Snipers can be challenging enemies to get right in games. They pose an unfair threat from far away, often seeing the player being they can see the sniper, and then being a constant challenge. Sniper boss fights are even harder, requiring a “superior” sniper who can not only challenge the player but also be beatable.
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain features a boss fight with “Quiet”, a sniper with supernatural abilities to lock onto the player, take a quick shot, and then vanish as she takes a new vantage position. This should be an unfair fight, but there’s some simple yet clever gameplay additions to even things out.
A Little Kojima Effect…
Before we break down the fight, we need to talk about the lead up and how it’s created stories that players will share over 10 years later.
The Phantom Pain is broken down into “episodes”, typically given to the player in batches. The primary objectives between episodes 2 – 10 revolve around sneaking into a base, completing an objective, and getting out. In addition to this, players are also encouraged to recruit soldiers from the field to Mother base, so non-lethal options are preferred. This is best achieved through developing the tranquiliser pistol and other non-lethal options.
Everything’s normal until episode 10, where upon completion players are tasked with rescuing an old colleague from a key military installation. With this in mind, players prepare for business as usual. The base is at the end of a long road to the north of the map, requiring the player to drop off miles away.
Quiet will then ambush the player in a ruins area along this path.
The genius of this is how unexpected it is. We are informed of rumours of a sniper in the area, but it’s fair to assume that this will be a big boss fight with spectacle. There’s also a “take out the sniper” side quest earlier in the game which many players might think is Quiet so prepare for her then, leading to their guards being down now.
All of this lead to many players preparing for close quarters stealth and having to deal with a long range sniper duel. This sticks with players because they’re forced to improvise in a situation they’re not prepared for.
Starting the Player on the Back Foot
The player starts the fight pinned down behind cover. Quiet can be seen on top of an arch on the other side of the battlefield, and the player must find a way to land a shot on her without taking damage. This is all set up within the first 5 seconds and sets the tone for the rest of the fight.
The terrain offers 2 immediate options. Quiet will shoot the player if they stand up, so movement around the map needs to be calculated. There’s some large rocks to the right which can be quickly jumped to, or a path downwards to the left. Both options offer organic benefits and drawbacks. Initially, the path to the left seems foolish as Quiet will always be in a higher position, but it does offer more cover. The path to the right is a quick way to get into an attacking position but you’re then in a timing match with her and there’s no immediate cover for if she moves adjacent.
So, the player isn’t thinking about defeating their opponent here, but instead about how to get out of the pin. Whichever direction the player chooses, both are winnable positions due to Quiet not being able to see through tree branches. If they’ve marked her, and then one breaks her line of sight, players can take free shots.
The Fight Becomes Hide and Seek
Quiet will move after the player takes a shot at her, successful or not, which then leads into the core section of the fight: a game of Hide and Seek. She’ll turn into a blur and run either left or right from her previous position, before disappearing completely and jumping, not allowing the player to fully track her.
If the player isn’t out in the open then Quiet will aim towards their last position and surrounding areas, where most players will be unless they began moving instantly. Due to the layout of the battlefield, a circle with a deeper inner part, this means that the player can be seen if they head inwards due to Quiet being in an elevated position.
So, the fight becomes hitting her, moving to the nearest cover, and then observing the battlefield for her. This is done through panning the camera if you’re prone, looking for a glint from her scope, or by using the binoculars and listening for her humming. A great feature here is Quiet is never in cover, but instead always in a crouched position upon a ledge, allowing for an easier time finding her and landing a shot.
While it can be difficult to see her with the naked eye, this adds to the immersion where players will scan the area slowly, analysing shadows and other oddities, while also planning their movements around these conclusions.
What Developers can Learn from the Quiet Boss Fight
Sniper fights can be difficult to get right, but Metal gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain uses a few interesting ideas to create something that sticks with players.
It starts with taking the player by surprise. Through earlier repetition, players are prepared for a close ranged encounter and then thrown into a long ranged one. This means many players won’t be prepared and will flip the script from “sniper battle” to “beat the sniper anyway you can”.
Secondly, start the player at a disadvantage. Their opponent has them pinned or has a better position, meaning the player has to overcome a challenge first instead of just fighting. This then gets them thinking about the whole encounter differently.
Finally, give the players opponent some clear weaknesses. In this case, Quiet never sits behind cover, and hums so she can be detected. Perhaps the enemy sniper coughs or moves slowly so can be caught while travelling.
