Story Highlight
  • Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance shines with its bosses, combat, and soundtrack.
  • It retains the charm of Metal Gear with over-the-top stories and various comedic elements.
  • Blade mode makes it different from most other action games.

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance stands out among Hideo Kojima’s past works. Developed by Platinum Games, this entry breaks away from the stealth-action roots of its predecessors, making for an explosive spin-off with heart-pumping, adrenaline-rushing, and ridiculously over-the-top action.

Do you want great themes? The soundtrack is practically unforgettable. Do you crave awe-inspiring boss fights? The game will keep you glued to your seat from the first boss encounter.

This spin-off nails all the fundamentals of an action game, and its memorable characters elevate the experience. Having played it again recently, I can confidently say it stands tall as one of gaming’s best hack-and-slash/character action games.

Why it matters: Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance is criminally underrated, and it is still not available to play on PS4/PS5.

Sam From Metal Gear Rising Revengeance
Sam From Metal Gear Rising Revengeance Tests Your Skill | Image via Tech4Gamers

Boss Fights And Themes Are Perfectly Curated

Playing the game for the first time was a beautiful experience. Every second is filled with an adrenaline rush, and Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance never lets up. The bosses, in particular, stand out. From completely outlandish foes like Sundowner to the towering Metal Gear Ray, each boss brings something new to the table.

Then there’s the soundtrack. As the boss battles ramp up, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance pulls out all the stops and adds vocals to its boss themes. What was a great boss encounter turns into an epic all-out battle once the music adds to the intensity.

Even less popular bosses like Bladewolf have such memorable themes that you’ll find yourselves humming the soundtrack long after the story wraps up. If you haven’t played this game yet, please do yourself a favor and get it as soon as you can.

Sam takes the crown as my favorite boss encounter. In what is essentially just a duel between two very powerful characters, the game effectively does away with its over-the-top nature.

However, this is when the gameplay can really shine, with Sam testing everything you have learned up to this point. Soon after, Platinum Games throws another curveball at you with the final boss, making for one of gaming’s most epic conclusions.

Metal Gear Rising is one of the most balls to the walls game I have ever experienced.
by inpatientgamers

Still Good Without Stealth?

The Metal Gear Solid series is known for its stealth gameplay. Barring a small reference to this IP’s iconic cardboard box for stealth, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance doesn’t really have many quiet moments.

It’s just a straightforward and linear game with tons of nonstop action that keeps you hooked until the end. You can even beat the main story in under 6 hours during a single sitting.

However, an action game wouldn’t be complete without a high skill ceiling, and while Metal Gear Rising: Revegeance sacrificed some of its depth for accessibility, it comes with plenty to learn and master.

For the hardcore players, the basic combat and weapons offer enough variety to spend several hours mastering the combat system. It’s no Devil May Cry, but with such sound fundamentals, it’s hard to go wrong, and Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance rarely does.

Metal Gear Rising Revengeance Blade Mode
Raiden Can Cut Through Nearly Anything Using Blade Mode | Image via Tech4Gamers

Blade Mode

So far, I haven’t brought up the most interesting mechanic in Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance. Blade mode is unlike anything I’ve ever seen, and it meticulously ties into the core gameplay loop.

At the simple press of a button, Raiden can slow down time and enter a mode that allows him to slice and dice foes, objects, and even bosses. Not only is Blade Mode incredibly satisfying, but it’s also impressive on a technical level.

Giant cyborg mini-bosses like GRAD can be chopped into hundreds of tiny metal pieces, and Platinum Games achieved all of this on the PS3 and Xbox 360 hardware. I can only imagine what the team would be able to do with a sequel on modern hardware.

Metal Gear Rising Revengeance
Your First Playthrough Is Something Special | Image via Tech4Gamers

Wish I Could Play It Again

My biggest problem with Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance is that I will never be able to play it again for the first time. That first experience was truly unlike anything I’ve ever played in a game, and I wish there were some way to revisit it without any prior memories.

Saying that I loved the experience would be an understatement. It may not be the best that the character action genre has to offer, but its dynamic soundtrack, larger-than-life bosses, and well-done fundamentals allow it to ascend above smaller flaws.

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Obaid Ur Rehman
[How-To Guides Expert] Laiba, our tech guru at HI Digital, simplifies and crafts How-To Guides with a Google IT Support Certificate. Beyond tech, she captures the city's aesthetics through her lens. Join her journey where tech meets creativity! Get In Touch: Laiba@hidgt.com Google IT Certificate Shehryar Khan