Kojima’s Hidden Message in Ground Zeroes
Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes is far more than a simple prequel
Metal Gear Solid: Ground Zeroes was announced in the summer of 2012 by Hideo Kojima on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Metal Gear series. Kojima said that Ground Zeroes was going to be a prelude to another Metal Gear Solid game in the making, which he later announced as The Phantom Pain.
In the spring of 2014, Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes was released. Then came the surprise: you can complete the main story in about 20 minutes. Of course, there were side quests, there were things to discover, and there were many alternative ways to replay the main mission. Despite being a prequel, Ground Zeroes arguably doesn’t reveal much about the core narrative in Metal Gear Solid V. It’s less a prequel and more an appetizer.
Kojima, Konami, and The Phantom Pain
You feel it too, don’t you?
On September 1, 2015, The Phantom Pain was released. It is, in my opinion, the best open-world stealth game ever made. But in terms of elaboration and story, it lags far behind previous Metal Gear games. And one of the main reasons for this was the deteriorating relationship between Hideo Kojima and Konami.
It is important to note that we don’t know the exact details. One thing is for sure: Kojima still wanted to work on the game, and Konami wanted to see revenue for the work already invested. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain is, therefore, an unfinished game.
Deleted features, unfinished episodes, and missed opportunities — this is what characterizes The Phantom Pain the most.
Konami and Kojima’s deteriorating relationship was well known before the release of The Phantom Pain. One sign of this was that Konami removed the name of Hideo Kojima and the logo of Kojima Productions from the cover of the upcoming game. Moreover, the iconic “A Hideo Kojima game” title has disappeared from the cover of Ground Zeroes and The Legacy Collection.
But what if Hideo Kojima knew in advance what was going to happen?
The importance of Deja Vu
In the side mission called “Deja Vu,” the player must search for the logos of the Metal Gear games and then erase them with a special blue light. The goal is to aim at the Metal Gear logos, and they’ll disappear.
Or not.
To be clear, the logos for Metal Gear games directed by Hideo Kojima will disappear if you’re aiming at them with your light.. While nothing happens if you’re trying to clear MGS games like Metal Gear Solid: Touch, Metal Gear: Arcade, or Metal Gear AC!D 2. These titles have nothing to do with Kojima, as these were side projects in the MGS series.
Interesting, isn’t it? But it’s not over yet. At the end of Deja Vu, the player must erase the last main game, Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker. After that, we hear some interesting and mysterious messages through the radio.
Miller:
Psycho Mantis:
And finally, Kojima:
What was Kojima trying to say?
Metal Gear Solid V was Kojima’s farewell. Not just from the series, but from us, from the players and the fans. When Ground Zeroes came out in the spring of 2014, no one knew anything about the quarrel between Konami and Kojima.
When we hear Miller’s message, it seems as if Kojima is sending a message to fans and Konami at the same time. He says to the fans, that no matter what happens (what Konami will do with the Metal Gear series), we, the players, will remember everything and carry on the legacy.
Because we followed Kojima all the way, we played all the games, we live and breathe Metal Gear Solid.
And at the same time, he speaks to Konami: you can erase my name from the games, but people will remember.
Another interpretation could be considering the big plot twist of The Phantom Pain. Thus, Deja Vu was the forerunner of Kojima’s will and message on which the entire Metal Gear Solid V concept was built.
That’s one of the reasons why Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes is more than a simple prequel. Many people still refer to the game as a paid demo. This is true when you look at how the main story itself can be played through in 20 minutes. But at the same time, that’s not true because there’s one thing no one is talking about: its freedom.
You decide how you accomplish the tasks. You can run through the half course and complete the quest in as little as 10 minutes. You can be Rambo and raid Camp Omega, embarking on a big escape. But you can also be a tactician, explore the terrain, and much else besides.
I am planning to continue exploring Ground Zeroes in future pieces; please look forward to them.
