The Ol’ Ketchup Trick [Metal Gear Solid]
Metal Gear Solid created a tradition in the series. In almost every game, our hero Snake gets captured by the bad guys, and must figure out how to escape using his own ingenuity. The fun part is that there are multiple ways to resolve these little sequences — and because MGS started it all, we’re talking about that!
Late in the game, Snake is captured and tortured. Between electrocution sessions, which you can only survive by mashing buttons so hard it’ll make your thumbs go numb, you’re given a moment to rest in your cell. While you’re in your cell, you have to figure out a way to escape or you’ll eventually submit to torture via thumb exhaustion.
There are three ways to escape the cell. You can call a friend to deliver ketchup, then dump it out and lay on it to trick the guard into thinking you’re injured. You can also hide under the bed so he doesn’t know where you are! Or… you can just wait and someone will eventually save you. That’s the hardest option, as you’ll have to survive the difficult torture sequences for as long as possible. Your thumb will thank you if you just use one of the optional clever solutions.
The Hidden Jigsaw [Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker]
The Metal Gear Solid prison break became a fixture of the franchise, and we can’t even talk about some of the best sequences in the series. The prison escape in Metal Gear Solid 3 is one of the greatest, filled with all the drama and action we want — but I’m going to talk about a lesser-known escape that’s also pretty dang clever. You might play as a different Snake in Peace Walker, but you’re still stuck in a prison as a devious figure tortures you.
Instead of using ketchup to escape, this Snake has to use a hidden item — an item you don’t even realize you’ve got. In Peace Walker, Snake has a snake-shaped scar on his chest that’s been stitched closed. These aren’t normal stitches — between torture sessions, you can painfully pull the stitching out and create a jigsaw. You have to move fast between guard patrols and interrogation sessions to cut through the bars, but when you finally manage to do it, it’s oh-so satisfying.
Execute your master escape plan with more prison breaks on the next page.
