Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops

Whoever says that great espionage epics cannot be squeezed into a pocket never infiltrated an enemy fortress with Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops. This title was the first attempt to bring a full-fledged entry of the series to a handheld, one that would tie into the main storyline both in narrative and mechanics and push its mythology further.

The key novelty was the recruitment system. Instead of progressing alone, the player could drag off stunned enemies, persuade them to cooperate and gradually build their own squad of specialists. Each soldier brought different abilities, from medics through technicians to scouts, and the player switched between them according to the situation. In this way Portable Ops laid the foundation for the idea of building your own unit, which the series later developed into far greater breadth.

Story-wise the game took place after the events of the classic Metal Gear Solid 3 and followed a young Naked Snake as he faces betrayal from within his own ranks. The narrative, with full dialogue and comic-book-styled interludes, lent the plot an urgency that handheld games of the time often lacked. Stealth remained the heart of the gameplay: sneaking, drawing attention away and silently taking out guards worked even on the smaller screen.

Development proceeded under the baton of a team connected to the brand and under the supervision of Hideo Kojima, the series' creator. It was precisely his involvement that helped keep the handheld entry from being seen as a spin-off, and instead as part of the wider canon, something fans debated at length.

Portable Ops proved that stealth action with storytelling comparable to the big consoles had its place on the small screen. For players who wanted to continue Snake's saga on the go, it was an indispensable piece of the puzzle.

Why play: It offers a full-fledged stealth experience of the Metal Gear Solid series in your pocket, plus an innovative soldier recruitment system that foreshadowed the brand's future direction.