Kojima Productions has created Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes as an entry experience and prologue to the events of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. It will serve to introduce key gameplay components that will be fully realised in the fifth, full Metal Gear Solid epic, and act as a bridge between the linearity of existing titles and the full open-world environments of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain.

Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes charts a rescue mission as users infiltrate a Cuban prison camp, and sets in motion a series of events that culminate in the stunning plotlines of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. The prelude showcases key advances to the series made possible by its use of Kojima Productions’ FOX Engine, with a large open environment, and missions where time of day and weather have a dynamic effect on the game and its missions. These elements will play a vital part in the story set up in Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes, while familiarising users with the possibilities they offer ahead of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain.

In celebration of one million copies shipped worldwide, Kojima Productions has announced that its latest title update will unlock and allow all users to access the Déjà vu and Jamais Vu platform exclusive missions. The update will be available from May 1st.

Originally launched exclusively for PlayStation platforms, the Déjà vu mission, often referred to as a “throwback” mission, is based on missions from the original Metal Gear Solid game and lets users play as a pixelated, low polygon Solid Snake. To progress in the mission, players must recreate the key scenes. As a reward, players will see flashbacks to the previous game.

“Jamais Vu”, the Xbox platform exclusive mission, references the 1988 game, “SNATCHER,” the second video game written and directed by Hideo Kojima. In the mission, the menacing bioroid “Snatchers” are dropped into Camp Omega to kill and steal the identities of everything they come in contact with. To kill off these enemies, players need a hero other than Snake—enter Raiden, the superhuman ninja cyborg from previous Metal Gear titles, including most recently Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance. This time, Raiden dispenses with his High-Frequency Blade in favor of heavy weaponry to completely annihilate the “Snatcher” threat.

Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes is available for PS3/X360 (£29.99/$29.99, digital retail £19.99/$19.99) and PS4/XOne (£29.99/$29.99, digital retail £29.99/$29.99).