Shadow Moses Island



Shadow Moses is an island that is part of the Fox Archipelago laying south-west of mainland Alaska in the Bering sea. It was the location where ArmsTech and DARPA decided to develop Metal Gear REX and a new type of stealth nuclear missile. In 2005, a test mission was to be conducted at the facility with the DARPA Chief Donald Anderson, President of ArmsTech Kenneth Baker, FOXHOUND and the GENOME Army all overseeing it. However it was then that FOXHOUND rebelled against the US, holding the DARPA Chief and ArmsTech President hostage and hijacking REX. Ex-FOXHOUND agent Solid Snake was sent in to defuse the situation. This became known as the Shadow Moses Incident

In 2014, Solid Snake returns to Shadow Moses after discovering Liquid Ocelot intends to steal the railgun off of REX. This is because it is not under SOP control and can launch a stealth missile at a satellite in space which houses JD, the Patriots core-AI. Snake finds REX, but the railgun is already taken. He then encounters Vamp, and manages to temporarily strip him of his immortality, giving Raiden a chance to kill him. REX's hanger becomes the final resting place for Vamp and Naomi Hunter, and with hordes of suicidal gekkos pouring in, Snake and Raiden manage to escape in REX. Snake and Liquid then end up fighting at Moses' port, with Solid Snake operating REX and Metal Gear RAY being piloted by Liquid Ocelot. Due to the rise in Global Warming, Shadow Moses Island will eventually sink below the waves.

Areas

 * Dock
 * Heliport
 * Tank Hangar
 * Cells
 * Armory
 * Canyon
 * Nuclear Warhead Storage
 * Lab
 * Commander's Room
 * Cave
 * Underground Passage
 * Medical Room
 * Prison Cell
 * Communications Towers A and B
 * Snowfield
 * Blast Furnace
 * Casting Facility
 * Warehouse
 * Underground Base
 * Command Room
 * Supply Route
 * Escape Route
 * Port

There is also a mess hall, but it is never see in-game and is mentioned by Otacon only.

Differences between MGS1 and MGS4
In terms of layout and environmental inclusions, Shadow Moses appears identical to the version's in Metal Gear Solid and Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes with some notable differences.

Some areas such as the 1st floor and the 2nd floor basements of the Tank Hangar, the Communications Towers and some of the underground Maintenance base can't be entered due to the power cut or they have been locked. Some furniture in The Twin Snakes such as lockers and fire extinguishers don't appear in the main areas of Metal Gear Solid 4. Regardless, MGS4  establishes both the original MGS1 and TTS  as canon as elements from both versions are present in this version. Examples include the audio flashbacks taken from The Twin Snakes, which used re-recorded voice acting, whereas Snake's image flashbacks are from MGS1, including Snake's dream sequence.

Heliport:
 * Snake infiltrates the island via a small passage through the rock wall in MGS4. In MGS and TTS this passage doesn't exist but there is a large peice of the wall missing where it's supposed to be, indicating that it may actually be there.
 * The elevator Snake used to infiltrate previously is now locked behind a gate, and the barricade next to the helipad is now gone.
 * The small storage rooms west of the helipad now include ventilation ducts.
 * The ducts used to enter the Tank Hangar have a slightly different layout.
 * There are now step placements leading onto the helipad, MGS1 had two large steps, TTS had four steps.
 * The columns around the upper ventilation duct are different.

Tank Hanger:
 * Their are no surveillance cameras in the Tank Hangar and the Dwarf Gekko are now attached to the walls where they were.
 * The stairs in the Tank Hanger are now closer to the main doors.
 * The upper ventilation duct exit has been destroyed.
 * The elevator for Holding Cells and Armoury is inaccessible (but there is no need for Snake to go there anyway).

Canyon:
 * There is a small passage in the rocks that doesn't appear in the other versions.
 * In The Twin Snakes there is a duct that runs across the ground which is not in MGS or MGS4, though it is likely that this would now be snowed over, explaining its absence from MGS4.
 * Raven's M1 Tank is not in this area anymore though it is most likely that the Genome soldiers towed it after Snake had destroyed it.

Nuclear Warhead Storage Building:
 * The elevated platform now has supports below it. In MGS it is fixed to the wall with no supports at all, in TTS it has a small support where it meets the floor.
 * The steps to the upper level are different (the same steps used in the Tank Hangar).
 * The western wall is a reflective surface, MGS1/TTS features a matte, non-reflective wall.
 * It is safe for Snake to use heavy weapons near the nuclear missiles previously Campbell Ordered Snake not to use a weapon in this area due to the plutonium Dr Naomi Hunter programed Snake's Nano machines to prevent him from doing so. In
 * There are no surveillance cameras in the missile hangar anymore.
 * The elevator cannot go to floor B1 where Snake contacted Meryl and fought Psycho Mantis, as there is no need for Snake to do so, and that path through the Cave to the Communication Towers is filled with snow.

Lab:
 * The glass separating the elevator and the control panel is smashed.
 * The Air Cleaners now have rectangular holes, originally they were circular.
 * There are no remains of the soldiers that Gray Fox killed before, though stains and bullet holes remain.
 * The large dent in the wall where Gray Fox kicked an enemy soldier into it is now on a different part of the wall.
 * The supercomputers in Otacon's old office now have transparent covers.
 * The small control panel on the wall just before the electric floor (the one that deactivates after the large one is hit by a missile) has gone.

Snowfield:
 * Snake enters this area through a large door that was locked previously. This also allows access to the full Snowfield, as only part of it was accessible originally, during the second battle with Sniper Wolf.
 * The Underground Passage where Snake fought Sniper Wolf (and where Meryl was shot) for the first time is now filled with snow, but still recognizable as the edges of the wall along with the alcoves can still be seen, but are damaged and uneven.

Blast Furnace:
 * There is a large control unit on the deck of the Blast Furnace, which is not there in either MGS or TTS.
 * The railings in the area are different.
 * The molten metal is gone.
 * The door to the cargo elevator has been sealed shut (Snake believes that Vamp did this to lure Snake to the casting Facility.
 * There is an elevator in the west corner (this doesn't exist in MGS or TTS) which leads to a previously unseen area called the Casting Facility used as an alternative route to REX's hangar. It is possible to see the shafts and mechanics of the Cargo Elevators in this area which Snake used previously.
 * The overall layout is similar but slightly different.

Underground Base and REX's Hangar:
 * The small hatch Snake crawls through from the Casting Facility is entirely absent in the original, in The Twin Snakes there is a hatch but it is higher up on the wall.
 * The floor traps are open and serve as the spawning point for the Dwarf Gekko.
 * The gun camera's are out of service due too the power cut and there aren't as many as there were before.
 * The waterfall has stopped.
 * The camera in the corridor just before entering REX's hangar (which captures Naomi and Vamp entering the hangar) was not there in MGS1 or TTS.
 * The door used to escape the Hangar when piloting REX is seen in both MGS and TTS but is inaccessible, in MGS4 it is revealed that it leads to the Port area, which was not seen originally. (The ending cut-scene in The Twin Snakes shows structures in the background similar to those seen in the Port, it is likely that this is in fact the Port as it would only be located a small distance down the same coast as the exit of the Supply Route).

Super Smash Bros. Brawl


Shadow Moses Island, specifically the Helipad area, also appears in the Nintendo themed fighter, Super Smash Bros. Brawl. When fifteen battles have been fought on this stage, Solid Snake will challenge the last player to win. If Snake is defeated, he will become a playable character.

During battle, a searchlight will hover over the walls of the battlefield; if it spots a character, a red "!" will appear over their heads, along with the trademark alert noise. The two searchlight towers, however, can be destroyed if attacked long enough, although they will restore themselves after a short period of time. Occasionally, Metal Gear REX, Metal Gear RAY, or two Gekko will appear in the background, though not affecting the fighters. Snake can also use his codec on this stage to contact Colonel Campbell (or, in the case of Luigi, his Patriot doppelganger), Mei Ling, and Otacon (and on one occasion, Slippy Toad from the Star Fox series, if Snake is fighting Falco) and gain intel regarding his opponents. If he is knocked out, however, the person on the other frequency will treat the situation like a traditional MGS "Game Over" situation.

Hideo Kojima worked on the development of Shadow Moses.

Appearances

 * Metal Gear Solid
 * Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes
 * Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
 * Super Smash Bros. Brawl