Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain includes two multiplayer modes: first, the new Metal Gear Online 3, developed by Kojima Productions' newly formed Los Angeles division (now known as Konami Los Angeles Studio).[23] The second multiplayer mode is an extension of the Mother Base base-building feature. Players are able to expand their operations to include Forward Operating Bases, which can be used to generate resources and income for the single-player campaign.[24] These facilities can be attacked by other players, making a player-versus-player mode available whereby the attacking team attempts to steal resources and/or soldiers and the defending team tries to protect the Forward Operating Base from the intruder. Defenders are able to call on their friends to aid in the defense, especially if their Forward Operating Base is attacked during a story mission.[25] Players are able to customize the security, staffing, and layout of their Forward Operating Bases, allowing for a large number of compound configurations. Following the success or failure of the intrusion, the location of the attacking player's Forward Operating Base is revealed to the defending player;[26] however, defending players can only launch a retaliatory strike if the attacker was discovered during their infiltration. The Forward Operating Base feature is a separate multiplayer experience to Metal Gear Online 3[24] and is needed to increase the number of combat units the player can deploy.

In the aftermath of the events of Ground Zeroes and the destruction of Militaires Sans Frontières (MSF), Big Boss (Kiefer Sutherland/Akio Ōtsuka) falls into a coma.[27] Nine years later, he awakens and helps lead a new mercenary group, Diamond Dogs.[28] Adopting the codename "Venom Snake", he ventures into Afghanistan during the Soviet–Afghan War and the Angola—Zaire border region during the Angolan Civil War to track down the people responsible for MSF's destruction. Along the way, he becomes reacquainted with his former rival Ocelot (Troy Baker/Satoshi Mikami) and encounters Quiet (Stefanie Joosten), an assassin and sniper with supernatural abilities. While he and Kazuhira Miller (Robin Atkin Downes/Tomokazu Sugita) are initially driven to exact revenge, Snake unearths a plot by the Cipher organization to develop a new model of the Metal Gear system known as the ST-84 "Sahelanthropus".[29]

In contrast to previous Metal Gear installments, Kojima Productions conducted the voice acting and motion capture with English-speaking actors and stuntmen first. While facial motion capture was used before for Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, it was done separately from the actual voice acting. The Japanese voice acting was dubbed over the English cast's performance afterward, in contrast to previous releases in the series since Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, which had the characters' vocal and facial expressions lip-synched specifically to both, Japanese and English voice acting.

At E3 2013, Konami confirmed that actor Kiefer Sutherland would provide Snake's voice and motion capture work for the game,[30][31][32] taking a role over voice actor David Hayter.[33] Kojima's reason for replacing Hayter was to "have a more subdued performance expressed through subtle facial movements and tone of voice rather than words", and that he "needed someone who could genuinely convey both the facial and vocal qualities of a man in his late 40s". Hollywood producer and director Avi Arad suggested to Kojima that Sutherland could fulfill his requirements.[34][35][36] Akio Ōtsuka was unaffected by this casting change and continued to voice Snake in the Japanese version.[37] On March 4, 2015, Kojima revealed that Snake would have less dialogue in The Phantom Pain than previous installments. The reasoning behind it was to make Snake come across as an extension to the player and that he "will act based on [player's actions] rather than doing things like making spontaneous comments or flirting with women."[38]

Other members of the voice cast include Troy Baker as Ocelot,[39] Jay Tavare as Code Talker,[40] James Horan as Skull Face, Robin Atkin Downes as Kazuhira Miller, Christopher Randolph as Dr. Emmerich,[41] and Piers Stubbs as Eli. The Japanese dub features Tomokazu Sugita as Miller, Hideyuki Tanaka as Emmerich, Takaya Hashi as Skull Face, Satoshi Mikami as Ocelot, Osamu Saka (whose previous roles include Sergei Gurlukovich in Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty and The End in Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater) as Code Talker,[42][43] and Yūtarō Honjō as Eli.[44] Dutch model Stefanie Joosten provides the likeness, voice and motion capture for the new character Quiet,[42] a mute sniper with supernatural abilities who may assist Snake on missions depending on the player's actions during a certain mission.[45] She provides the vocals for "Quiet's Theme".

In 1984, nine years after the destruction of MSF, Big Boss awakens from a coma in a hospital on a British military base in Cyprus. Quiet, a Cipher assassin, attempts to kill him, but he is rescued by a heavily bandaged man called "Ishmael". The pair escape the hospital while evading pursuit from Cipher soldiers and two superhumans, the "Third Child" and the "Man on Fire". Big Boss loses Ishmael, but is recovered by Revolver Ocelot and brought aboard Diamond Dogs, a new mercenary group founded by Kazuhira Miller on an offshore platform near Seychelles.

Big Boss adopts the code name "Venom Snake" and begins searching for Cipher. Snake becomes involved in the Soviet–Afghan War and the Angolan Civil War. He recruits the superhuman mute sniper Quiet; scientist and MSF associate Dr. "Huey" Emmerich; and Code Talker, a Navajo expert on parasites forced to work for Cipher. Snake captures Eli, a British child believed to be a clone of Snake and the leader of several child soldiers; a DNA test confirms that Venom Snake and Eli are not genetically related.

Snake learns that Cipher's leader Zero was usurped and XOF, a rogue faction of Cipher, was responsible for destroying MSF. XOF's leader Skull Face considers Cipher's plan for world peace akin to making it culturally American, and intends to release a parasite that kills anyone who speaks English. A modified parasite gave Quiet and XOF's elite soldiers, the "Skulls", their unusual abilities. After releasing the English strain of the parasite, Skull Face plans to use the threat of the latest Metal Gear "Sahelanthropus" to make nuclear weapons desirable, believing that nuclear deterrence will attain world peace while protecting other cultures; in secret, he will retain remote control of the weapons. Skull Face refuses to use an AI for Sahelanthropus, so is dependent on the Third Child's psychic abilities.

During a test, the Third Child betrays Skull Face, having Sahelanthropus seriously wound him and crush the Man on Fire. Snake defeats Sahelanthropus and recovers one of Skull Face's three parasite vials; one is missing and the other is taken by the Third Child and given to Eli. Skull Face is left to die by Snake and Miller, but Huey executes him. Sahelanthropus is brought to Mother Base. Eli, the Third Child, and a group of child soldiers (the latter having been brought to Mother Base for disarmament, demobilization and reintegration) later steal Sahelanthropus and flee. It is revealed that the Third Child's powers enthralled him to the will of the most vengeful person nearby, meaning that Sahelanthropus' attack was instigated by Eli.

A parasite epidemic occurs on base, forcing Snake to kill many of his men to contain it. To honor them, he has their cremated remains turned into diamonds to carry into battle. Huey is accused of causing the epidemic while attempting to mutate the parasites to sell as weapons. Alongside suspicion of his role in MSF's destruction and evidence that he murdered his wife Dr. Strangelove for preventing him from using their son Hal in experiments, Snake exiles him from Diamond Dogs. Quiet disappears in Afghanistan; Code Talker reveals that Quiet was infected with the English parasite to spread it within Diamond Dogs, but her allegiances shifted and she remained silent to prevent an outbreak. Huey's mutation of the parasites convinced Quiet that she could not guarantee the group's safety. Snake finds her and helps fight off Soviet forces before they hide. Quiet is forced to speak to summon a Diamond Dogs helicopter when Snake is bitten by a venomous snake, and flees to avoid causing another epidemic.

It is revealed that Venom Snake is not Big Boss, but an MSF medic caught in the explosion that injured Ishmael, the real Big Boss. During his coma, the medic was transformed via plastic surgery and hypnotherapy to serve as a decoy for Big Boss while he wages a covert war against Cipher. Venom Snake would go on to set the events of the Outer Heaven uprising in motion. After Venom's death, Big Boss would resurface during the Zanzibar Land disturbance. Miller and Ocelot discuss Big Boss' plans to create Outer Heaven. While Ocelot remains supportive, Miller is disgusted at his former ally's deception and vows to assist Venom and Big Boss' son David in hopes of contributing to his downfall.

The music of The Phantom Pain was produced by Harry Gregson-Williams, making it his fourth Metal Gear title, and composed by Ludvig Forssell, Justin Burnett, and Daniel James. Also featured in The Phantom Pain are collectable music tapes the player can listen to in-game, with a mixture of licensed music from the era and music from past Metal Gear titles.

Metal Gear Solid V Original Soundtrack was released on September 2, 2015, containing 50 tracks selected from both Ground Zeroes and The Phantom Pain. Following this on December 23, 2015 was Metal Gear Solid V Extended Soundtrack, containing 114 tracks again selected from both Metal Gear Solid V games. Metal Gear Solid V Original Soundtrack The Lost Tapes was released on March 30, 2016, primarily consisting of tracks written by Ludvig Forssell for the in-game cassette tapes. The latter two releases also include music that went unused in the game, with Metal Gear Solid V Extended Soundtrack in particular containing two tracks from the cut "Mission 51: Kingdom of the Flies".

The game's soundtrack later won the award for Best Score/Soundtrack at The Game Awards 2015.[94] The event had Stefanie Joosten, Quiet's voice actress, on stage performing "Quiet's Theme".

In March 2015, Konami announced plans for a corporate restructuring that saw them part ways with Hideo Kojima and his development studio Kojima Productions. As part of the separation, Kojima's name was removed from the game cover, all of its associated paraphernalia, and future releases of Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes and Metal Gear Solid: The Legacy Collection.[95][lower-alpha 3] A Konami spokesperson stated that Kojima would still be involved with Konami and the Metal Gear franchise,[88] and despite the dispute, the company expressed confidence that the game would be declared Game of the Year.[96]

In July 2015, series composer Rika Muranaka told Fragged Nation in an interview that over 30 commissioned songs for the series were never used, with Muranaka believing that Kojima had a lack of business sense that played a part in his split from Konami.[97]

Following the release of The Phantom Pain, buyers of the Collector's Edition found that the bonus disc included development details of an unreleased in-game mission, "Episode 51: Kingdom of the Flies", that took place after the end of the campaign.[108][109][110][111] The story ending was criticized for feeling abrupt,[111][112][113][114][115] and critics agreed that Episode 51 would have given the game a more satisfying conclusion, due to it resolving several plot threads.[108][109][110][111] Others also felt it allowed certain characters further development that tied into their previous appearances in the series.[112][113][116]

Some critics found fault with The Phantom Pain's structure, particularly during its second half. The requirement that players replay past missions to progress resulted in theories that they had been used in place of original envisioned content that had not been incorporated due to time constraints.[117][118] This assumption was supported by further evidence of removed content: shortly after the discovery of Episode 51, Facepunch forum users who had been extracting data from the game's PC version found evidence of another story chapter, titled "Chapter 3: Peace", that was not included in the final version.[118][119] The game's producer Kenichiro Imaizumi refused to comment on fans' enquiries,[120] while Metal Gear Solid community manager Robert Allen Peeler refuted the possibility of story downloadable content for The Phantom Pain.[121] Some fans theorized a link between Chapter 3 and Konami's "Nuclear Disarmament Event", which was opened shortly after launch with the goal of revealing a secret in the game once all in-game nuclear weapons that had been manufactured by players were disposed of;[122][123] a cutscene that would seemingly be released once the event had finished had been discovered by data miners some days after the game's release.[124][125] Peeler did not deny that further events may occur once the disarmament had concluded, but stated that "the simplest answer is... the correct one, no need to overthink it."[122][126] On February 2, 2018, the completion of the Nuclear Disarmament Event was triggered prematurely on the Steam version of the game, despite there being over 9000 player nukes in existence at the time, resulting in the release of the previously uncovered cutscene.[127] After investigation, Konami announced that this was the result of a technical error owing to the game's servers being sent incorrect values.[128] Similarly, the event would apparently go on to be achieved by players of the PlayStation 3 version of the game on July 27, 2020,[129] although in October 2020 Konami clarified this had been the work of a cheater.[130]

Critics attributed the missing content to the disclosed tensions between Konami and Kojima during development. The general consensus was that Konami had given deadlines for the game's release, owing to Kojima's increasing spending on development.[131] Data miners uncovered numerous other examples of content that had not been included in the game, ranging from gameplay features to audio files,[117][119][132][133][134] although Jorge Jimenez of PC Gamer wrote it was possible that content had been cut for other expected reasons.[112] Due to the perceived narrative flaws and evidence of removed story content, the game was labeled by critics as being unfinished.[135] Conversely, GamesRadar+'s Dan Dawkins argued that what fans saw as being unfinished could have been deliberate on Kojima's part, and wrote that claims of the game being incomplete were neither right nor wrong.[136] Speaking to IGN, Kojima stated that the new intellectual property he was developing since leaving Konami (later revealed as Death Stranding) would be "a complete game".[137] After the announcement of Metal Gear Solid V: The Definitive Experience in 2016, which would include all previously released downloadable content, several fans voiced their concerns via Twitter about the missing content that had been uncovered, particularly with regards to Episode 51. Konami responded that Episode 51 had been removed in the early development stages of the game as it had not been intended to be a pivotal ending to the story, and that there were no future plans to have the mission available to play.[138] In 2021, PC Gamer's Jorge Jimenez and Collider's Ernesto Valenzuela expressed the desire for a director's cut of the game that would include the removed content, though feeling that the possibility of one would be very unlikely.[111][112]

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain received "universal acclaim" from critics, according to review aggregator Metacritic.[139][140][141] It was praised for its varied gameplay mechanics, level of player freedom, open world design, visual fidelity, mature themes, and cast performances, though critics were divided on its narrative and certain changes to the series formula. Reviewers considered it to be one of the best Metal Gear games,[161] and it has been cited as one of the greatest stealth games ever made.[162] Rich Stanton of Eurogamer wrote that "every hand-polished element slots together into a head-spinningly ambitious structure and they combine into something you can only call visionary."[144] IGN's Vince Ingenito felt they had never expected a game to exist "where every minute gameplay detail has true purpose",[151] and Spencer Campbell of EGM described The Phantom Pain as "changing the idea of what can be accomplished with an open world game, both narratively and mechanically."[143] GameSpot's Peter Brown wrote that there had never been a Metal Gear game "so consistent in tone, daring in subject matter, and so captivating in presentation [...] with such depth to its gameplay, or so much volume in content."[148] The Phantom Pain was the twenty-third game—and the third in the Metal Gear series—to receive a perfect 40/40 review rating from Japanese magazine Famitsu.[163]

Critics lauded the gameplay systems and mechanics, controls, and open world design.[3][148][154][164] GameSpot's Brown wrote that playing was an "engrossing and varied experience", calling the gameplay "near-impeccable" and discoverable scenarios "the third pillar" of the world design.[148] Stanton of Eurogamer commended how the open world felt alive through "density and intimacy" over scale, making tasks like crossing a guarded bridge "thrilling".[144] Writing for Time, Matt Peckham described the world as an "unparalleled tactical toybox", a sentiment echoed by other critics;[160] Game Informer's Joe Juba likened each mission to a playground that encouraged players to experiment with tools.[146] Destructoid's Chris Carter noted the "hundreds" of loadout variations to confront scenarios in "completely different ways".[142] Some praised the artificial intelligence of enemies, and how their tactics changed to combat the player's favored playstyles.[3][144][153][160] David Roberts of GamesRadar+ felt that the game's handling of its systems respected the player's intelligence during mistakes.[109] Conversely, USgamer's Kat Bailey wrote that the game was sometimes too unforgiving in its room for error.[154] Ingenito of IGN thought that, unlike other stealth games, deviating from stealth never felt like the "wrong" approach.[151] The action set pieces were praised as "exhilarating" by PC Gamer's Jorge Jimenez,[3] and "terrifying" for their consequences by Eurogamer's Stanton,[144] though some voiced frustration at encounters with the Skulls.[3][153][154][164] Campbell of EGM noted that attacks on the player's Forward Operating Bases could distract from completing story missions.[143] Time's Peckham found the requirements to unlock the fast travel system excessive.[160]

The narrative divided critics. EGM's Campbell praised it as "one of the strongest yet" in the Metal Gear series, writing some of the game's final moments were exceptionally moving.[143] Polygon's McWhertor described it as "captivating" but often "a bit messy".[153] Brown of GameSpot was similarly captivated by the story and characters, and lauded the tonal consistency and handling of mature themes.[148] Other critics echoed praise of the latter aspect;[143][146] Eurogamer's Stanton commended how the theme of war was used to explore subject matter, contrasting with other game series "in thrall to the military".[144] Conversely, IGN's Ingenito felt the subject matter was only acknowledged, while plot-related questions were answered in a "rushed and unsatisfying" way.[151] Roberts of GamesRadar+ described the narrative as being uneventful between brief periods of exposition, and criticized the game's handling of its villains.[109] Jimenez of PC Gamer called the story "aimless" and the worst in the series, due in part for its "mostly dry" script and the opening and ending sequence for feeling inconsequential.[165] Jason Schreier of Kotaku considered the story "damn unfulfilling" and incomplete, criticizing its pacing, dialogue, and characterization.[164] Reviewers disapproved of the requirement that missions were replayed on higher difficulty settings to unlock the final missions;[142][148] some felt that it added unnecessary padding to the most emotional section of the plot.[109][164]

Brown of GameSpot thought the voice acting alternately met and exceeded standards of film and television, making "extraordinary" characters seem believable.[148] Ingenito of IGN praised the "workmanship" performances from the cast,[151] while Eurogamer's Stanton commended the "leap in voice talent" over the game's predecessors.[144] Kiefer Sutherland was praised for his performance as Venom Snake by critics,[109][142][146] though some expressed bemusement at his minimal dialogue;[109][153] Kotaku's Schreier and IGN's Ingenito wrote that Snake's silence during emotional cutscenes was "jarring", the latter feeling it went beyond "mere stoicism".[151][164]

PC Gamer's Jimenez found the ending twist that the player character is not Big Boss as "one perfect moment in a bad story". He felt that by removing the identity of Big Boss, the epilogue became "a perfect thematic match" for the game by reflecting the player's own gameplay experience.[165] Carter of Destructoid wrote that the series had always "dabbled in the concept of "the legend" being stronger than the actual person".[166] Kotaku's Schreier and GamesRadar+'s Roberts commended a player-created avatar for Big Boss as "neat" and "purely and distinctly Metal Gear", respectively, but that the reveal raised questions under scrutiny;[109][114] Schreier thought that experiencing a character arc that was not Big Boss' cheapened the rationale behind many of the plot events, and that the story failed to explain how Venom Snake and Big Boss would become villains.[114] Roberts felt that the reveal lacked closure and caused the story to feel "hollow" because of the "slapped in" ending and repeated missions.[109]

Many noted changes to typical traits of the series.[167] USgamer's Bailey felt it was the right approach that risks were taken to distance The Phantom Pain from the usual Metal Gear formula.[154] Jimenez of PC Gamer described the boss fights as being "pretty dull" to previous installments, but appreciated the lack of an "overbearing mythos" in the story;[3] Polygon's Michael McWhertor and Eurogamer's Stanton praised the shorter length of the cutscenes.[144][153] Conversely, Ingenito of IGN felt they would have preferred excessive cutscenes and emotional moments that they thought Guns of the Patriots had suffered from.[151] Some criticized the choice to include story information in optional audio logs, noting it left certain plot points without necessary context.[143][146][165] Others commented on the game's more serious tone;[3][109][142][144][164] Roberts of GamesRadar+ wrote that the "brilliantly horrifying and bizarre-even-by-Metal-Gear-standards" prologue establishes an "equally harrowing plot".[109] PC Gamer's Jimenez was disappointed in the tone and reduced humour, and that the story felt non-canonical as a result.[165]

Carter of Destructoid praised the power of the Fox Engine, calling the graphical rendering "beautiful" and the sound design "impeccable".[142] Schreier of Kotaku lauded the game as being "exceptionally polished" and looking "phenomenal", praising Snake's character model and animations.[164] USgamer's Bailey similarly wrote that D-Dog "exhibits almost Pixar-like levels of detail" in his movement and interactions.[154] GameSpot's Brown and IGN's Ingenito described the cinematography as "top-notch" and "beautiful", respectively.[148][151] Juba of Game Informer felt that the visuals were "great", though noted some occasional texture pop-in.[146] Critics praised the game's performance as "smooth" in spite of its high graphical fidelity.[146][164][142]

Before the release of the game, the presentation of the female character Quiet became a topic of controversy concerning her appearance. Halo content producer David Ellis criticized her for being oversexualized and a negative affirmation of the stereotype of the game industry as "full of man babies".[168][169][170] Kojima and Konami released Quiet figurines in May 2015 as part of the game's promotion. The figure's soft, pliable breasts were criticized by some in the West in social media and in the press.[171][172][173] The finished game drew more criticism of Quiet's portrayal in both reviews and opinion pieces.[174][175] GamesRadar+'s David Roberts described Quiet as "one of the most complex and conflicted characters in MGS5", but that her depiction was an example of a "juvenile approach to sexuality" that typifies Kojima's work and the Metal Gear series as a whole.[176] Michael McWhertor of Polygon described the justification for Quiet's lack of clothing as "inextricably tied to the game's convoluted story", and criticized how the game similarly presented other female characters by "zeroing in on their jiggling breasts and panning across their asses in a silly, oversexualized way."[153]

On the other hand, GameZone's James Wynne felt that the game's story explanation was a valid enough reason for her scantily-clad appearance and succeeds in Kojima's aim to make Quiet "a true antithesis to sexy-just-because female characters." He wrote that "Fan service doesn't erase the fact that Quiet is a strong, well-written character that doesn't need a man to save her. That puts her on a level comparable to The Boss, who was the most impressive female character to ever grace a video game."[177] IGN's Ingenito called Quiet the most interesting character in the game, writing that her "warm, childlike sincerity and battlefield ferocity cause her to steal every scene she's in." However, he felt disappointed that she was also "required to be a lust-object."[151]

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain shipped 3 million physical copies within its first five days of release, across all platforms.[178] On its release date, the game grossed US$179 million, higher than the combined opening day box office of the films Avengers: Age of Ultron and Jurassic World.[179] The Phantom Pain debuted at number one on the United Kingdom charts. It became the third biggest video game launch of 2015 in the UK, behind Batman: Arkham Knight and The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt.[180] The Phantom Pain was the most successful launch for the series in the UK, beating the previous record holder, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, by 37 percent.[180] The game sold 411,199 physical retail copies on PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 within the first week of release in Japan, topping the Japanese software sales charts that week.[181]

In the United Kingdom, the game sold noticeably more on the PlayStation family of consoles than the Xbox. Excluding computer sales, The Phantom Pain moved approximately 72 percent of copies on PlayStation 4, roughly three times the amount sold on the Xbox One, which accounted for 22 percent of sales. three percent of sales were on PlayStation 3, and two percent on Xbox 360.[182] By the end of September 2015, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain had shipped over five million copies worldwide,[183] which had raised to over six million by December 2015.[184]

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain was awarded Game of the Year from several publications, including PC Gamer,[185] Game Revolution,[186] GamesRadar+,[187] and Entertainment Weekly.[188]