We quickly downloaded it, and were pretty happy with our initial impressions. However, this morning the honeymoon is over and I’ve really been struggling to come up with the best way to review this game. So to start, let’s just ignore the price tag and look at Metal Gear Solid Touch the game.
While writing about my first impressions of the game, I discussed the controls in depth, and I’m happy to say they held up well throughout the entire campaign. Sliding your finger around to target, tapping to shoot, using the standard pinching gestures to switch between weapons and taking your finger off the screen to go back in to cover works great. Unlike a lot of iPhone games, you never feel like you’re being limited by the controls, even during frantic battles that require lots of switching between weapons.
In addition to your two standard weapons, you also can pick up a cloaking device that makes you invincible for a short period of time or a rocket launcher by shooting small green frogs that appear. Meanwhile, yellow ducks also randomly show up which you can shoot to regain health. Another method of healing yourself, which I feel does nothing but contribute to trivializing a game that is already pretty easy, is just staying behind cover. Health slowly regains over time, and as long as you’re not attempting any speed runs, you can cheese your way through any level by just hiding long enough to heal completely. Supposedly, the barrier providing your cover will eventually break with enough damage, but after playing through the whole game I never saw this happen.
The loading screen of each level is accompanied by a short narrative in an attempt to create some kind of plot for the game. Part of what has made the Metal Gear series what it is today is character development, plot twists, and generally speaking, really good story telling. The “plot” of Metal Gear Solid Touch reads like mediocre fan fiction, and I’m really at a loss as to why they didn’t try to drive the story with Metal Gear Acid-like character conversations, interactive cut scenes, voice overs, or something other than just a blob of text.
I think it’s about time we come back to reality and address what you get for your $7.99. Metal Gear Solid Touch comes loaded with 12 levels (two of which are simple boss fights), with an additional 8 promised through a future update. On a whim, I took a screenshot of every mission completion screen and added up the time each level took to complete. I played through the entire game from start to finish in only 21 minutes and 45 seconds.
I don’t really consider myself to be any more skilled than the average gamer, and other forum members have also reported beating the game in under a half hour. I find this unacceptable for a $7.99 title. Metal Gear Solid Touch carries a premium price in the App Store market, but the only “premium” feature it seems to include is the Metal Gear brand name. Beating the game once does unlock a special “survival” mode where your time, life, and other stats are carried over from level to level. While this will help replay value, it doesn’t justify the price point when you’re paying roughly 30 to 40 cents per game play minute for a bit of Metal Gear fan service.
Gameplay video:
REVIEW BY TOUCH ARCADE
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METAL GEAR SOLID TOUCH (US) 2.3.0 (.ipa) - 248.5 MB
METAL GEAR SOLID TOUCH (US) 2.3.0 (.ipa) - 248.5 MB
METAL GEAR SOLID TOUCH (US) 2.3.0 (.ipa) - 248.5 MB