Metal Gear Solid: The Board Game – A Tactical Stealth Experience

Metal Gear Solid: The Board Game delivers stealth action with strategy but has limits on player count and replayability. Best for 1-2 players.

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Development of Metal Gear Solid: The Board Game has been nearly as dramatic as the game itself. Following delays and licensing issues, CMON Games eventually made it a reality. Strategic stealth gameplay of the iconic PlayStation game is expertly translated into an engaging tabletop experience in this board game. It perfectly encapsulates the spirit of the cherished series, from slinking into cardboard boxes to fierce boss battles. But even if it appeals to nostalgia, it has certain drawbacks.

This campaign-style board game follows the story of Metal Gear Solid (1998) and allows one to four players to control characters like Solid Snake, Meryl, Otacon and Cyborg Ninja Gray Fox. Game features 14 missions, recreating iconic moments such as the showdown with Ocelot, PAL Keycard sequence and the battle against Metal Gear REX.

The lack of the last encounters between Solid and Liquid Snake is a significant flaw. Perhaps because of issues with gameplay balance, the epic barehanded battle atop REX and the Jeep escape are absent. To fill in the blanks, ardent BoardGameGeek fans have developed original scenarios.

For those who choose the premium Integral Edition, the story extends beyond the gameplay through a beautifully illustrated 109-page graphic novel by Kenneth Loh. Additionally, the game includes a Codec Book, bringing MGS-style radio conversations to the tabletop, complete with strategic tips and classic Metal Gear humor.

For fans of the series, Metal Gear Solid: The Board Game offers an entertaining experience despite a few omissions. This game offers a distinctive approach to revisit one of greatest storylines in gaming, regardless of how long you’ve been a fan of Metal Gear or how new you are to the series.

Unlock Iconic Gear: Socom Pistol, Cardboard Box and More

Players can choose from their character’s special skills to do up to four actions in a turn in Metal Gear Solid: The Board Game. They acquire new weapons as they go through the scenarios such as Snake’s reliable Socom pistol and the well-known cardboard box that they can utilize in subsequent ones. This equipment expands each character’s skill set, staying true to the game’s “procure on-site” concept.

Once players complete their actions, the enemies take their turn. Both generic guards and bosses have action cards that determine their movements, which change based on whether they’ve spotted the player. Guards also have a reaction deck for situations like investigating a noise or spotting a knocked-out guard.

Boss Fights: Unique Challenges and Strategy

A key highlight are boss encounters, which present unique challenges. For instance, the Hind D has several target locations, whereas the Revolver Ocelot darts around, bouncing bullets off walls. Because of the game’s tile-based nature, every boss battle takes place on a different board with unique components that heighten the suspense and thrill. For example- Ocelot’s battle may result in a game-over if the wounded Kenneth Baker is killed. Players are kept on edge by these unique components, which make every encounter exciting and surprising.

Strategy Meets Luck

The combination of strategy and luck makes every move crucial. The random nature of guard movements and dice rolls for checking noise or enemy shots keeps you guessing. There were many tense moments when I wasn’t sure if I’d be spotted but it never felt unfair—just a well-balanced mix of careful planning and chance.

Player Count and Solo Experience

While the box suggests the game supports up to four players, I found it works best with one or two players, especially in campaign mode. Many scenarios only allow Snake as the playable character in the early stages, and only five of the campaign’s scenarios support four players. This limitation can make it difficult to involve all friends in a single session.

To address this, the game offers a “VR Missions” mode for up to four players, though it’s limited in content. The VR Missions book has six mission types, but each has only one map layout, causing the mode to lose its appeal once players become familiar with the objectives.

Looking Ahead

Metal Gear Solid: The Board Game is engaging experience that blends tactical decision-making with the thrill of the Metal Gear universe even though the VR Missions mode could use more variation. To keep things interesting and difficult, I hope CMON or the community adds more content.

Conclusion

Stealth action of Metal Gear Solid: The Board Game is brought to the tabletop in entertaining and difficult manner. Notable are the gameplay and miniatures, which provide an excellent balance of strategy and inventiveness.

It is challenging to play with a complete group, though, because of game’s restrictions on number of players and character choices. Replay value is decreased by VR Missions mode’s lack of variation.

It’s excellent option if you like playing games with 2 or 3 players. It might not be ideal choice, though, if you need game for three or more people.