Metal Gear Solid 2: The Price of Freedom is the Decisions You Make

It’s been exactly 23 years since Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty was released… It was a production that turned the gaming world upside down and divided both editors and players into two. It would satisfy the expectations of the players who had been waiting for the return of Solid Snake for three years and would explain to us the incredible ending of Metal Gear Solid.

Really, why did Ocelot talk to the American president? Didn’t we, the good guys, defeat the bad guys? The players’ minds searched for answers to these questions for three years. But what we didn’t know was that Hideo Kojima had different surprises for us.

Subverting Expectations

Undoubtedly, the greatest work Hideo Kojima has achieved is the unexpected endings and story twists you don’t see coming. Our director, who has made twists and turns his signature, catches you at such a moment at the end of the story you follow with excitement that you cannot understand what is going on.

You suddenly feel deceived. But you will leave the game’s ending screen feeling just as satisfied. At the same time, you cannot be angry because this satisfaction is based on a logical basis…

However, Hideo Kojima uses this tactic, which has become his signature, in Sons of Liberty, not at the end of the story, but at the beginning.

Sons of Liberty begins to bring its heavy fists down on you at the very beginning of the game. A new Metal Gear, Liquid taking over Ocelot’s body, Solid Snake’s death, and you are being destroyed by blows one after another.

But wait, this is nothing yet. The real shocking truth that Kojima has in store for you will embrace you. Raiden instead of Snake, fake instead of real, captivity instead of freedom. Subverting expectations is the greatest thing Kojima has done.

So Why Raiden?

We know Snake and we know him. A legendary soldier who is cool, charismatic, and confident enough to tackle any mission. But Raiden… Raiden is an empty, dull soldier trying to prove himself to life and his superiors.

Just like those of us at the controller. We are all searching for the purpose of our lives. We try to find this in work, in love, and in various places. But of course, this is not the only reason why Raiden was chosen. Raiden is one of us. As a matter of fact, he shows this towards the end of the game.

Kojima, of course, manages to maintain Snake’s weight while making this surprise. Snake, who appears especially after a point in the game, is honored by Kojima. Just like Dante facing Nero. Although not being able to play Snake is difficult for the actor at first, we find ourselves appreciating Raiden towards the end when we think about what we have achieved with Raiden.

Your Decisions Shape Your Life

The main philosophical questions asked by Sons of Liberty are control, freedom, decision and life. To what extent do the decisions you make control your life?

Do you make these decisions or does someone else decide for you? We all witness our family, friends and loved ones making decisions for us at certain stages of our lives. If we go even further, state mechanisms make these decisions for us. While Sons of Liberty questions those who make these decisions, they use Raiden to question us.

Raiden is a soldier who does whatever he is told and does not undergo unnecessary interrogation. All orders from the Colonel and Rose throughout the mission cloud Raiden’s decision-making. When carrying out these orders, Raiden puts his own free will aside and just does what he is told.

In fact, as players, we follow Raiden’s orders, not the decisions he makes. We are controlled by those who control Raiden. However, when Raiden starts to understand things, we stop being deceived and start making our own decisions.

Sons of Liberty

Is it only the decisions we make that lead us to freedom, or is freedom the ability of someone to control us? Sons of Liberty asks us this with its villain Solidus Snake. Solidus, who was made the American president at a young age when the Patriots made decisions for him, just wants his freedom. Solidus, who wants to get out from under the yoke of the Patriots, seeks revenge on those who made decisions in his place.

Now I ask you; Why and how can a person who only wants his freedom be evil? Every time you listen to Solidus, you will feel closer to him. Here we can also talk about the success of Kojima’s writing. Creating gray characters is a really difficult task. Solidus is one of the well-written evil characters. When he says this, don’t think he is an angel. However, he is still a character who understands the price and value of freedom well, with his purpose and the philosophy he has established within himself.

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What is life?

“Life is not just about passing on genes.” Solid Snake gives the player his final lesson with a magnificent monologue before the end credits. Giving a speech about life, Snake brings home to us that life is not just about gene transfer. He says that from literature to music, from cinema to art, and most importantly, emotions should be transferred to generations. To be frank, this production, which I experienced in high school, opened my mind a lot at that time. During the years when I was trying to understand what life was, I was very impressed by the fact that it stated a purpose, a goal, a direction.

Of course, at the end of the day, Raiden comes to his senses when he remembers his memories. He finds his identity like a butterfly emerging from a cocoon. At the end of the game, he writes your name and throws aside the tag you hung around his neck. At this point, Raiden begins to make his own decisions and live his life. We are also experiencing an enlightenment with Raiden. The meaning of life is you and the decisions you make are the price of your freedom.

It’s Also a Window to the Future

Hideo Kojima is a game designer who can read life and the future very well. He is someone who understands well what awaits humanity in the future and can read technological developments well. Exactly 23 years ago, Metal Gear Solid 2 revealed these. If you remember, what the Colonel said in the scene where he explains himself as artificial intelligence refers to today.

Issues such as information pollution, artificial intelligence controlling our day, people trapped in smartphones, states and structures that keep people under control were hitting us like a slap in the face. This actually showed us the deepest moment of the game world. Even the Colonel’s orders to us, “You played with the console too much, turn it off” showed us to carry out some tasks beyond our control. I’ve been talking about control since the beginning of the article. Do we really control our lives? Or are we slaves to those who control our lives? While Metal Gear Solid 2 makes Raiden question this, it also makes us question it.

It Was Playing While It Ended…

Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty is one of the cornerstones of the gaming world. Although it is considered by many to be the black sheep of the series, for me it is the best game of the series. A complete revolution with its philosophical questions, deep story, narrative elements and gameplay mechanics. It should not be forgotten that Sons of Liberty presents the small nuances of its story to our eyes again and again with each passing year. In these years when the digital age is upon us, it is easy not to appreciate the foresight of master Kojima. In closing, from Carla White to you I Can’t Say Goodbye To YesterdayI present to you, dear reader.