Mechanically, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater for the PS2 is defined as an “Action Game” that offers real time battle and shooting. Players can move and hide in buildings and the forest and equip different weapons and gear to navigate the story-based objectives.
Now, what changes the nature of the mechanics is the primary, continuous objective that the player must not be found, as they are undertaking an espionage mission. The dynamic this creates is contrary to the usual flow of an action game making MGS known as a “Stealth Game”. While the player has the ability to attack guards, they will not be rewarded with this behavior and must reassess how they use their resources and abilities.
The juxtaposition of the mechanics and dynamics also further the aesthetics of MGS, which—while being a game about war—takes on a stark anti-war narrative. In some instances it is easier for the player to kill guards rather than tranquilize them, but later in the game one of the midbosses reproduces all the previous enemies the player has killed, and they must slowly wade through their souls; thus, the game punishes the player for their actions.
MGS, save for the boss enemies, allows the player to undertake a pacifist stance throughout the game which many action games do not offer. Along with the story which displays the horrors of war and how political violence effects soldiers, agents, and civilians, the open option of pacifism vs. violence (further explored in MGS: Peace Walker) opens up the player to a new perspective via a game genre which usually only emits one.
