Far from solid but, not quite dead. Metal Gear Survive review (Warning: Spoilers)

Oh my god, where to start with this? This review has taken longer to write than any other review that I have done simply for the fact that there doesn’t seem to be any way to review this title without addressing it’s controversial nature. Having said that, let’s just get the BS outta the way. Yes, you get charged for a second, third, or fourth save slot. Yes, you have to pay for more expedition team slots. Yes, your hunger and thirst gauges drain very quickly, almost ridiculously so. This game has problems but, it’s actually not bad, a fact that may even be it’s biggest problem. There, I said it, Metal Gear Survive is actually a pretty good game….if you like survival games. Now, onto the review.

The game starts off almost feeling like an interesting spin off of the beloved Metal Gear Solid series, you get a beautiful cut scene recounting the end of the MGSV prologue known as Ground Zeroes. It is from the end of that “prologue” that the story of MG Survive begins, with your custom-made protagonist being sucked through a wormhole into an alternate dimension inhabited by zombie-like creatures called wandersers. Story-wise, this game is just okay, it makes an attempt at the weirdness which has defined the series for decades but falls a bit short as it lacks that certain special something possessed by long time series runner Hideo Kojima. It feels like a “what if” scenario involving time travel and nano-machine zombies and even nano-machine monsters (no joke). MGS hallmarks are of course present with things such as codec style conversations between characters as well as some stealth elements and even that lovely alert noise that the series is so well known for. Sadly, the story feels like it is wearing a Metal gear costume without possessing any of the soul the drew players in in the first place. That wraps up my Critique of the story, now on to the gameplay.

Happily, this game actually plays pretty well, with solid survival mechanics, base management, and co-op multiplayer to keep you busy after the game’s main story ends. The gameplay is definitely Survive’s saving grace as it is fun and engaging, if you like stealth based survival games. As survival games go, this is pretty brutal; hunger and thirst deplete quickly and status ailments such as bruises, bleeding, and sprains can slow you down or stunt your health and stamina recovery. Yes, you read right, you have a stamina bar; a common staple in most survival games but, unheard of in the Metal Gear series and it can be odd as stamina is used for things such as using melee attacks, running, crouch walking, and even low crawling. The stamina bar is a strange addition but, didn’t feel as bad some have made it sound. The multiplayer is good too with pretty standard tower defense gameplay that is reminiscent of Fortnite’s campaign mode. Overall the multiplayer feels a bit more concentrated than other offerings which is certainly not a bad thing but, it’s lightness of modes and maps may wear quickly on some players who are used to more variety.

So, let’s address one Survive’s biggest issues; it’s microtransactions. Now, most have grown to tolerate many conventions in the industry as far as microtansactions are concerned but, this is just bizarre. Survive’s microtransactions feel as if they were made deliberately for the purpose of Konami being able to say “see, no loot boxes here, we’re the good guys, yes?”. Sadly, nothing about charging for extra save slots and expedition slots to help progress the game feels like something the “good guys” would do. Oh sure, there is some cosmetic stuff as well but, it really feels like the charging for something as basic as save slots while charging only forty dollars feels like Konami had little to no faith in this game and were just trying to make a quick buck off of an exorbitant investment on a previous project.

In closing I will say that this game is fun but frustrating, I enjoyed the forty plus hours that I have dumped into it and even like to pick it up for a quick match every now and then. The problem with this game overall though, is simply that it feels hollow and cheap. I could still easily recommend this game to fans of survival games but, be warned that it does not possess the strange intrigue of previous games in the series and that resisting the urge to spend a little extra money is difficult as “fun pain” is definitely a thing here, it’s not major but it can pop up from time to time.

I give this game grade C: it is good and mechanically sound but, fans of the series will most likely be put off as the production value is just not that good and it is completely different from anything else in the series. Furthermore, in this hostile climate regarding microtransactions Konami really needed to keep them at a minimum as consumer trust in their brands is at an all-time low.