Konami’s Blisteringly Intense, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, Slices Through SHIELD

When it comes to stealth games the undisputed champion is the Konami’s revered Metal Gear franchise. Over the course of its 18-year history, the series has seen the release of more than 20 games and spin-offs and sold in excess of 47 million copies.

Until now the emphasis of the gameplay has, loosely speaking, been on stealth, with the game’s protagonist creeping around undetected while occasionally getting involved in a bit of close-up combat. This slower paced action has been punctuated by occasional cutscenes that develop the storyline.

Now, with the release of Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, this formula has been turned on its head. Here, it’s all about the combat and it’s delivered in glorious cinematic style leveraging the SHIELD Android TV’s Tegra X1 technology to spectacular effect.

Revengeance is set four years after the events seen in Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots and centers on the battle between two private military companies called the Maverick Securities and the Desperados. The main protagonist is Raiden, whose transformation from human to cyborg warrior that began in MGS4, is now complete.

Raiden’s main weapon of choice is his katana, a high-frequency blade that can cut effortlessly through pretty much anything and it’s this that plays a major part in the game’s core combat-based gameplay. As well as indulging in some intricate swordplay, players can also switch into blade mode and that’s when things get interesting and completely insane. In blade mode, you enter a slow motion phase during which you can specify multiple slash attacks in several directions after which your frenzied attack plays out in real time and your opponent can be seen collapsing to the ground, completely dismembered. It would be pretty gruesome if it weren’t executed in such a fantastically stylized way. It’s not just for show though. By using blade mode you can seek out an enemy’s weak spots or target their weapons and chop them off to remove the threat. In this way Raiden can gain bonus energy, weapons and ammunition by collecting parts from his enemies.

Blade mode can also be used to destroy objects and scenery elements in order to clear your route through a level or more strategically to take away an enemy’s cover. As well as his sword, Raiden also has access to more conventional weapons such as knives and firearms which can be unlocked by defeating the game’s bosses.

It’s incredibly kinetic and thrilling, but fans of the more traditional Metal Gear games will also find something here to satisfy them. Raiden can enter stealth mode during which his increased speed enables him to approach and take out enemies without the need for any messy melee combat. Players can also get Raiden to creep around inside a cardboard box to avoid detection, a feature that, if you’re a long time follower of Metal Gear, will fill you with joy.

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance has been optimized to look and play great on NVIDIA SHIELD Android TV and the result is a mind-blowing, riotous excess of sound, color and cartoonish over the top brutality. In other words, it’s unmissable. Download Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance on SHIELD Android TV now for the special launch price of $14.99.