Last week, Hideo Kojima talked about device connectivity and his hopes to see communication expand in future games, starting with a neat smartphone app that will come into play with Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes. Here’s a look.
The companion app called “iDROID” will be used in-game as Snake’s handset used to do things like checking out the map, locating targeted soldiers, calling helicopters, and more.
While it can be used in the game, it’ll leave you open to enemy fire when it’s open, so using it through the application on your mobile device might be useful. You can also use it to check out areas in the game where other players got the Game Over screen, using the device’s “Heat Map” feature.
Meanwhile, the Xbox 360 will be using a different application with its own SmartGlass version, instead.
While the iDROID has plenty of uses while you’re actually playing the game, there will be various features when you’re not playing, such as listening to cassette tapes with information on background stories or simply to kick back and enjoy some music.
Additionally, there will be a game that allows you to expand Snake’s main hub, called the “Mother Base,” similar to the feature in Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, where players were able to customize the plant’s layout to increase functionality, and more.
According to your gameplay in Ground Zeroes, you’ll acquire new allies and will be able to increase the types of soldiers you’ll be recruiting in this built-in game. You’ll also be able to check out all kinds of records using the app. Prisoners of war and VIPs you capture in Ground Zeroes can then be added to Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, when that game is released, and will contribute to your Mother Base in that game.
The iDROID app will be available to download for smartphone on March 20th in Japan, which is the release date for the game, so we might be seeing it here on March 18th, when it releases on PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One in North America.
