Snake’s Revenge is a Metal Gear game made without the man who made Metal Gear. That is the headline, and it explains almost everything else about this 1990 NES release from Konami, which was released in North America under the Ultra Games brand.
Big Boss Returns, and So Does the Jungle
The setup is pure series business. Three years after the first Metal Gear, FOXHOUND learns a hostile Middle Eastern nation may have the plans for a new model. Lieutenant Solid Snake leads a three-man team: John Turner, a former Navy Intelligence agent, and Nick Myer, a weapons and explosives expert. The mission is codenamed Operation 747.
From there the plot runs through a jungle base, a cargo ship carrying mass-produced Metal Gear tanks, and a double agent named Jennifer. Snake defeats an impostor posing as John, loses Nick, and watches Jennifer get exposed and captured. The commander turns out to be a cybernetically enhanced Big Boss, back from the dead. Snake beats him, rescues Jennifer, and destroys Metal Gear 2 before the launch countdown ends.
The Alert Phase Still Works
The core loop holds up. Infiltrate, avoid detection, collect weapons, explosives, rations and card keys. Get spotted and the alert phase kicks in — soldiers flood the screen and you fight your way back to infiltration or slip to another floor.
- Combat knife and handgun in your starting equipment
- A button for firearms and explosives, B for punches or knife strikes
- Knife kills at close range; punches sometimes leave ammo or a ration
- Rank determines maximum health and carrying capacity, six stars at the top
- Hostages to rescue, officers to interrogate with truth gas
That last detail is the best idea in the game. Officers can be questioned, and successful interrogations count alongside rescued hostages toward promotion. It gives the stealth a second purpose beyond sneaking.
| Mechanic | Snake’s Revenge |
|---|---|
| Starting weapons | Knife and handgun |
| Melee attack | Punch or knife |
| Promotion | Hostages and interrogations |
A Sequel Without Its Author
The comparison to Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake is unavoidable, and not in this game’s favor. Hideo Kojima had no hand in Snake’s Revenge. He built his own MSX2 sequel the same year, and the difference in intent shows. Snake’s Revenge is competent, sometimes inventive, and ultimately a cover version.
The escape rule is a nice touch. When a guard spots you and only a single red exclamation mark appears instead of two, you can leave the screen and the alert ends. It rewards reading the room over fighting it.
But the plot leans on twists that land flat. Big Boss surviving as a cyborg is a reveal without weight, and the impostor John thread resolves before it earns anything. The game wants the emotional beats of a sequel it was never positioned to deliver.
It is a solid action game and a lesser Metal Gear. Worth playing for the interrogation system and the alert-phase escape trick. Worth remembering as the one Konami made without asking.
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