Rumors have suggested that Konami was unhappy with how much money Hideo Kojima spent on his most recent epic, which might explain why one of Metal Gear Solid V’s most pivotal story missions isn’t actually in the game.
Fans who bought the Collector’s Edition of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain found that the bonus disc contains footage of a deleted mission, made up of concept art, narration, and half-finished cut-scenes. Now, of course, footage of any sort of deleted scene would’ve been a nice little bonus for fans who dished out extra money, but this isn’t just some optional throwaway scene—it’s a pivotal story mission that continues from the end of the game and gives resolution to plots that remain unfinished in the fifth Metal Gear Solid.
This video—and my descriptions of it—are very, very spoilery, so here’s your chance to bail if you haven’t beaten the game yet. My advice: bookmark this article, and be sure to come back to it once you beat The Phantom Pain, because the video is essential if you want story closure for some of the game’s characters.
SPOILER WARNING: DON’T SCROLL PAST THE DOG UNLESS YOU’VE BEATEN METAL GEAR SOLID V
If you’ve beaten all of Kojima’s latest, including the true ending, you might be wondering just what the hell is up with Eli. Clearly he’s Liquid Snake—the game hints at it in a few cassette tapes and then confirms it on the final scrolling timeline—but just what happened after he left Mother Base with Sahelanthropus? And what about the little Russian boy who looks like Psycho Mantis? Why does the game “end” at Mission 46 when there are four missions after that?
Well, it turns out there should have been a Mission 51. It’s not clear whether this was purposefully cut from the game or whether it was a casualty of Kojima and crew running out of time, but you can watch it all here, courtesy YouTuber user Inzaa:
It’s a pivotal sequence that helps set up the future of both Liquid and Psycho Mantis, and I seriously can’t believe it’s not in the game. There was so much setting up for this epic fight between Diamond Dogs and Eli—a fight that should’ve been there! (cut to 8:40)—yet it never actually happened. Metal Gear Solid V doesn’t even have a final boss fight. So sad.
You can reach the author of this post at jason@kotaku.com or on Twitter at @jasonschreier.