Metal Gear Overview
Metal Gear is set in a late 20th-century conflict where the fortified state of Outer Heaven, led by an anonymous war hero, poses a threat through its development of a nuclear-capable walking tank. The player assumes the role of Solid Snake, a new operative in the FOX-HOUND unit, tasked with infiltrating this stronghold. His primary goals are to gather intelligence on the weapon system and rescue a captured teammate from a previous mission.
Gameplay involves navigating the fortress while evading direct enemy detection. Progression is tied to locating key items like access cards, weapons, and hidden hostages. Rescuing these hostages improves the player's rank, which in turn grants a larger life bar and more inventory space for ammunition and consumables. Communication via a transceiver provides mission updates from a commanding officer and tactical advice from local resistance contacts operating inside the facility.
The infiltration is challenging, requiring careful exploration and confrontation with Outer Heaven's specialized mercenary forces who act as bosses. Success depends on managing equipment and using gathered intelligence to advance through the secured compound.