After playing the introduction and trying to rescue Kaz, I returned with more determination to pass those Skulls that prevented me from completing my mission, and I must say that since that first part I played (which you can read and watch in this link), I’ve been quite hooked, and I knew that if I continued, I would become even more engrossed in this game.
MGSV The Phantom Pain has surprised me. Ground Zeroes had already surprised me with its open world despite being a small world with very short missions, but seeing the possibilities that The Phantom Pain offers with its open world, and the sensations it evokes when you dive into that world where you feel incredibly small, is simply amazing.
So join me in reviewing the missions I’ve played so far, and if you like, you can also watch the highlights of my gameplay.
Episode 01: Phantom Limbs
I had already played most of this mission in my first part, but in this last part, I was surprised to discover that, although they are quite eerie, the Skulls aren’t very smart, but they become complete demons when they detect you.
As I crossed the bridge, I had two Skulls very close, I passed behind one and he didn’t notice my presence as I passed, and I must say that I didn’t crouch, rather I ran with Miller on my shoulders behind him. My theory is that they sense the presence and move toward that presence; I don’t know if noise alerts them, but what is certain is that wherever you stand, even if you’re hidden, the Skulls will walk towards you to see what’s hiding.
After realizing that the Skulls didn’t see me, I ran as if I had a rocket between my cheeks until I reached the helicopter, and thus, I was able to finish my mission.
Episode 02: Diamond Dogs
This mission functions as a sort of very late tutorial because after surviving the hospital, recovering those documents stealthily, and rescuing Kaz from those demonic beings, now what’s the point of a tutorial…
Still, the good Revolver Ocelot helps us understand other game mechanics, such as learning to render your enemies unconscious and then kidnap them using the Fulton system (and hopefully they volunteer at the base because otherwise, they’ll spend a long time in the dungeon), developing cardboard boxes to hide in, and a few other things.
This part slows down the tension we carried during the beginning of the game and the first mission, and I must mention that it was a good break, although after a while, it gets a bit boring.
P.S.: After finishing the tasks, if you try to hit Ocelot, he’ll send you to Pluto.
Episode 03: A hero’s way
In this mission, we must eliminate a Spetsnaz commander, but during the mission, Ocelot mentions that it would be a waste to eliminate him since he is a skilled officer. So the game gives you options in the mission, and you can decide what to do, and I really liked that freedom of choice, especially because we come from Metal Gears where the objective and the way to execute it is only one, so it was refreshing to have options to complete a mission.
I decided to kidna… um… extract him with the Fulton system, and on my way to the objective, I extracted a couple more soldiers to clear the route. It’s a relatively easy mission that remains fun and gives you the freedom to get creative.
Episode 04: C2W
This is another mission where you have the freedom to accomplish your objective, and depending on how you decide to do it, it can be an easy or extremely difficult mission. Here, you must destroy the communications at a military station near a village. On your way to the objective, you can undertake a side mission, which is to extract a Russian interpreter from a guard post.
After extracting the interpreter, I found a slope where I could hide and have a perfect view of the military station, and of my three objectives, three antennas that were very close to where I was watching.
Without having to confront anyone, and being careful not to make sudden movements, I easily accomplished my objective with a couple of grenades, throwing them from where I was, except for the last antenna, which was further away. For this antenna, I developed the grenade launcher, and with that, I finished the mission.
P.S.: Like a good woman with goals and ambitions, I got obsessed with a container, and after finishing off the entire military station, I realized that I couldn’t extract the container because my Fulton system didn’t have that capacity T.T
Episode 05: Over the Fence
This was, and still is, one of the most difficult missions I’ve done in a Metal Gear. And I’m sure that for many, it must have been very simple, but I think that the way I approached this mission just made everything complicated.
In this mission, you must rescue and extract a biotechnology engineer, who happens to be the person who created Snake’s bionic arm and is the only one who can maintain it so it doesn’t rust on us. So, whether we like it or not, we must rescue this guy.
The problem is that they have him locked in the basement of a building that is at the top of a hill infested with soldiers who are not in the mood to be friendly. And you know what’s difficult? Rescuing someone from a basement never ends well. (Remember Paz?)
That’s how Pequoid leaves us stranded on a mountain, for us to give it our all, and what we don’t have, to rescue this guy nobody knows. The good thing is that a beautiful little puppy starts barking at us, and we can extract it; for me, extracting that puppy was more important than that engineer.
But the mission isn’t completed if Ocelot doesn’t get his beloved engineer… So I set out to skirt the military compound, going unnoticed and extracting a soldier along the way. When I reached the top and infiltrated closer to where the prisoner was, things got ugly, and I spent endless hours with an alert status and a platoon of soldiers sniffing my butt. It was really tough, and I failed this mission a couple of times.
Fortunately, for the last attempt, I had most of the soldiers marked on the map, and in a desperate state of my heart, on the verge of a heart attack, I extracted the poor devil through a hole in the basement, and I did it! Even Ocelot told me he was surprised XD. I managed to escape (in an alert state) without getting shredded like cheese, and finishing it felt great.
I’ve already done a couple of side missions…
And because I’m getting even more hooked on this game, I couldn’t resist the temptation to turn on the PS5 and dive into a couple of side missions. It’s been an incredible adventure so far, and I hope to continue it next week.
I must tell you, my dear legends, that we’re already on TWITCH! So if you like, you can join me next week for the continuation of this great adventure, which I’ll be delighted to share with you.
If you liked my experience so far and have any advice for me, feel free to leave it in the comments; I love reading them and hearing your opinions.
If you liked this article, you might also like: Johnny Sasaki: From Intestinal Problems to Unexpected Hero
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!
