In the conclusion of Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes, Snakes falls into a coma. The physical injuries he sustained, along with the psychological trauma of past events, forced him into a state of unconsciousness for nine years. During this time, both Snake's body and mind were able to recover; albeit not completely.
Waking up in 1984, Snake finds his body is riddled with injuries - including various irremovable pieces of shrapnel near his heart and brain, as well as the complete loss of his lower left arm. Despite these injuries, the world's best soldier trudges on through the events of Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain. Snake can't do anything about the shrapnel in his body, but his missing arm has been replaced by a multipurpose bionic arm.
An Amputee's Swiss Army Knife
At the beginning of Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain, the only function of the bionic arm is to call enemies to Snake's location. Much like throwing an Empty Magazine or commanding D-Dog to bark, Snake can twist his bionic wrist to produce a loud sound that forces nearby enemies to investigate. While the distraction isn't particularly unique, always having it on-hand means players don't have to worry about forgetting it on a mission.
As players expand Mother Base, they can develop new upgrades for the bionic arm. Passive abilities such as being able to climb faster, increase the success rate of Fulton recoveries, and even increase Snake's damage resistance may not show immediate results, but they do help players in the long run. Snake's bionic arm can be fitted with an Active Sonar that allows him to visually locate nearby movements. This is Metal Gear Solid 5's equivalent of the Soliton Radar from more modern Metal Gear games, and it can prove indispensable.
A Swappable Prosthesis
While Snake's base bionic arm is integral, different variations make it even better. By acquiring enough Mother Base resources, upgrading Snake's teams, and extracting the right development specialists, players can unlock the Stun Arm, the Blast Arm, the Rocket Arm, and the Hand of Jehuty - all of which endow Snake with extra powers in addition to the ones provided by his bionic arm.
The Stun Arm can knock out enemies with a 120V electric punch, charged by the arm's internal battery. It only has a set number of punches, but players can use Snake's kinetic movements combined with solar power to charge the battery. What's cool about the Stun Arm is that the final upgrade can allow Snake to knock out multiple soldiers by calling down a lightning strike. It isn't the most realistic function of the Stun Arm, but players looking to save on tranquilizer rounds will enjoy knocking out enemies with electricity-fueled punches.
The Blast Arm may not be as outlandish as the Stun Arm's final upgrade, but it does have its quirks. Using a remote control and a mounted camera, the arm can be jettisoned from Snake's body and lethally eliminate threats. Players can control the direction and speed of the Blast Arm - allowing for precise attacks on a target. Those who want to play Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain non-lethally run can also develop the Rocket Arm - a prosthetic that works exactly like the Blast Arm but can only knock enemies out. Both bionic arm variations have a set amount of charges, but unlike the Stun Arm, the Blast Arm and Rocket Arm work on a cooldown timer.
While the rest of Snake's bionic arms require him to bring his fists close to his enemies, the Hand of Jehuty does the opposite. This bionic arm compensates for the gadget's general lack of range by teleporting enemies in front of Snake. Once they are within his reach, Snake can take them out in close combat or grab them for interrogation. The Hand of Jehuty may seem like an overpowered bionic arm, but the range at which it can grab enemies isn't great. Even with a fully upgraded Hand of Jehuty, players still have to get within a reasonable distance from an enemy.
With the amount of flexibility his new bionic arms provide, Snake is just as capable (if not more) as ever. While some of the bionic arm's functions don't differ much from his other gear, features like extra arm variations make it an essential part of Snake's life as a soldier.
Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain is available now on PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.
