Metal Gear Survive shows off single player base defence, January beta to skip PC

Metal Gear Survive is the first post-Hideo Kojima Metal Gear game that's due on February 20 in the US and February 22 in Europe. Tim went hands-on with its multiplayer component at this year's E3 and enjoyed it—and publisher Konami has now dropped a new five minute-long video that focuses on the game's single player campaign.

Despite being a Metal Gear Solid 5 spin-off, the following short explains that Survive immediately follows Ground Zeroes, and that the protagonist is one of the soldiers present on Mother Base at that time. He's been pulled into a wormhole, we learn, before being spat out into an alternate world by a "mysterious organisation" six months down the line. It's in this odd dimension where the the game's Wanderer zombie-likes live.

As detailed there, the game's survival mechanics kick in upon arrive in this alternate reality, where you're tasked with hunting animals, gathering materials and crafting defences. When it comes to cooking, you can formulate your own recipes, however in order to craft "powerful items and weapons", recipes can only be obtained as rewards in multiplayer.

Firearms are billed above as "powerful" even if ammo is scarce, however where Survive comes into its own is its use of melee—which features in the trailer around the 2.50 mark. The protagonist is shown kicking around in clouds of poisonous mist at one point, and is required to craft a rebreather in order to stay alive.

Story-wise, progression is ascertained by clearing the game's main mission, however, like its series counterparts, optional side missions are available too. Likewise, rescuing civilians out on the field can be put to use at headquarters, which is demonstrated around 4.20 above. Here is where everything gets a bit Walking Dead, as the player is seen fending off Wanderer hordes.

"You never know when the Wanderers will attack your base camp," says the narrator, "you have to be prepared for it at any time—don't forget to set your defences."

Again, Metal Gear Survive is due on February 20 in the US and February 22, 2018 in Europe. A beta testing period is set to run between January 18—21, however this is unfortunately reserved for PS4 and Xbox One players.