Konami has disseminated additional details regarding Metal Gear Solid Delta‘s multi-player, and gaming community could not express their excitement stronger in regard to stealth actions. The first video in the FOX HUNT Introduction Series which is going to show off the AT Camo mechanic that will be a great change in your game was posted by the official Metal Gear account.
Let’s speak about FOX HUNT. Your best friend in this mode is almost the “Hide” action. When you trigger it, your avatar gets camouflage and becomes indistinguishable from the background. You can come to that limit of analogy where a box is your hiding place and you are no more than a faded image. The idea is to allow the enemies to go past you without being aware of your presence, or possibly to set a perfect trap when they are at their least suspicious. It is the classical Metal Gear stealth technique, but in the multiplayer mode, it is a little crazy sounding to be honest.
On the other hand, there is a segment of players who are not fully convinced that this technique is going to be as smooth as the developer anticipates. One of the gamers with the handle BXZZA_ highlighted some of the issues by saying, “You’d need to have like zero situational awareness to not see the human shape the camo takes every single time” and “not see the camo literally breathing.” He suggested just to bring back the “Sneaking” Game Mode from MGO2 instead of what he sees as unnecessarily complicating things.
To say that the community’s response has been…mixed would be an understatement. Among players, there is a group who is really looking forward to the new mode. xMBGx even tweeted “I’m pretty excited for this. Curious how different it feels compared to previous Metal Gear multiplayer experiences.” Another player, LastChalice, expressed his astonishment with a phrase “This looks… awesome? MGS3 Delta turned out kind of exactly how we’d all hoped.”
In contrast with this, there are players who use the reveal as a chance to confess their dissatisfaction with the overall support that Konami is giving to the Metal Gear franchise. For example, TylerGeeezzz contacted performance issues, stating, “I really wish Konami would allow any kind of performance patches for their games. It seems like they mostly abandon them after launch unless they can make money.”
Moreover, performance issues kept coming up. Goji-Kun was very straightforward when he said, “Please update the game to 120fps on PC!” while Warriorx82 was demanding “how about we get an announcement for are you even working on the bad fps drop on base ps5 & ps5 pro.” It appears that players want all the technical matters clarified before they get involved in new multiplayer modes.
What is even more interesting is the number of players who are drawing parallels between the present situation and the past experiences with Metal Gear Online. The nostalgia for MGO2 is so strong that it can be difficult to ignore it, as shown by the countless comments referring to the older multiplayer mode. zxSOLIDxSNAKEzx conveyed his feelings very dramatically, “People want METAL GEAR ONLINE!” which pretty much sums up the sentiment of many die-hard fans.
There was a lively debate and even a bit of an argument when players started to compare the pros and cons of different Metal Gear multiplayer modes. guwno90 complained that “MGSV’s online is still up and no one is playing it,” while zxSOLIDxSNAKEzx countered with “Guess you weren’t around when MGO2 was online. Stay in your MGSV lane, pal.” The multiplayer wars are fierce even among the factions of the same franchise.
Also, there are concerns regarding the mode’s lifespan among some players. Pr0riku commented, “Believe me, this mechanic may work or fool people once or twice, but that’ll be it” besides they were also worried about promotion that was saying, “You need to promote this properly, otherwise, it will fail and MGO (which is what we actually want) will never see the light. COME ON!”
Similarly, there is the issue of accessibility. FearPainLoss wished, “Would be nice if the multiplayer was standalone” meaning that it would not be necessary to buy the full game just to play online. And naven0m conveyed the simple but very effective message “No crossplay no play” which, let’s be honest, is the mindset of a lot of players when it comes to multiplayer games nowadays.
Nevertheless, the criticism and suggestions did not dissuade some players from expressing their gratitude for having received some communication from the official account. YeaImSnake went as far as tweeting “They woke up!!” which really captures the feeling you get when a game company finally shares some info after being silent for a long time.
This whole issue highlights the current state of affairs with regard to the Metal Gear series. On one hand, players are very excited about getting new content, but at the same time, they are bringing along years of frustration with them, in regard to the franchise handling after Kojima’s departure. The FOX HUNT mode presents a great opportunity, with its classic Metal Gear stealth translated into multiplayer gameplay, yet it remains a question whether it will be accepted by the players who have been waiting for a proper Metal Gear Online experience for so long.
Konami is adopting a very careful strategy, i.e., putting forward new multiplayer concepts while at the same time managing players’ expectations that have been built up over decades of Metal Gear history. The AT Camo mechanic could become very captivating if it is done right, allowing gamers to do those classic stealth things with real human opponents instead of just AI. However, they will need to sort out the technical issues and address players’ concerns if they wish the mode to be successful.
But, it is still a matter of different ideas within the multiplayer realm coming from Metal Gear that counts for something. Whether FOX HUNT will be the next big thing or just another forgotten multiplayer mode is really in the hands of Konami in terms of player feedback management and game post-launch support.
For now, players will continue to watch, wait, and probably complain to some extent too, because that is precisely what Metal Gear fans excel at. The game is also available on PlayStation and Xbox platforms.
