Let’s talk about things I like. I need to say I love the gameplay so much, it’s superb and engrossing, it has the depth and complexity that most people wouldn’t fully appreciate unless they’re playing each mission for several times. It’s satisfying when you are able to try different strategies to solve each mission, and your creativity is being rewarded most of the time. It also has a lot of collectibles – which might be a minor issue for many people, but for me personally it could affect my overall enjoyment about RPG/open world/action game like this. I love collecting animals, weapons, and costumes and it is immensely fun trying different weapons and how different weapon choices would change your game plan from being a sneaky, stealthy, infiltrator to create an all-out war with explosives and rockets. Bottom line is, I had a lot of fun playing it, and I don’t think there was a single moment when I felt genuinely frustrated because of boredom or lack of progress. Kudos to Kojima and co. in gameplay department, in general it’s really satisfying.
Some of the things that I don’t like about the game. Gameplay-wise, the game doesn’t really tell you the basic knowledge about the game. For instance, the “difficulty” level of enemies – I didn’t know that for example enemies would start using heavy weaponry and snipers if you abuse your sniping weapons or Quite. I learned that from a YT video. It’s pretty easy to get overwhelmed by the mechanics unless you are looking up on articles or YT videos. Another thing that irks me: you definitely need to grind for staff members (which you can do by replaying several missions over and over again). The difference in difficulty between Mission 7 and Mission 8 and 9 for example, was somewhat irritating because the game did not tell you to be prepared that you are going to face several tanks. Sure you can detonate them with C4, but unless you are fully prepared for what is going to come, I assume a lot of people would get their ass kicked due to their meager equipment.
As for the story, this is something that I have a lot of issues with. I won’t bother you with my rants about every single detail that makes little sense (or none at all) but there are two issues that are so bothering me thus I need to talk about them: First, the Truth ending totally squanders the game’s premise. From the posts that I have read in this thread it seems people who are familiar with the story ending also agree that it is such a waste that the entire game is basically build up based on a terrible deception. You get emotionally invested and suddenly, in an M. Night Shmalayan-esque twist, you are just playing an avatar of The Legendary Soldier. It’s upsetting.
Second, it’s all about Quiet. It seems the general consensus is that she is arguably the best character in the game (an opinion that I agree with), yet I feel like her character is not being fleshed out. This is a matter of personal perspective of course, but once again, I feel like her character is being wasted while in fact her role in the story can be expanded. I think her story does not provide ample justification for her silly outfit – it’s not a thing that I feel personally offended with, though I somewhat agree that her fabric is obviously a textbook example of oversexualization in media – and her story ending, while dramatic, left me unimpressed. I don’t see why they are implying there’s a romantic undertone between Venom and her though, that feels forced.
My conclusion is, if I am assessing this game from gameplay alone, this one would easily be 10/10. If I have to take the storyline into account, I have to give this game 8/10 at best. Thankfully the story does not ruin the whole gameplay experience for me, but the story itself is still a displeasing experience.
