20 Best Cutscenes In The Metal Gear Solid Franchise

The epilogue of Metal Gear Solid 4 still holds the World Record for the longest non-play segment in video game history. Spanning 71-minutes, the closing of Solid Snake’s story continues to divide fan opinion: it is either an epic denouement or a nuisance in the midst of a humorously cutscene-stacked game.

In the post-credits, Solid Snake is unable to take his own life by an unidentified grave (fans have speculated it to be The Boss’s, Big Boss’s, or even Gray Fox’s), when he hears the voice of his mentor, nemesis, and father, Big Boss.

Big Boss outfights Solid, and the CQC manoeuvre ends with an awkward hug between father and son, with Big Boss telling Snake to ‘let it go.’ Big Boss reveals that Zero was the mastermind behind The Patriots and the events of every game beyond Metal Gear Solid 3.

Now confined to a wheelchair and a respirator, Zero is a party to the reunion between father and son. Big Boss turns off Zero’s life support, ending the cycle once and for all.

From there, Big Boss dies of a FOXDIE-induced heart attack, and Snake is left the only true hero of the game.

This cutscene is long, and, at times, unnecessary. While everything was tied up with a ham-fisted approach, at least everything was tied up. This was supposed to be the final scene in any Metal Gear game, and it is clear Hideo Kojima wanted to resolve all issues. The shining light from this cutscene is Solid Snake finally being able to leave fighting behind to enjoy the rest of his life in peace.