Shadow Moses Island

The frozen island fortress where FOXHOUND seized control of a nuclear weapons facility.

Shadow Moses Island is a remote island in Alaska's Fox Archipelago, codenamed "Shadow Moses", which houses a nuclear weapons disposal facility. The facility was taken over by the rogue unit FOXHOUND, led by Liquid Snake, who threatened to use the nuclear-capable mecha Metal Gear REX against the US government. Solid Snake was forced out of retirement by Colonel Roy Campbell to infiltrate the island and neutralize the threat, liberate hostages, and prevent FOXHOUND from launching a nuclear strike.

Quick Facts

Location: Alaska's Fox Archipelago
Primary function: Nuclear weapons disposal facility
Affiliation: United States government (Original)

Lore & Background

In 2005, renegade genetically enhanced special forces unit FOXHOUND seized control of the island. FOXHOUND threatened to use the nuclear-capable mecha Metal Gear REX, being secretly tested at the facility, against the US government, if they did not receive the remains of Big Boss and a ransom of $1 billion within 24 hours. Solid Snake was forced out of retirement by Colonel Roy Campbell to infiltrate the island and neutralize the threat. The facility was the site of the first major conflict involving cloned soldiers, with Solid Snake confronting his genetic counterpart, Liquid Snake, and other members of FOXHOUND including Revolver Ocelot, Sniper Wolf, Vulcan Raven, Psycho Mantis, and Decoy Octopus.

Reader's Guide

The player must navigate the protagonist, Solid Snake, through the nuclear weapons facility on Shadow Moses Island without being detected by enemies. When Snake moves into an enemy's field of vision, he sets off an "alert mode" that draws enemies. The player must then hide until "evasion mode" begins; when the counter reaches zero, the game returns to "infiltration mode", where enemies are no longer suspicious. The radar cannot be used in alert or evasion mode. To remain undetected, the player can perform techniques that make use of Snake's abilities and the environment, such as crawling under objects, using boxes as cover, ducking or hiding around walls, and making noise to distract enemies. An on-screen radar provides the player with the location of nearby enemies and their field of vision. Snake can also make use of many items and gadgets, such as infra-red goggles and a cardboard box disguise. Progress is punctuated by cutscenes and radio conversations, as well as encounters with bosses. To progress, players must discover the weaknesses of each boss and defeat them, which usually yields a key card that is used to unlock different areas of the base and progress. Play controls and strategies can also be accessed via the Codec, a radio communication device where advice is delivered from Snake's support team.