The Entire Game Is Likely A Flashback
The Metal Gear Solid series is known for having storylines that can be hard to decipher, and this is certainly the case with The Phantom Pain. To that end, the game is most likely a flashback. The game opens up with Venom Snake looking in a mirror while he is about to listen to a tape titled, “From: The Man Who Sold the World”. According to the cutscene, this section takes place in Outer Heaven and one can clearly hear gunshots in the background. In the game’s ending, players once again visit the same mirror, listen to two tapes, “From: The Man Who Sold the World” and “Operation Intrude N313”. These events likely indicate that the entire plot of MGS5 was a flashback with Venom looking back at past events and how he has to face Solid Snake now.
