It’s said that the best moments come following great moments of stress. It can be as simple as getting home from a long day at work, seeing someone get their comeuppance after so long, or finally getting through some tough or painful situation. Whatever its cause, it was common enough for people to give it a name: catharsis.
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Even video games can provide cathartic moments, andMetal Gearhas had some of the best examples. From its 8-bit days to the 2010s, here are the stealth-‘em-up series’ best examples of catharsis. There will be spoilers, so caution is advised.
8Destroying Outer Heaven
Metal Gear Solid’s REX has become the more iconic design, but the TX-55 was the original Metal Gear. If it doesn’t get shut down, it could either put the ‘terrorist nation’ Outer Heaven on top against the other world powers or destroy the world entirely. Snake’s last option is to blow it up before it activates, which involves setting bombs on its frame while dodging sentry fire.
It’s a challenging encounter as it’s more like a puzzle than a fight. The bombs have to be set in a certain order to work. If the player messes up, they’ll be out of luck. But once it’s pulled off, the TX-55 is destroyed, Snake fights off hismentor-turned-nemesis Big Boss, and escapes just before everything explodes. The world is saved, and the player can finally relax.
7FOX…Die
The series got more ambitious when it transitioned to 3D. Big Boss spent most of the MSX2 gemMetal Gear 2: Solid Snakehiding in the shadows.MGS1’s main villain, Liquid Snake, is a constant presence that’s seemingly invincible. He survives a helicopter crash, an exploding Metal Gear REX, and several stories-long falls from said Metal Gear. Even right at the very end, he survives a jeep crash with just a few scratches.
Snake and his partner (Meryl or Otacon) are trapped under their own vehicle, right where Liquid wants them. All hope seems lost until he suddenly strains and falls to the ground. Snake’s handlers originally meant to use him as a vector to spread FOXDIE, an artificial virus that kills off selected targets. They didn’t stop the leak, but they managed to put Liquid down once and for all. Well,mostly at least.
6The End For The End
Metal Gear Solid 3had somegreat, off-the-wall boss fights, from a man who could control bees to a literal ghost. One of its most famous/infamous was Naked Snake’s fight against The End. He was an ancient sniper with some tricks up his sleeve. Snake had to sneak across three different maps to either snipe him back or get close enough to attack him directly.
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The fight could take a while, as players couldn’t save (they’d instantly lose on loading it back up), and he’s good at hiding and running away. So, it made finishing the weirdy beardy off particularly satisfying. Players could kill him in an earlier section before the fight starts or put their console’s clock a week ahead to let old age finish him off. But there’s something about beating him at his own game that just feels good. The game certainly thinks so, as it rewards players with an extra camo outfit and a new weapon if they do.
5Thunderbolt Meets Thunderbolt
Liquid Snake was persistent and near invincible, but he wasn’t as slimy asMGS3’s electricity-slinging Colonel ‘Thunderbolt’ Volgin. This mountain of a man is a gross sadist who tortures people for fun and often to death. Even so, putting him down isn’t an easy feat. Hand-to-hand combat isn’t enough to put him down, nor is a warehouse explosion, or multiple direct hits with rockets.
It feels like nothing will put him down until another storm comes. Volgin forgoes his little protective ‘Kuwabara’ chant to focus on getting his drilling death machine the Shagohod back up. This proves to be a mistake as he suddenly gets struck by lightning. The jolt sets him alight and finally puts him down. It’s an ironic and fitting end that couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy.
4Finishing Off Metal Gear Solid 4
Solid Snake is back, and much worse for wear. His old friends are telling him to back down because he’s too broken down for fieldwork. But he still has one last job to do, and that’s to stop Ocelot and the Patriots for good. The final act sees him infiltrate a giant submersible battleship called Outer Haven and come across a corridor lined with microwave emitters, which takes a lot of staggering, pained crawling, and button hammering to make it through.
But after all that effort, they finally reach the chamber, get a cutscene, and succeed. The Patriots are finished, and the world is freed. There’s only one loose end left to tie up, and its name is Ocelot. It’s one of the best boss fights in the series as the two attack each other hand-to-hand. Aside from being fun to play, it’s so satisfying to finally knock the cowboy fanatic down. He’s always made a narrow escape in the other games, but not this time.
3Peace Walker Peaces Out
Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walkerhas two endings and two final bosses, and the first of both is more satisfying than the second. They’re also more of a pain in the neck, as the Peace Walker mech itself takes a lot of punishment and has a lot of annoying attacks. Even when it’s beaten, it still tricks the US into launching its nukes by sending them false data. Big Boss tries calling the Pentagon to tell them it’s a hoax, but they don’t believe him.
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Then he tries ripping out Peace Walker’s AI boards, but it still remains active. He empties weapon after weapon into it to make it stop, and still no dice. Then it decides to stop itself. Modeled after the Boss’ mind, Peace Walker’s AI decides to drown itself in the nearby lake than let the world burn. It’s an odd ending, but it’s such a relief to get it after such a lengthy fight.
2Such A Lust For Revenge
Skull Face isn’t the most engagingMetal Gearvillain, though he is one of theevilest ones. He destroyed Mother Base, left Big Boss in a coma, mutilated Master Miller, and tortured children. His plan to wipe out entire languages through parasites (just roll with it) finally comes undone when his ace-in-the-hole, a certain psychic child, finds someone else to serve.
Skull Face is left trapped under some rubble after his Metal Gear, Sahelanthropus, is destroyed. He begs Big Boss and Master Miller for a quick death. Boss picks up a shotgun and, under Miller’s supervision, repays the favor by blasting off his arm and leg. But they won’t kill him. He can do that himself. It’s good to see him get his just desserts, despite Huey Emmerich coming in to provide his mercy kill. Which doesn’t go unpunished either.
1Becoming Big Boss
Finally, the most cathartic moment in the series doesn’t involve the story or cutscenes. It all depends on the gameplay, as all the games rank the player’s skills. Some are more extensive than others, but they generally factor in how much life they have left, how quickly they beat the game, how many enemies they killed, and how many times they got caught. The best ranking, Foxhound or Big Boss, provides the series’ ultimate challenge.
It requires beating aMetal Geargame on the hardest difficulty with no deaths, no extra alerts, and no kills nor continues, etc. It’s themost difficult ranking, requiring mastery of Snake’s skills, the level maps, and how every guard and boss ticks. Some games are stricter than others too, withMetal Gear Solid 2also limiting Saves and ammo use. But it’s all worth it to see that Foxhound/Big Boss logo as proof that the player is a stealth master…or at least pretty good atMetal Gear.
