Few titles have left such a deep mark as Metal Gear Solid. From its beginnings on the original PlayStation to its evolution on modern consoles, this game has captivated players with its unique blend of action, stealth, and a narrative that pushes boundaries. But behind the epic plots and memorable confrontations lie secrets, some as clever as the famous cardboard box.
Since the release of Metal Gear Master Collection Vol 1, many fans have been able to relive (and some even play for the first time) this iconic installment, and even the most dedicated players have revisited the secrets and Easter Eggs that many of us were unaware of. So, digital legends, let’s swim to Shadow Moses to discover ten secrets that have kept fans talking for decades and continue to surprise many.
10. Secret Video in Briefing
Something not many people know is that Solid Snake didn’t want to accept the mission that Campbell proposed at all. If we access the Briefing menu, watch the first video, and then exit the menu without seeing anything else, a rather unique cinematic will appear.
In it, we can see Snake sitting in front of the camera, saying that he no longer works for the government and that they should let him go back to Twin Lakes with his 15 huskies, as that is now his family. Besides, there’s a sled race next week (and obviously, he can’t miss it).
Campbell’s response is not very friendly; he tells Snake that the ship they are on is nowhere near there, and his record is so dirty that not even Fabuloso can make it smell like lavender. But in Campbell’s words, blackmailing him is more like helping our Snake make the decision to accept the mission more easily. Can you imagine if they had let Snake go?
9. Mei Ling sticks out her tongue.
Mei Ling is the philosophical character in Metal Gear. Besides being charming and saving our game progress, she also provides adverbs and advice based on the situation in the game. Moreover, she can even blush and flirt with Snake on some occasions.
But one thing we don’t expect from this character is to have a negative reaction towards us. And indeed, we can see her scolding us on some occasions. If we call Mei Ling and decide not to save the game, on the third call, she will tell us to stop calling her if there is no reason to do so. If we continue calling her and still don’t save the game, on the sixth call without saving, Mei Ling will mock us by sticking out her tongue.
8. Snake takes the FAMAS from Meryl with his hand
An important (and memorable, thanks to Johnny Sasaki’s buttocks) moment in this game is when we encounter Meryl for the first time. This meeting doesn’t happen in a friendly manner, as Meryl believes that we killed the DARPA chief.
But it’s right at that moment when things can change slightly depending on whether or not we have the SOCOM in our inventory.
If we have the SOCOM, during the cinematic, Meryl will aim her FAMAS at Snake, and Snake will draw his SOCOM and aim it back at her, and the conversation about Meryl being inexperienced will flow naturally. But if we don’t have the SOCOM, when Meryl aims at Snake, he will take the tip of the FAMAS and direct it towards himself, challenging Meryl to shoot him, calling her a rookie.
7. Ocelot calls us “Idiot”.
Something that stands out in the first minutes of Metal Gear Solid is the encounter with our first boss: Revolver Ocelot. This Soviet gunslinger has an extremely impressive character, being the most formidable enemy in the entire saga.
During our first battle with Ocelot, we must protect the life of ArmsTech president Kenneth Baker, whom Ocelot decided to tie to a pillar in the center of the room with ropes that can trigger a lot of explosives. The slightest touch with these ropes ensures that the battle is lost.
However, something Ocelot didn’t calculate is that it is possible to end Kenneth Baker from a distance, and if we do so, a final screen will appear with Ocelot calling us an “idiot.”
6. Nastasha scold us and Mei Ling gets mad at us.
The ladies in this game are truly respectful, and if they see us doing something we shouldn’t, we can expect a stronger scolding than the one your boss might give you if you haven’t done your tasks yet. One of those scoldings can happen if, after finding Meryl, we follow her into the women’s bathroom.
Once inside, and before triggering the cinematic, if we call our allies on the Codec, the guys will only tell us to continue the search for Meryl. However, if we call Nastasha instead, she will scold us for being in a place where we shouldn’t be, even if it’s the only place where we can talk to Meryl.
But out of these interactions, the one that stands out the most is from our dear Mei Ling, who takes it very badly. If we call her while in the women’s bathroom, Mei Ling will be furious and tell us that we are perverts and not to call her again.
5. Psycho Mantis’ statues.
The most innovative (at the time) and remarkable aspect of this game is our battle against Psycho Mantis. The detail that Kojima added to break the fourth wall is simply impressive and something that not many games did at the time.
So, you can imagine how fantastic (and even terrifying) it was to place the controller on the floor when Psycho Mantis asked you to, and then see how, from the screen, our opponent moved the controller. Clearly, it blew my mind, and until not long ago, I believed that changing the controller port was the only way to defeat this enemy who seemed to know everything.
When Campbell tells you to change the port, and you die in the battle before doing so; when you return to the fight, if you call Campbell, he will tell you, along with Naomi, that one way to distract Psycho Mantis is with the statues.
Those statues placed on each side of the room have the real face of Psycho Mantis, and, according to Naomi, he hates his own face, so they are covered with gas masks. So, they give us the key advice, if we destroy the statues, Psycho Mantis will be distracted by seeing his face, giving us the opportunity to attack and defeat him.
4. Wolf Pee.
When we defeat Psycho Mantis, just before dying, he opens a secret passage to the caves that lead to the communication towers passage. In these caves, we encounter the wildlife of Alaska: the wolves.
As soon as they smell Meryl, we can see a heart appear above their heads, but as soon as we approach any wolf, they attack us. The truth is that the wolves don’t hold us in high regard, and if we push things a little further, they’ll make it more than clear.
If we hit Meryl, she will always slap us, costing us some life. If we do this in the caves, she will call a wolf to attack us. But if, at the moment of hitting her, we equip a box, the puppy wolf will come and empty its bladder on us. It will leave us with a quite natural perfume that, although it may not seem like it, will be quite useful for what comes next.
3. Liquid scolds Ocelot.
Something we’ll never see is Liquid resorting to hitting other members of Foxhound with flip-flops. Despite being the leader, Liquid knows well that the members of Foxhound are people you shouldn’t mess with, and their talents for ending lives go beyond the skills of any regular soldier.
And someone who is very good at this task is Revolver Ocelot, whose talent can sometimes slip through his fingers. It had already happened to him with the DARPA chief while torturing him; he gave him a few too many electric shocks, and the poor man ended up looking like an Argentine barbecue.
If we fail our first round of torture and let our life run out, a final screen will appear where we can hear Liquid scolding Ocelot because the little sparks got out of control again, and in the background, Ocelot is apologizing.
2. Naomi gives us a massage.
To the surprise of many (even mine!), breaking the fourth wall is not exclusive to Psycho Mantis. There is another character that can interact outside the screen with us, and not precisely to intimidate us; on the contrary, it is to help us heal.
Our dear doctor Naomi, during the torture, is deeply concerned about our well-being, and if we survive a couple more sessions and call Campbell, Naomi will take the call and ask us how we are.
Snake is going to complain about discomfort in his arm (not after such a feat pressing that darn button…) to which she will tell us that she will increase the dose of painkiller, and then she instructs us to place the controller on our arm (the one we use to press the button).
Naomi will make the controller vibrate, giving us a massage to relieve us, and explains that she did it through nanomachines (WOW!!!!!).
1. Grey Fox gets us out of the cell.
Grey Fox is that enigmatic character we both hate and love at the same time. The battle against him is one of the most challenging, but then we realize that this cyborg ninja is actually an ally.
One of those occasions where he proves he’s on our side is during the torture phase. There are many ways to escape the cell, whether we use the ketchup Otacon gives us and pretend we’re bleeding out, or follow Naomi’s suggestion and hide under the bed to disappear and confuse Sasaki, who is guarding us.
But one way to escape is simply to wait, and at the moment when Johnny Sasaki has another bout of diarrhea and runs away, we can see how a silhouette (using stealth camouflage) approaches the door and breaks the lock. Snake is going to question whether it’s Otacon or not, and for a second, Grey Fox deactivates his camouflage to reveal that it was he who got us out, a second before disappearing.
Still, Snake calls Otacon to ask if it was him who opened the door (really, Snake?).
Metal Gear Solid is full of secrets
This game, despite having been out for a long time, never ceases to fascinate me, and for a very good reason: It’s a game that has it all! Drama, action, romance, comedy, suspense— not even Televisa has so much. Every time I play it, I discover something new, a Codec conversation I hadn’t seen before, a little secret that went unnoticed while trying to reach Metal Gear Rex, but there’s always something new.
The characters feel fleshed out, with a very defined personality and a rich personal story, even those we don’t interact with much, like Nastasha Romanenko and even Johnny Sasaki (who, by the way, I dedicated his own video to a few weeks ago) have something to tell.
It’s simply incredible to see how these characters react to different situations because it makes them seem closer to humanity. From Naomi giving us a massage for our effort to Mei Ling sticking her tongue out at us after teasing her for a while, it makes Metal Gear Solid resemble real life a bit: we all have a story to tell, a mission to fulfill every day, and it’s our friends—those who care, those who scold us if we do something wrong, those who make us laugh—who will give us the strength to keep going.
If you know any other secrets from this wonderful game, feel free to leave them in the comments. This list doesn’t cover them all, and I would love to know which ones are your favorites.
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What’s up, gamers! I’m Andrea Villasmil, the one weaving magic behind Joystick Latino. From the glorious era of Metal Gear Solid on the PS1 to today’s RPGs, video games have me hooked. Besides being the boss around here, I’m an editor and translator on this wonderful website. I’m also a music teacher, delving into the world of dubbing and voice acting.
Between psychological thrillers, RPG sessions, and delicious pasta dishes, I have a great time sharing my obsession for games on Joystick Latino. See you in the game, friends!
