh.

Where to Buy

• Get it astatine Amazon

More Board Games Based connected Video Games

You tin besides cheque retired our caller reviews of committee games based connected Dead Cells, S.T.A.L.K.E.R., and Elden Ring.

Originally posted:

Apr 1, 2025 6:00 pm