Kojima Reveals the One Metal Gear Plot Twist He Wishes He Could Undo Forever

As a dedicated follower of Hideo Kojima, the genius mind behind the Metal Gear series and a true visionary in the gaming world, it’s unusual to hear him express any regrets about his work. However, there are moments when he admits feeling remorse about certain aspects of Metal Gear Solid’s intricate plot, particularly one pivotal point that would have been beautifully resolved if circumstances had allowed. Unfortunately, due to the twists and turns of fate, Kojima won’t get another chance to tie up this loose end.

Kojima is renowned for a multitude of achievements, including pioneering the stealth genre with the original Metal Gear, inventing the Strand-type game with Death Stranding, and the upcoming sequel to it. He’s also famous for his detailed and lengthy posts on X (formerly Twitter).

Typically, Kojima shares posts on social media about movies he watched, meals at Kojima Productions, or celebrities he included in Death Stranding 2. Sometimes, however, he shares thoughts and reflections on his own work and creative process. While these types of posts have become less common over time, they once provided some of the most intriguing glimpses into his thought processes. These discussions weren’t always positive; from time to time, Kojima reconsidered his own creative choices and found them wanting, including in one uncovered post where he reflected on Solid Snake himself.

Hideo Kojima “Regrets” Making Solid Snake A Clone

Bad For Continuity

Through a set of three tweets initially posted in 2014 (repeated here by Metal Gear Informer), Kojima confessed that, given another chance to initiate the series anew, he wouldn’t make Solid Snake a clone of Big Boss. He expressed this sentiment as follows:

1. If I could redo the series from scratch, I would probably approach it differently regarding Solid Snake and Big Boss.
2. In hindsight, I think it might have been more interesting to present their relationship in a different manner.
3. The idea of Big Boss being Solid Snake’s father was intriguing, but I feel there could have been other ways to explore their connection without them sharing the same genetic makeup.

Regarding MGS, I usually approach it such that each instance feels like the final one, thus I seldom plan ahead. If I did plan ahead, I might not have designed the protagonist as a clone or crafted an ending that’s challenging to proceed from.

Essentially, Kojima crafts each game in his series as if it were the final installment, without planning for a follow-up. This has its advantages – the games often stand alone well and don’t need additional content to complete their narratives. However, when they do become successful and are considered for sequels, it becomes challenging to further develop their stories without losing the original impact.

According to Kojima, if he had foreseen the creation of “Metal Gear Solid 2,” “3,” “4,” “V,” “Portable Ops,” and “Peace Walker,” he admits that he might not have made Snake a clone. Moreover, he probably wouldn’t have eliminated Liquid Snake so swiftly, as he eventually became a beloved character among fans. He adds that this kind of “retroactive plotting” is particularly challenging with the Metal Gear Solid series because its habit of moving between different time periods requires him to carefully evaluate each decision’s effects on both past and future events.

Reflecting on it now, it’s difficult to envision a Metal Gear without Snake being a clone. Over time, this concept has developed into a central theme throughout the series, with each installment exploring various aspects of The Boss’ legacy and different factions trying to redefine it. However, as the story progressed, Kojima employed an intriguing narrative technique to revise questionable plot points, and it would have been fascinating to see how he might have applied this method to Snake’s possible past – unfortunately, that opportunity was never realized.

Kojima Never Got The Full Metal Gear Retcon He Wanted

Metal Gear Ended Abruptly

In 2014, these Tweets were shared, roughly a year before the launch of Metal Gear Solid V. Despite some opinions about its overall narrative, the game does something intriguing in its closing chapters: The events of MGSV reshape every subsequent appearance of Big Boss, implying that the genuine Big Boss vanished following Paz’s demise. What follows is known as Venom Snake, who was essentially a bystander who underwent a transformation via plastic surgery and hypnosis into a stand-in for Big Boss.

The surprise at the last moment was fantastic, although not everyone’s favorite ending. However, it effectively emphasized the game’s key messages. Moreover, it demonstrated Kojima’s bravery in discarding certain plot points that no longer fit the Metal Gear narrative – in other words, rewriting parts of the storyline to better align with the broader Metal Gear saga. It makes me wonder what other changes he might have made, such as altering Snake’s clone status or other aspects, had he remained in charge. Regrettably, those ideas never materialized.

This situation arises due to the fact that Kojima parted ways with Konami under less than ideal circumstances, almost straight after the launch of Metal Gear Solid V. Despite the conclusion being positive, as Kojima went on to establish his own studio and produce games according to his own wishes, it seems we may have missed out on a significant amount of Metal Gear content – not forgetting Silent Hills, but let’s save that for another discussion. Regrettably, due to these events, Kojima never truly had the chance to rewrite Snake’s narrative in the manner he preferred, and with Metal Gear now under Konami’s control, it appears such an opportunity will never materialize.

Kojima May Try To Make Up For His Metal Gear Regrets In Other Ways

How DS2 & Physint Could Compensate

Even if Hideo Kojima won’t have another opportunity to create a Metal Gear game, he might make up for not altering Snake’s origins in his future projects. For instance, we’ve observed Luca Marinelli, an actor Kojima once suggested as ideal for Solid Snake in a theoretical MGS movie, portraying a character resembling Snake in Death Stranding 2. This character could potentially be the Snake that Kojima would create if given another chance to start over.

Hideo Kojima’s upcoming game, potentially titled Physint, may offer a chance to delve into unrealized potential and storylines from the Metal Gear series that were not fully exploited. However, at this stage, we know as little about Physint as we do about Death Stranding 2. From Hideo Kojima’s recent appearances, it seems that Physint is still a few years down the line. It looks like we’ll have to wait quite a while before we learn more about this project.

Despite the sudden conclusion of the Metal Gear series and Hideo Kojima’s inability to fully resolve or reinterpret Snake’s narrative as originally intended, it’s undeniably disheartening. It seems unlikely that we’ll ever experience another Kojima-led Metal Gear game, but on a positive note, we can find solace in the fact that he has learned from his past misgivings and will likely apply those lessons to his future projects.

2025-05-24 18:18