Key members of Kojima Productions Ken Mendoza, Sean Eyestone, Jordan Amaro and Ludvig Forssell recently appeared on Kojima Station Episode 4 to talk about various concerns regarding Metal Gear Solid 5, especially the upcoming epilogue The Phantom Pain.
The team took to addressing concerns about cutscenes being reduced and Snake not talking as much as we’ve seen in previous games – due to jokes that Keifer Sutherland would be too expensive. Amaro stated that, ““What we have to say about the cutscenes, is that the proportion between gameplay and cutscene is more balanced this time.”
Eyestone added that, “So, instead of playing through one huge segment of gameplay and then having one huge cutscene, the cutscenes are scattered here and there and you get the story as you play.” Amaro then added, “The spectacle and the craftsmanship is still there. We have to reassure you, for those of you who were worried, that the cutscenes are still kick-ass. They will still be, like, really really really cool.”
As for Snake’s lines, Amaro said, “Open world game means that the scope of the play space is greater than it has ever been, right? Inside this bigger play space we have systems that work together, and those systems can be disturbed by the player. In TPP the means of player agency are greater.”
“That said, Snake still is Snake,” Eyestone stated. “He does have his personality, he’s still there. It’s just, we’re trying to make it easier for people to relate to him and feel what it’s like to experience life as Snake.” As for Sutherland being too expensive, which was later clarified as a joke, the team wanted to put more emphasis on the facial animations to convey Snake’s emotions much more than previous games had.
As for other concerns, you won’t have to worry about Miller repeating the same information as you replay missions. There will apparently be a way to mute this in The Phantom Pain along with a function for distracting guards. It won’t be knocking but the team has assured that something will be in place. Other aspects making a return include boss fights and cardboard boxes.
Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain is currently rumoured to be releasing early next year for PS3, PS4, Xbox One and Xbox 360. Stay tuned for more details.