NES Action Stealth 1987

Metal Gear

Reviewed by Marcus Webb & Elena Castillo · Updated June 2025

Konami's 1987 NES stealth action game and the beginning of one of gaming's most influential franchises — Metal Gear follows Solid Snake infiltrating the Outer Heaven fortress to destroy the walking battle tank Metal Gear, using stealth and radio communications to complete the mission without being detected.

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💡 Metal Gear — Key Facts

→ Metal Gear was developed by Konami and published by Ultra Games
→ Released in 1987 on NES
→ Genre: Action, Stealth
→ We rate it 8.2/10 — highly recommended
→ Konami's 1987 NES stealth action game and the beginning of one of gaming's most influential franchises — Metal Gear follows Solid Snake infiltrating the Outer Heaven fortress to destroy the walking battle tank Metal Gear, using stealth and radio communications to complete the mission without being detected.

Overview

Solid Snake enters Outer Heaven. He has a radio, a tranquilizer gun, and the instruction to avoid detection.

Metal Gear was Hideo Kojima’s first credited game. It was also the birth of stealth as a primary game mechanic.

The Concept

Most action games in 1987 rewarded aggression. Run, shoot, defeat. Metal Gear’s central idea was opposite: don’t be seen. The enemies with vision cones who couldn’t detect Snake behind them were a different kind of obstacle than a character who could be fought. They had to be managed — position understood, movement timed, avoidance prioritized over confrontation.

The alert system made being seen consequential. When a guard spotted Snake, the alarm brought more guards, more hostility, more pressure. The correct response to detection was to hide and wait — patient survival rather than reactive combat. The patience required was different from the reflexes action games asked for.

The Radio

Colonel Roy Campbell’s voice through the radio codec frequency — the concept of mission briefings delivered in-game through communication channels — originated here. Later games would formalize this into extended philosophical dialogues, fourth-wall breaks, and character development. The 1987 version established the structure: mission, contact, information exchanged over the line.

The Franchise Origin

Every Metal Gear game after this one — Solid Snake, Big Boss, walking battle tanks, nuclear deterrence as plot engine, Hideo Kojima’s specific narrative style — traces back to the 1987 Outer Heaven mission.

The franchise that Metal Gear Solid would make famous in 1998 started with a top-down infiltration game on a home computer in Japan, adapted for a different audience on a cartridge with a different developer changing the levels.

Both the origin and the adaptation were imperfect in various ways. Both were Metal Gear.

Our Review

8.2

Excellent / 10

🎮

Gameplay

★★★★★

🎨

Graphics

★★★★★

🎵

Audio

★★★★★

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Replay

★★★★★

Gameplay

Metal Gear is a top-down stealth action game where Solid Snake infiltrates the Outer Heaven military base across multiple floors. The core mechanic is stealth navigation — enemies have vision cones; being spotted triggers an alert that brings additional soldiers until Snake hides and the alert level drops. Snake collects weapons, equipment, and rations through the base while following radio mission briefings from his commanding officer. The game is divided into two missions: rescuing POWs and ultimately finding and destroying the Metal Gear weapon. Combat is available but alerting enemies makes progress harder. The game introduced the stealth gameplay paradigm that Metal Gear Solid (1998) would perfect.

Graphics

Metal Gear's NES top-down visuals present the Outer Heaven fortress through functional overhead perspective — soldiers, vision cones, and Snake's movement are clearly readable. The overhead perspective serves the stealth design.

Audio

Metal Gear's NES soundtrack provides appropriate military tension — the alert theme is immediately recognizable and creates urgency when triggered. The infiltration music establishes covert operation atmosphere.

Replayability

Two missions of stealth infiltration provide the primary content. Radio frequency collection and optional ration pickups add exploration dimension.

Historical Significance

Metal Gear (1987 MSX2; NES version same year) is the creation of Hideo Kojima and the origin of the Metal Gear franchise that became one of gaming's most critically acclaimed series. The NES version differs from the MSX2 original in level design and some content, making it a parallel version rather than a direct port. Metal Gear introduced stealth as a primary game mechanic rather than an optional approach — predating Thief, Splinter Cell, and the series' own later masterwork Metal Gear Solid. Solid Snake, Big Boss, and the Metal Gear walking battle tank concept originated here. The franchise would continue through Metal Gear 2, MGS1-5, and beyond.

✅ Pros

+ Origin of stealth gaming as a primary genre mechanic
+ Solid Snake and Metal Gear franchise origin
+ Radio communication system for storytelling within gameplay
+ Alert system creates genuine tension when spotted
+ Hideo Kojima's debut design establishing his narrative style

❌ Cons

- NES version has design differences from MSX2 original
- Some radio frequency hunting requires trial and error
- No in-game map — requires manual mapping or external reference
- Alert evasion requires patience that can frustrate action-oriented players

Also Known As

Metal Gear NESMetal Gear 1メタルギア

Metal Gear FAQ

How does the NES Metal Gear differ from the MSX2 original?

Metal Gear was designed by Hideo Kojima for the MSX2 home computer in Japan in 1987. The NES version, released the same year, was adapted by a different team without Kojima's direct involvement, resulting in significant differences. Level layouts are substantially different between versions — the NES version has redesigned maps that are generally considered inferior to the MSX2 original's design. Some content was added or changed. The MSX2 version has two buildings (with movement between them as a core structure) while the NES version restructures this significantly. Kojima has historically indicated preference for the MSX2 original. The NES version was most accessible to Western players and is the version many franchise fans encountered first before later re-releases made MSX2 content available.

How does Metal Gear's alert system work?

Metal Gear's alert system is the stealth genre's earliest implementation of the detection-and-response mechanic. Enemy soldiers have vision cones indicated in the game — they see forward and at angles, but not behind them or at their sides. Entering a soldier's vision cone triggers an alert state: an alarm sounds, additional soldiers appear and actively pursue Snake. Snake must hide — typically by leaving the room or reaching a safe location — and wait for the alert timer to expire and enemy response to stand down. Once the alert clears, Snake can continue. Being detected repeatedly increases difficulty as soldiers become more aggressive. The original Metal Gear's alert system established the template that Metal Gear Solid would refine with three alert states (Alert, Evasion, Caution) and visual alert indicators.

Who is Solid Snake and what is Metal Gear?

Solid Snake is the player character — a covert operative for FOXHOUND special operations unit, sent to infiltrate the Outer Heaven fortress on a solo mission. His codename and character archetype (the lone infiltrator) originated in this 1987 game. Big Boss is Snake's commanding officer through radio communications — a character whose relationship with Snake becomes the franchise's central dramatic irony, revealed in subsequent games. Metal Gear is the walking nuclear-armed battle tank that gives the franchise its name — a bipedal weapons platform capable of launching nuclear missiles from any terrain. Destroying Metal Gear is the ultimate mission objective. The concept of the walking nuclear platform as antagonist object became the franchise's recurring MacGuffin, with each game featuring a new Metal Gear variant.

Is the original Metal Gear available on modern platforms?

Metal Gear (NES version) is available through Nintendo Switch Online's NES library. The MSX2 original, considered the definitive version, was included in Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence (2006) as a bonus alongside the original Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake MSX2 game — these are the versions Hideo Kojima considers canonical. Metal Gear Solid: The Master Collection Vol. 1 (PS4/PS5/Xbox/Switch/PC, 2023) includes the MSX2 versions of Metal Gear 1 and Metal Gear 2 alongside MGS1-3, providing the most comprehensive modern access. The NES version through Switch Online provides the version Western players originally experienced.