Konami may be in a tailspin at the minute what with the imminent departure of long-term developer Hideo Kojima, not to mention internal changeovers and cancellations, but the company’s upcoming sequel, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, remains one of the most anticipated video games of the year.
Set across an arid yet beautiful open-world, The Phantom Pain represents a significant departure from Metal Gear titles of old in that it will drop Big Boss into an expansive environment. Stealth will of course remain a cornerstone of the gameplay, with Konami tweaking many of the systems birthed through last year’s prequel, Ground Zeroes, but it’s a welcome change nonetheless.
These admittedly low-quality screens above focus on our grizzled protagonist as he infiltrates a compound in the middle of the desert, and you can even spot Diamond Dog – a canine trained by Ocelot who assists you on your mission – who features an eyepatch like his battle-worn companion. Much like the trailers released thus far, we even see Solid Snake ride a horse, acting as a means of fast travel across The Phantom Pain‘s sprawling world.
It’s unclear whether Konami will be out in force at E3 2015, though if the company does indeed have a presence on the show floor, you can bet your bottom dollar that the publisher’s offerings will be toplined by Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. Dovetailing the revolutionary series back to the very beginning – 1987’s Metal Gear – the fifth numerical entry represents the end of an era in many ways.
Big Boss will infiltrate PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC when Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain lands on September 1.
