A HIDEO KOJIMA GAME
“It comes closer to perfection than any other game in PlayStation’s action genre. Beautiful, engrossing, and innovative, it excels in every conceivable category.”
— IGN
Shadow Moses rewards patience. Watch a patrol, read the room, and choose your moment: the most valuable opening is often the one that lets Snake pass without a fight.
A compact reference for the 1998 PlayStation release. Snake’s movement, view, weapons, and inventory each have a dedicated role.
Hold to choose equipment.
Equip or put away the selected item.
Move Snake or adjust the first-person view.
Open the Codec / pause the game.
Hold to choose a weapon.
Equip or put away the selected weapon.
Hold to look around from Snake’s perspective.
Use a weapon; unarmed, throw or hold a guard.
Punch, kick, interact, or knock against a wall.
Crouch, crawl with movement, or stand again.
Infiltration begins with observation. Guards follow patrol routes, but a suspicious sound can pull them away. Watch where they turn and pause before crossing their path. When the radar is unavailable, look around in first person or use the scope to survey the area.
Press against walls, slip into ducts, and crawl beneath obstacles. Noisy surfaces can betray a hurried approach; the handbook recommends crawling where footsteps would otherwise draw attention. Snow can also leave a visible trail.
Knock while pressed against a wall to draw a guard toward the sound. Once the patrol shifts, use the opening to pass. Check nearby guards first: a distraction can bring more attention than you intended.
First-person peeking lets Snake briefly step out from cover to inspect the space ahead. It is a useful complement to the overhead view when a corner hides the next threat.
Quick-change removes or restores the last selected weapon or item without reopening its inventory window. The manual also describes tactical reloads and moving while firing the SOCOM or FA-MAS.
The Soliton radar turns nearby danger into readable shapes. Snake sits at its center; enemy positions and vision cones help reveal a safe route. It is a tool, not a guarantee: some spaces and electronic interference prevent it from working.
Move unseen while guards follow their routes. A noise can trigger an investigation.
An enemy or camera has spotted Snake. Reinforcements attack and the radar goes offline. Break line of sight to begin the countdown.
Guards search after losing sight of Snake. Stay hidden until the countdown ends; being rediscovered returns you to Alert.
The Codec is Snake’s lifeline to the people supporting the operation. Answer incoming calls for mission information, and contact the right specialist when a weapon, a route, or a threat leaves you uncertain.
Campbell provides direction, Naomi shares medical and FOXHOUND knowledge, Nastasha explains weapons and nuclear technology, and Miller offers survival advice. Their calls give the mission context as well as practical help.
Call Mei Ling to save. A save resumes from the last continue point rather than necessarily the exact spot where Snake was standing. The mission log can refresh your objectives after loading.
Every weapon changes the options available to Snake. Some favor a quiet approach; others answer a specific obstacle or turn a desperate encounter around. These are the ten weapons illustrated in Konami’s online manual.
A laser-sighted pistol that accepts a suppressor for quieter shots.
An assault rifle for sustained fire when avoiding combat is no longer possible.
A scoped rifle that switches the view to precision aiming.
A timed explosive: account for the delay before it detonates.
Disrupts electronics, giving Snake an opening against surveillance equipment.
Temporarily knocks out nearby enemies rather than keeping them at bay with gunfire.
Placed first, then detonated separately when the moment is right.
A directional mine. Snake can collect planted mines by crawling toward them.
A portable missile launcher with its own aiming view.
A remote-controlled missile; electronic interference interrupts its guidance.
Survival depends on more than firepower. Observation, recovery, access, and concealment all have a place in the inventory. This selection follows the six equipment examples pictured in the online manual.
Adjustable binoculars for surveying a route before committing to it.
A familiar item in Snake’s inventory, included here as part of the original game.
Restore life manually, or automatically when equipped as Snake’s life runs out.
Reveal heat sources and help Snake read dark surroundings.
Conceals Snake while stationary. Moving in front of a guard can give the disguise away.
Opens doors at the matching clearance level when equipped.
Boss encounters change the rhythm of the mission. The handbook gives them individual strategies; this overview keeps their solutions and story revelations out of view.
Look for a repeating rhythm: movement, an attack, a pause, then another opportunity. Position and timing matter as much as the weapon Snake is holding.
Cover, distance, and the shape of the arena can change how an encounter plays. Check the life display and available supplies rather than treating every confrontation as an ordinary patrol.
Elsewhere, Genome Soldiers make the facility feel occupied rather than static. Patrols become investigations, investigations can become alarms, and an alarm brings a search. Learning that behavior connects the quieter corridors to the larger action sequences.
VR Training isolates the fundamentals in a virtual space. Training Mode asks you to reach the goal unseen. Time Attack adds a deadline, while Gun Shooting introduces limited SOCOM ammunition and requires clearing the enemies before the goal appears. The later modes unlock in sequence.
Back on Shadow Moses, the same habits matter: observe first, move deliberately, and recover calmly when a plan breaks down.
