Lost Classics: Snake’s Revenge (NES)

With Metal Gear Solid 4 having hit stores earlier this month, we took a look at Metal Gear Solid: Ghost Babel, which was a Metal Gear game set outside of series continuity. This week’s lost classic will take a look back at another non-canon Metal Gear game. Snake’s Revenge, developed for the NES by Konami under its Ultra Games label, can be considered the red-haired stepchild of the Metal Gear franchise. It was developed without the involvement of series creator Hideo Kojima. After the original Metal Gear was successful in the U.S., Konami commissioned its developers to create a sequel. After meeting one of the developers and being told that Snake’s Revenge wasn’t meant to be a true Metal Gear game, Kojima was inspired to create the true sequel, Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake. Surprisingly, despite hating the NES Metal Gear game, Kojima has stated that he likes Snake’s Revenge, saying that it’s in the spirit of the Metal Gear series. If one gives this game a shot, then it’s easy to see why.

The plot takes place three years after the original Metal Gear. Solid Snake is sent as part of a three-man team on an infiltration mission to stop a new Metal Gear. Before I go any further, I should let you know right now that the plot depicted in the instruction manual is B.S. Much like the original how the NES Metal Gear’s instruction featured a plot that has nothing to do with the game’s events, the instruction booklet for Snake’s Revenge also features a plot inconsistent with the game’s events. According to it, the main villain is called Higharolla Kockamamie, and he intends to build Metal Gear his ‘Ultra-Sheik Nuclear Attack Tank’ using plans he purchased from Big Boss Vernon CaTaffy, who was the villain of the original Metal Gear, well at least according to its instruction book. Rest assured though, the villain of this game is still Big Boss, and he is planning to build Metal Gear and use it to obtain world dominance.

Snake’s Revenge plays like you would expect from Metal Gear. You make your way around the base while trying not to be seen, and you find various weapons and items to help you. Added into the mix are side-scrolling stages where you can duck and jump. You rescue prisoners and interrogate enemy commanders to increase your rank and carrying capacity. The storyline is not as complex as the original Metal Gear or its sequels, but its plot twists put it yards above the storytelling in other games at the time. While Snake’s Revenge may not be a ‘true’ Metal Gear game, it’s every bit as enjoyable as any ‘real’ Metal Gear game. Hopefully it won’t be much longer until this title shows up on the Wii Virtual Console.