Metal Gear, Reborn from the Flames

Leaving the Phantasy Star development team, Nakayama Takuya headed straight for another area, where Hideo Kojima had set up his team.

The location of the Metal Gear development team.

Takuya remembered the game that Konami released last year.

After Hideo Kojima left Konami, Konami eventually picked up the projects Hideo Kojima left behind, but the finished products were completely unrecognizable.

The stealth game that was once called Metal Gear was drastically changed into a pure action shooter, and the plot was simplified into a shallow revenge story. It was renamed Metal Armed and hastily released on the Famicom platform.

Sales were neither good nor bad; compared to Konami's illustrious record in the FC market, it could even be described as somewhat mediocre.

But these moderate sales figures actually became the best cover-up.

It neither caused a huge market stir, nor did it cause Konami to lose its initial enthusiasm for the game, but it also legally gave Hideo Kojima an excellent opportunity to revive his Metal Gear.

With Takuya's full support, Hideo Kojima quickly assembled his own development team.

He reworked and optimized the development proposal that had been criticized as worthless.

He adjusted many game mechanics, making the game world more than just monotonous stealth.

Stealth remains the core tactic, but there are many more ways to subdue the enemy.

Close-quarters combat, flexible switching between various weapons, and using environmental props to create obstacles.

This version of Metal Gear is more elaborate and aggressive than the original.

The controls, originally designed for the MSX2, have been cleverly adjusted to better suit the characteristics of the MD controller.

More importantly, thanks to the enhanced capabilities of the MD, the expressiveness of cutscenes has been improved like never before.

Takuya pushed open the door to the Metal Gear development team's office, and a completely different atmosphere rushed towards him.

There was no noise here, only an almost frozen focus.

Under the fairly bright lights, only the monitors emitted a faint glow, highlighting the faces of those who were completely absorbed in their work.

His gaze quickly locked onto the most focused figure in the corner.

Hideo Kojima was wearing a pair of enormous headphones, completely isolating himself from the outside world.

He leaned slightly forward, his fingers moving quickly and precisely on the handle.

On the screen, a fierce boss battle is unfolding.

A massive bipedal walking weapon, codenamed "TX-55," was spewing dense tongues of fire from its Vulcan cannon, pinning the protagonist Snake down behind a row of concrete bunkers. Snake seized a moment when the cannon misfired, bursting out of the bunker, but instead of firing, he quickly planted a C4 bomb on the ground and rolled to the other side.

The infantry weapon turned its turret and was about to lock on when Snake calmly picked up an object from the nearby cover and threw it forcefully into the open space in the distance.

"Clatter."

The weapon's sound field sensors were immediately attracted by the sound, repositioned itself around the target, and clumsily turned towards the direction the object had landed. Now!

Hideo Kojima's character detonates the explosives almost simultaneously. With a roar, the blast wave overturns an oil drum at the foot of the infantry weapon, and the impact of the chain reaction explosion causes the massive weapon to briefly freeze. Snake seizes the opportunity and, using the rocket launcher he has switched to, accurately fires a shell at the weakest point of the exposed cockpit's top armor.

The battle is over.

Takuya walked behind him and quietly watched the whole thing, only two words remaining in his mind: genius.

Hideo Kojima finally let out a long sigh of relief, took off his headphones, but there was no excitement in his eyes. He frowned, grabbed the notebook on the table, and was about to write something when he turned his chair and finally noticed Takuya standing in the doorway.

"Special Secretary Nakayama."

"Please continue. Did you discover something wrong just now?"

Takuya waved his hand, smiled, and walked over, indicating that he didn't need to be reserved and could continue his work. He then pulled up a chair and sat down.

"Something's not right." Hideo Kojima said without looking up. "There's about a 0.2-second delay between detonating the bomb and its moment of vulnerability; the visuals look too fake. Also, the attraction detection range for thrown objects needs to be changed. If a player throws something slightly off-target, they'll be completely stuck."

"You seemed to be playing quite smoothly just now, didn't you?"

"That's from the developer's perspective. I know what to do." Hideo Kojima finally raised his head, his eyes filled with an undeniable determination. "Players don't know. I want players to discover it for themselves, not rely on luck. Our game cannot have any shoddy workmanship; it absolutely cannot become that Konami knock-off that only knows how to shoot."

He mentioned the game called "Metal Armed," his disdain undisguised.

Takuya smiled and patted him on the shoulder. "Then revise it, revise it until you're satisfied. No need to rush, our situation is pretty good right now."

Hideo Kojima paused for a moment, then smiled—a relaxed smile that came from finding a kindred spirit.

"Oh, right, I have another idea. I'd like to add a radio system to the game, where different frequencies can connect to different support characters who will provide players with tactical advice, and even—discuss the game's world and backstory."

Takuya's eye twitched slightly. This requires a high level of skill in scriptwriting.

"Would players enjoy listening to people talk nonsense?"

"Yes, they will." Hideo Kojima's eyes lit up again. "As long as the story is good enough, they'll fall in love with every character and even be willing to stop and listen for half an hour."

Seeing his expression, Takuya knew he would have to extend the project's timeline again. But he simply nodded.

"Okay, you just do it. Leave the rest to me."

"How's the overall progress?" Takuya's gaze fell on the screen that had just turned off the final boss battle scene.

Hideo Kojima's eyes gleamed with barely suppressed excitement, a stark contrast to the repressed young man he was at Konami.

He pointed at the screen, as if showing off his most beloved creation.

"Very smoothly, Executive Director."

He handed a progress report to Takuya.

"I'll add those adjustments to the final boss battle test, and that should be about it. All the core mechanics have been implemented and optimized."

He paused, his tone full of confidence.

"The capabilities of the MD allowed me to realize many ideas that were impossible on the MSX2, including the current Metal Gear."

It's even more perfect than I initially imagined.

"Based on the current progress, aside from the radio system I just mentioned, we'll soon be able to enter the final comprehensive testing and bug fixing phase for the other parts. The radio system mainly involves script polishing, so there shouldn't be any major technical issues. We expect it to be officially launched and available for sale in late April."

Takuya nodded, his eyes filled with complete trust.

He had no doubt about Hideo Kojima's abilities.

He glanced through the report and then looked at the test version, focusing on the graphics, controls, and depth of gameplay.

They are undoubtedly among the top-tier console games available today.

Hideo Kojima did not disappoint him; in fact, he did even better.

Everything is exactly as Hideo Kojima described.

He nodded, a satisfied look on his face.

"Very good."

Takuya means simply.

"I have 100% confidence in you and your team."

Takuya stood up without saying anything more.

For a genius like Hideo Kojima, too much interference is actually a constraint.

For Hideo Kojima at this moment, any extra praise would seem inadequate; this complete trust was the best reward.

He simply patted Hideo Kojima on the shoulder and then turned and walked towards the door.

Hideo Kojima watched Takuya's departing figure, a surge of warmth welling up inside him.

"Special Manager--"

Hideo Kojima hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped.

Takuya stopped and turned to look at him.

"Thank you."

Hideo Kojima bowed deeply.

This bow was not only for the job, but also for the dream that was being saved.

Takuya smiled, said nothing more, waved his hand, and turned to leave the office.