Now Playing: Metal Gear Rising

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance is a third person action game developed by Platinum Games. I think it ties into the Metal Gear universe but exactly where, when or how is something I honestly can’t answer. It feels more like a spin-off title – certainly in terms of gameplay, but perhaps also in tone in terms of story.

I’m not at all familiar with the world of Metal Gear. As I mentioned in my recent Steam Sale Damage Report, I’ve never played a Metal Gear title, so my knowledge of its world and ongoing story is extremely limited. That said, Rising isn’t a game where such knowledge is particularly required.

As you may expect from Platinum Games, the story of Rising is rather bonkers and certainly not to be taken seriously. It keeps things simple, presenting the player with a clear goal and motivation. And that’s really all it needs. But, if you’re a fan of the core series, there are a lot of optional conversations you can listen to via your codec menu which I’m sure delve more into the world of Metal Gear and how it relates to the events of Rising.

So – forget the story. It’s honestly not very important. It exists purely to drive you through several varied levels and numerous boss fights. You control Raiden, a cyborg-ninja with a very sharp sword. The gameplay is primarily focused around combat. You’ll be fighting humanoid cyborgs, but also a variety of very large robots. You have light and heavy attacks which can be chained together for combo strikes. You also have a ‘blade mode’ which momentarily slows time allowing you to line up precision strikes with your sword.

In addition to this, you also have a ‘ninja-run’ which can be used to evade attacks and traverse the environment. It also allows you to perform a light sword or sliding attack on the move. There’s no ‘block mechanic’ as such in Rising and the ninja-run isn’t quite the ‘dodge’ ability you may expect it to be. Instead, you have a ‘parry’ system. This allows you to deflect an enemy attack and create an opening for your own.

One of the things you must learn whilst playing Rising is which attacks can be parried and which cannot. It’s a bit of trial and error at first, but after a short time it becomes fairly obvious which are the ones to avoid. Once you sufficiently weaken an enemy, entering blade mode allows you to slice that enemy into numerous tiny pieces. It’s about as messy as you’d expect and extremely satisfying. What’s more, the majority of enemies contain an item you can extract by slicing them open and ripping it out with a QTE. This item replenishes your health and energy.

The combination of these mechanics results in a fast paced combat system with the emphasis very much on offence. So many third person action games I’ve played over the last few years seem more tailored around a slower system of evade and counter-attack, but in Rising, it’s quite the opposite.

In addition to your sword, you will also find secondary weapons such as different grenade types and launchers which can be incorporated into your strategy. They’re not strictly necessary, but they can give you a quick edge in a fight – such as using an e.m.p grenade to stun a group of enemies. There’s also a basic ‘stealth’ element to Rising, which feels a little out of place. You can instant-kill enemies you sneak up on, but in certain areas you can also use a form of mobile cover (a box or a barrel) to move undetected. It’s a bit silly, but I suppose it’s something of a nod towards the other Metal Gear games more than anything.

There are eight levels in all, although the structuring is a little strange. The opening level serves as a basic tutorial as you’d expect, with the next four being fairly lengthy and varied in terms of environments, enemies and mini-bosses. But the final three levels are all very short, two of which are essentially just boss fights. It does leave the game feeling like it was rushed to completion. Speaking of boss fights though, Rising is a game built around these boss encounters and I’m pleased to say they are all entertaining in their own way.

Whereas many games struggle with the notion of a boss fight, many even abandoning the concept, perhaps feeling it is outdated and unnecessary (and for many titles I’d certainly agree), Rising embraces the tradition of the boss fight wholeheartedly. The game really is a series of boss encounters, each with its own distinct style, strategy and challenge. They are, overall, very well designed. The final boss in particular is excellent, with multiple stages to fight through. It’s one of the few times I’d actually use the word ‘epic’ to describe something, without worrying about sounding like a complete twat.

I must admit though, I wasn’t all that taken with Rising at first. I played through the first couple of levels and I can’t say I was enjoying it all that much. In fact, I found it all rather frustrating. Part of the problem is the ‘tutorial’ level, which is very short and doesn’t really give the player a chance to practice. As a result, I just button-mashed my way through the levels without really understanding the parry system. And understanding the parry system really is key to Rising.

So I quit my game, swallowed my pride, and restarted on easy with the parry assist enabled. I then practised for twenty minutes or so in this mode until I felt I had a good grip on how the system worked. Once I did, I restarted with the assist switched off and suddenly it was like playing an entirely new game. Enemies that I’d had trouble with before were now cut to ribbons in mere seconds. Once you become proficient with the parry mechanic, you almost feel unstoppable.

It was then that I really started to enjoy Rising, zipping about the levels and cutting my enemies to pieces. The more I played, the more familiar I became with the various combos allowing me to juggle and slice my opponents in the air or, my personal favourite – sliding beneath them and cutting them in half from below.

The gameplay of Rising is frantic and fast paced, but button mashing won’t really get you anywhere. Yet as hectic as it can become, with missiles flying all over the screen and explosions rocking the ground, you always feel very much in control. This is because Rising doesn’t needlessly overcomplicate its controls, ensuring the player is free to focus on the action second to second.

In all, it took me about eight hours to complete Rising, but it’s a game with a decent level of replay value in terms of varying difficulty modes, collectibles to find and upgrades to purchase. It also contains a lot of single ‘VR’ missions which serves as a sort of challenge mode. Overall, Metal Gear Rising is an excellent third person action game. I can’t say if it’s an excellent Metal Gear game, but I’m not sure that really matters. Forget the story, forget the name and just revel in the thrilling, bloody, fast paced combat. Recommended.

8/10