Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance is what happens when you hand a beloved stealth franchise to PlatinumGames and tell them to go wild. The result is a game that has almost nothing in common with its parent series beyond the name and the cyborg ninja at its center. Raiden trades sneaking for slicing, and the community has embraced this tonal shift with the kind of enthusiasm usually reserved for cult classics.
The reception leans heavily positive, with players praising the combat system, the absurd boss fights, and a soundtrack that has taken on a life of its own. The criticisms are consistent too, mostly centered on how quickly it ends and a camera that doesn’t always keep up with the action.
Blade Mode and the Art of Cutting Everything
The Blade Mode mechanic is the game’s signature innovation, and it delivers on its promise completely. Slowing down time to manually aim Raiden’s sword and slice enemies, objects, and environments into pieces is viscerally satisfying in a way that never gets old. The precision of the cutting system turns every encounter into an opportunity for creative destruction, and the Zandatsu mechanic of ripping out enemy spines for health creates a risk-reward loop that keeps combat aggressive.
PlatinumGames’ pedigree in character action shines through every encounter. The parry system, which requires players to push toward the enemy and attack simultaneously, rewards timing and aggression over defensive play. Once the parry clicks, the combat system opens up dramatically, turning what might feel like button mashing into a precise dance of offense and counter-offense.
The boss fights are where Revengeance reaches its peak. Each boss is a larger-than-life spectacle with unique mechanics and some of the most memorable music cues in gaming. Senator Armstrong’s fight alone has spawned an entire subculture of memes and fan content, and the escalation from a Metal Gear RAY fight in the opening to the final confrontation is relentless. These aren’t just good boss fights for an action game. They’re among the best in the genre.
The soundtrack deserves its own paragraph. The vocal tracks that kick in during boss battles match the intensity of the action perfectly, creating moments of pure adrenaline that players remember long after the credits roll. The music doesn’t just accompany the gameplay. It amplifies it.
A Short Blade Leaves You Wanting More
The most universal criticism is the game’s length. A first playthrough can be completed in five to six hours, and while the game encourages replays on higher difficulties, the initial campaign feels like it ends just as the combat system is fully coming together. Several chapters feel rushed, with ideas that could have been developed further compressed into brief sequences.
The camera struggles during indoor encounters and fights against multiple large enemies. When the action gets chaotic, the camera can swing to unfavorable angles that obscure incoming attacks. Given that the parry system requires visual reads on enemy movements, a misbehaving camera directly impacts gameplay in frustrating ways.
The story won’t win over anyone looking for the depth of the mainline Metal Gear games. The plot about private military companies and political manipulation touches on interesting themes but doesn’t develop them with the nuance that the series is known for. Raiden’s character arc is serviceable but thin compared to what Kojima’s writing typically delivers. For most players, the story is just connective tissue between combat encounters, and that’s fine.
Some of the non-boss enemy variety could be better. By the midpoint, you’ve seen most of the standard enemy types, and the game leans on remixing encounters rather than introducing fundamentally new challenges outside of boss battles.
Style as Substance
Revengeance proves that a game doesn’t need to be long to be memorable. The combat system has the kind of depth that reveals itself over multiple playthroughs and difficulty levels, and the boss encounters are some of the most purely entertaining moments in action gaming. PlatinumGames understood that the appeal of a cyborg ninja isn’t stealth. It’s spectacle. They built the entire game around that insight, and it works.
Should You Play Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance?
If you enjoy fast, technical action games with high skill ceilings, this is one of the best options on PC. Players who loved Bayonetta, Devil May Cry, or any PlatinumGames title will feel right at home. Anyone expecting a Metal Gear Solid experience with stealth and long codec conversations should recalibrate completely. The short length might give budget-conscious players pause, but the replay value through higher difficulties and the sheer quality of the combat make a strong case. Skip it if you need a long campaign to feel satisfied.
The Verdict on Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance
Revengeance is a short, explosive burst of perfectly executed character action. PlatinumGames took a bold creative risk in reimagining what a Metal Gear game could be, and the result is one of the most satisfying combat systems on PC. The camera and length hold it back from perfection, but the boss fights, the blade mode, and that incredible soundtrack make this an action game that punches far above its runtime. Rules of nature, indeed.