Review BurningKirby 4/5 · Jul 20, 2022
Unsure How To Feel
Having just burned my way through this game which has been hanging over my head for the last however many years, I feel conflicted. On the one hand, the story hit almost just right. I thought it had great pacing and it's been a while since I felt this invested in a game's plot. But then on the other, this …
Having just burned my way through this game which has been hanging over my head for the last however many years, I feel conflicted. On the one hand, the story hit almost just right. I thought it had great pacing and it's been a while since I felt this invested in a game's plot. But then on the other, this game really does feel as if its sum is less than the value of its parts, for me.
While the plot itself was interesting, very few of the individual characters really landed well for me, save those who returned from the first game. Otacon's time in the spotlight is a clear highlight of the game for me and actually had me a little choked up. I'm hoping future games continue to follow him as a main character because I want to see how he grows from the events of this game.
Getting to see Raiden's first game after previously playing through Metal Gear Rising was very cool, though I can see why people complain about him in this entry. Maybe it's just the delivery of the lines, but he really does sound like a whiny kid. Maybe things will become more clear as I work my way through the series, but I also found myself confused at a few threads which show up in MGR not being introduced here, like the girl I assumed was his sister. I thought this was the only other game in the series where he got much screentime so it seems weird for that to not come up at all.
The boss fights, while each fairly unique and fitting to their respective characters, didn't really do much for me. They were fine, and that's about it. A bit of a letdown compared to the ones I remember from the first game which really blew me away with their personality and creativity. It could just be those rose colored glasses though.
I enjoyed the stealth gameplay for the most part and found myself greatly appreciating the depth in the interactions Raiden can have with the environment and enemies. Though more often than not I was super frustrated by how easy it was to get caught-- as well as how punishing getting caught was. Grenades of all sorts felt next to useless, as I couldn't get Raiden to throw them more than a few feet. And until I got the tranquilizer pistol staying hidden felt near impossible in certain areas.
I had a good time overall and I'm excited to see where the plot that was set up in this game goes over the next few entries, but I'm worried the lower points of this game won't be ironed out.
