Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
Naked Snake // The Boss // Revolver Ocelot
MISSION BRIEFING
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater is a 2004 action-adventure stealth game developed and published by Konami for the PlayStation 2. Directed by Hideo Kojima, the game serves as a prequel to the entire Metal Gear Solid series, set during the height of the Cold War in 1964. Players assume the role of Naked Snake, a CIA operative tasked with infiltrating the Soviet Union to rescue a defecting scientist, Nikolai Sokolov, and destroy a new prototype weapon—the Shagohod. The mission soon escalates into a dramatic confrontation with the Cobra Unit, an elite special forces team led by Snake's own mentor, The Boss. The game is renowned for its cinematic storytelling, innovative camouflage mechanics, and emotionally devastating narrative that redefined the franchise's lore. It introduced the survival element of food consumption and wound treatment, and featured one of gaming's most memorable boss fights against The End.
SUMMARY
Set in 1964 during the Cold War, Snake Eater follows Naked Snake's mission to Tselinoyarsk, USSR, to neutralize a rogue Soviet weapons program. After a failed initial attempt results in The Boss's apparent defection, Snake must re-infiltate Soviet territory to rescue Sokolov, eliminate The Boss, and destroy the Shagohod. The mission forces Snake to confront not only the Cobra Unit's legendary soldiers but also his own ideological foundations. The game culminates in a tragic climax that reshapes the entire Metal Gear timeline, establishing the origin of Big Boss and setting the stage for decades of conflict.
Also available in Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1