Shadow Moses Island



Shadow Moses is an island that is part of the Fox Archipelago lying southwest of mainland Alaska in the Bering Sea. A nuclear weapons disposal facility located on Shadow Moses secretly doubled as a massive weapons development complex.

History
Shadow Moses was formed by the eruption of the active volcano Old Moses on the island of  Unimak, one of the Fox Islands at the eastern end of the Aleutian chain.

The nuclear weapons disposal facility on the island was built in 2002. Officially, it was made to temporarily store nuclear warheads so it wouldn't come into conflict with START-2, but in reality, it was owned and operated by an ArmsTech dummy corporation for the development of Metal Gear REX. Shadow Moses itself was too small to accommodate a runway, and was thus inaccessible by airplane. The island was furnished with its own power plant and foundry to make it self-sufficient. The facility also possessed sonar detection capability, allowing them to spot ships/submarines from a distance, or choppers in the area.



In early 2005, Shadow Moses was the location of a top secret test launch of a new type of stealth nuclear warhead, conducted by ArmsTech and DARPA and overseen by FOXHOUND and the Next-Generation Special Forces. However, shortly thereafter, FOXHOUND rebelled against the U.S. Government, holding DARPA Chief Donald Anderson and ArmsTech President Kenneth Baker hostage, and hijacking Metal Gear REX and its nuclear armament, with the threat of launching one of its nukes via REX unless Washington gives them Big Boss's body and one billion dollars. In addition, security was heightened after an intruder managed to infiltrate the island and kill three of the Sons of Big Boss personnel while cloaked. Ex-FOXHOUND operative Solid Snake was sent in to deal with the terrorist threat and defuse the situation, although not without gradually discovering some secrets about the true nature of the base. Liquid Snake, during this time, gradually decided to invoke Big Boss's dream of Outer Heaven, while making Shadow Moses the new Outer Heaven's forward operating base due to their having REX and the base's stockpile of nuclear weapons. The island facility was nearly destroyed by an aerial nuclear strike issued by Secretary of Defense Jim Houseman in order to keep the incident out of the public eye, but the orders were rescinded when Houseman was arrested at the last second. This became known as the Shadow Moses Incident.

Post-Shadow Moses
Following the incident, a journalist named Gary McGolden traveled to the island in order to verify Nastasha Romanenko's account of the Shadow Moses Incident, in her book In the Darkness of Shadow Moses: The Unofficial Truth. According to McGolden's article (The Shocking Conspiracy Behind Shadow Moses), the island had been placed under the control of the military, in order to conceal the events that took place there. He was captured by agents of the Patriots, but their attempts at interrogating him, regarding his sources, were foiled when he was rescued by an "invisible" savior. Afterwards, the island was completely abandoned and remained untouched for seven years, presumably due to the greater exposure given to Romanenko's book, following the publication of McGolden's article. In any case the island, along with the Fox Archipelago, was steadily being swamped by the rising waters due to global warming, which acted as the primary reason for the U.S. Army removing the nuclear materials and its control over Shadow Moses Island.



In 2014, Solid Snake returned to Shadow Moses after discovering that Liquid Ocelot intended to steal the railgun from Metal Gear REX. This was because it was not under SOP control and could launch a stealth missile at a satellite in space which housed JD, the Patriots core AI. Once again infiltrating the base, Snake fought his way through numerous Gekko and Dwarf Gekko, and fought and defeated Crying Wolf (in the same Snowfield where he had fought Sniper Wolf nine years before). Snake made his way to the underground supply tunnel and found REX, but the railgun had already been removed. He then encountered Vamp, and managed to temporarily strip him of his immortality, giving Raiden a chance to kill him. REX's hangar became the final resting place for Vamp and Naomi Hunter, and with hordes of Suicide Gekkos pouring in, Snake and Raiden managed to escape in the re-powered Metal Gear REX. Snake and Liquid then ended up fighting at Shadow Moses' port area, with Snake operating REX and Metal Gear RAY being piloted by Liquid Ocelot.

Geography
Shadow Moses Island, because of its location, possessed cold weather. Because of this as well as frequent Blizzards, it was largely covered in snow. It contained at least two snowfields, one located to the east of the Heliport, and another located between the Nuclear Storage Facility and the Underground Maintenance Base. It also possessed a canyon area, which allowed for traversing between the Tank Hangar and the Nuclear Storage Facility. The canyon area likewise possessed some devices similar to watercoolers as well as a drainage trench. It also possessed glaciers between the storage facility and the maintenance base, which made traversing between the two treacherous save for vehicles adapted for such purposes. It also possessed a natural cavern that acted as a means for personnel to safely traverse to the communications tower/maintenance base on foot. However, it was also a den for various wolfdogs that were abandoned. Also because of its location, it also possessed several evergreen trees.

Personnel (as of 2005)

 * Scientists (at least 8)
 * Dr. Hal Emmerich (chief researcher)
 * Kenneth Baker (original owner)
 * Sons of Big Boss (usurper owners)
 * FOXHOUND
 * Liquid Snake
 * Revolver Ocelot
 * Psycho Mantis
 * Sniper Wolf
 * Vulcan Raven
 * Decoy Octopus
 * Next-Generation Special Forces
 * Johnny Sasaki

Vehicles (as of 2005)

 * M1A1 Abrams tanks (2)


 * Jeeps (2)


 * M548/M1015 Full Tracked Cargo Vehicles (3)


 * Metal Gear REX


 * Snowmobile (1)


 * Forklifts (1)


 * Tank wagon


 * Mil Mi-24 Hind D (1)

Security systems (as of 2005)

 * Surveillance cameras


 * Gun cameras


 * Infrared sensors


 * Nerve gas


 * Electrified floor

Wildlife

 * Caribou
 * Alaskan field mice: Alaskan field mice are rodents native to Alaska. Although they lack the necessary thickness of fat to normally survive the weather in Alaska, they compensate by digging tunnels underneath the snow to keep themselves warm. However, they are also somewhat cannibalistic, as the males sometimes kill and eat any offspring that aren't their own, which is also believed to be a way to ensure that the male field mice's own genes are passed on. They also can survive long periods underwater.
 * Wolfdogs
 * Northern Ravens (population increased in 2005 )
 * Rats (there were Rats in REX's hanger in 2005, one of which eats the PAL Keycard)

Behind the scenes
Shadow Moses Island is a fictional location that serves as the main setting of Metal Gear Solid, and one of the settings in Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. The approximate real world location of the island can be found at 54N 36' 53.7156" 166W 46' 1.0842".

In Metal Gear Solid, Otacon mentions that there is a mess hall and a computer room in the island's disposal facility, though they are never seen in-game. Also, none of the other scientists that worked on the base are seen in-game either, although Snake mentions them while talking to Jim Houseman. The novelization reveals another building with smokestacks as being the location where most of the hostages were being detained, which was an underground bunker that had a permanently sealed entrance as well as a secret entrance found inside caverns. In addition, the novelization also establishes an alternate route between the tank hangar and the warhead storage building that was covered in snow, which Meryl used via a transport truck while disguised as a Genome Soldier. Johnny Sasaki also held an office in the prison/medical area of the Tank Hangar, which had a steel cabinet containing plenty of ammunition for the SOCOM nad PSG-1, some fragmentation, stun, and chaff grenades, C4 explosives, and a Fairbairn-Sykes, U.S. Marine issue commando knife, as well as a package containing Kevlar-coated M1-11 combat vest. Solid Snake later stole these items shortly after escaping the medical area before being contacted by Master Miller. According to the article, The Shocking Conspiracy Behind Shadow Moses, bundled with Metal Gear Solid 2, there was also a weather station located on the island. An Integral Podcast revealed that during Metal Gear Solid 4 's development, there was originally supposed to be a frozen lake at the top of the path that led to the Canyon, and that it would have contained a frozen lake that two Gekko were searching on and the main entrance was also in the same snowfield that Snake was to start Act 1 in, but it was cut off, and thus left it blocked off in the final version, because the developers realized that this would take away fans expectations of wanting to reminisce about the Heliport area. In addition, the podcast also revealed there was also intended to be a secret base below the Warhead Storage Building, but it was cut from the final version.

When Snake returns to in Metal Gear Solid 4, many audio flashbacks will play when the player reaches a certain point; listening to these flashbacks will award the player with extra Drebin Points. On the way to Otacon's old lab, the blood of the soldiers that Gray Fox killed in Metal Gear Solid remain. When the player reaches Otacon's lab, he and Snake will reminisce about what happened, as well as the fact that it was the very same room where they first met. A dark marking on the floor can also be seen next to the locker, which is the spot where Otacon wet himself while being attacked by Gray Fox. In the same area, the Mario and Yoshi figures that were on Otacon's computer are gone (these items are references of The Twin Snakes).

The fact that Snake revisits Shadow Moses and sees the wreckage of Metal Gear REX is similar to the part of Metal Gear Solid: Ghost Babel, where Snake goes back to the Outer Heaven base and sees the wreckage of TX-55 in its hangar.

3D environment changes
In terms of layout and environmental inclusions, Shadow Moses appears nearly identical to the versions in Metal Gear Solid and Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes, but with some notable differences.

Certain areas of the island are inaccessible in Metal Gear Solid 4. These areas are the cargo dock, holding cells, medical center, armory, commander's room, cave, underground passage (remains of this area can still be seen in the snowfield), communication towers, cargo elevators and warehouse. In addition, two new areas have been added; the casting facilty, which serves as an alternate route to REX's hangar, and the port area, which is located through the large door in REX's hangar, and serves as the location for an epic battle leading to the climax of the chapter.

Metal Gear Solid 4 establishes that neither Metal Gear Solid or Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes are singularly canonical, since elements from both versions are present in this version, as are some that contradict one or even both. Examples include the audio flashbacks taken from The Twin Snakes, which used re-recorded voice acting, whereas Snake's image flashbacks are from Metal Gear Solid, including Snake's dream sequence. The reason for using the voice acting from The Twin Snakes, is because the dialogue from Metal Gear Solid was not recorded in a soundproof booth, unlike The Twin Snakes. Note that this is not the case in the Japanese release.

Dock

 * In both Metal Gear Solid and Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes, this area is available only in the beginning of the game.
 * In Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes, we can see three lockers which do not exist in the original version (Metal Gear Solid)
 * In Metal Gear Solid 4, this area is inaccessible but the elevator to it is shown.

Heliport

 * Snake infiltrates the heliport area via a small passage through the rock wall in Metal Gear Solid 4. In Metal Gear Solid and Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes this passage doesn't exist but there is a large pieShadow Moses intel 2.jpg of the wall missing where it's supposed to be, indicating that it may actually be there.
 * The metal barricade that was previously attached to the western edge has gone entirely. Instead, there is another barricade blocking access to the elevator.
 * 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, whereas Metal Gear Solid had two large steps and The Twin Snakes had four steps.
 * The columns around the upper ventilation duct are different.
 * During the "nightmare" flashback, the SOCOM is not present in the back of the truck parked in front of the Tank Hangar.
 * The SOCOM in the back of the truck parked in front of the Tank Hangar returns (now called Mark 23) but is now found under the truck.

Tank Hangar

 * The front hangar door has been opened up. In Metal Gear Solid/The Twin Snakes it was locked due to a blizzard.
 * In Metal Gear Solid 4, there are no surveillance cameras in the Tank Hangar and Dwarf Gekko are now attached to the walls where the cameras were.
 * The stairs in the tank hangar are now closer to the main doors, and look more realistic than before.
 * The upper ventilation duct exit has been destroyed.
 * The M1 tank's cannon has been turned to the side.
 * Some of the small rooms that previously required a keycard are now permanently open.
 * The remaining M1 tank is now an M1A2 rather than the M1A1 shown in previous games.
 * The floor of the hangar lacks the large turntable directly in front of the door to the Canyon. The markings and panel lines on the floor are either altered or totally absent.

Snowfield

 * Snake enters this area through a large door connecting the nuclear warhead storage building to the snowfield. This door was locked previously. This entrance also allows access to the full Snowfield, as only part of it was accessible originally, during the second battle with Sniper Wolf; the rest of the area was enclosed by a series of solid metal fences topped with barbed wire. Most of these are still present, but there are now multiple gaps.
 * The underground passage where Snake fought Sniper Wolf for the first time (and where Meryl Silverburgh was shot) is now almost totally filled with snow, with the edges of the walls starting to crumble inwards and the catwalk and door to Tower A completely buried.
 * There is no cargo truck in the area North of Comm Tower B.
 * The door to the interior of Comm Tower B is locked.
 * As with other areas which formerly contained dead bodies, there is no trace of Sniper Wolf's body or her rifle in the snowfield.
 * Liquid Snake's parachute, which was previously visible on a tree to the East of the exit to Comm Tower B, is gone.
 * Liquid's Hind-D in Metal Gear Solid crashed directly in front of the East face of Comm Tower B, the POV shot as Liquid shouts "Snaaaake!" implying it landed tail-first. The wreck in Metal Gear Solid 4 is located Northeast of the tower behind the trees where Liquid's parachute was located, and is shown as having landed nose-down. There is now an electrical substation East of Tower B where the Hind would have landed.
 * The two Comm Towers now feature exterior access steps and ladders that allow them to be scaled for a considerable distance without being entered.
 * There is no sign of the wreckage of the bridge that connected the tops of the two Comm Towers or the large antenna dish mounted on it; the ground between Towers A and B is totally clear of debris.

Canyon

 * There is a small passage in the rocks to the right of the door into the tank hangar that doesn't appear in the other versions, leading to a dead end with some items.
 * In The Twin Snakes, there is a duct that runs across the ground which is not in Metal Gear Solid or Metal Gear Solid 4, though it is likely that this would now be snowed over, explaining its absence in Metal Gear Solid 4.
 * Raven's M1 tank is not there. It was presumably removed by the Genome Soldiers after Snake had destroyed it. In Metal Gear Solid, the tank is not present if Snake goes back through the area after retrieving the Nikita, while in The Twin Snakes, the wreakage remains there for the duration of the game.
 * Some kind of pump is on the right side of the entrance to the storage building.

Nuclear warhead storage building

 * The gun cameras that were on the front door in Metal Gear Solid/The Twin Snakes are no longer there.
 * The elevated platform now has supports below it. In Metal Gear Solid it is fixed to the wall with no supports at all, in The Twin Snakes it has a small support where it meets the floor.
 * Around the corner from the elevator there was a crate that is no longer there.
 * The steps to the upper level are different (the same steps model used in the tank hangar).
 * The western wall contains a window that shows rows of disarmed missile casings. Metal Gear Solid lacked a window showing this, although it was present in The Twin Snakes. According to the Kojima Podcast for Act 4, the reason why they weren't able to add in the window in the original version was due to graphical limitations.
 * There are no surveillance cameras in the missile hangar anymore.
 * Snake can now use all of his weapons on the first floor of the building. In an optional codec conversation with Otacon, he says that the warheads were removed from the missiles.
 * The elevator control panel now only allows selection of floors 1 and B2, leaving B1 completely inaccessible. In addition, the elevator can now be interacted with via gameplay while it is descending, unlike both Metal Gear Solid and The Twin Snakes, where upon inputting the desired floor, it fades to a black screen listing the area you descended to. According to the podcast, the reason for the lack of interaction within the elevator when descending in previous games was because it was a disguised method of loading.

Nuclear warhead storage building B2 and 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 9 years before, though stains and bullet holes remain. The corpses were presumably recovered by a clean-up crew.
 * The large dent in the wall left from when Gray Fox kicked a soldier into it, is now on another section of the wall.
 * The supercomputers in Hal Emmerich's old office now have transparent covers and a green illumination.
 * The small control panel on the wall just before the electric floor (the one that deactivates after the main panel is hit by a missile) is not there.
 * The gun cameras that were in this area are gone.
 * Desks and equipment in the west office (where the Nikita missile went through) are now damaged and disorganized.
 * The PlayStation (or GameCube in The Twin Snakes) that was originally on one of the desks is gone.
 * A large hole in the ceiling in the hall with the electrified floor is present.

Cave

 * In Metal Gear Solid 4, this area is inaccessible. However, a small part of it can still be seen in the snowfield. It can be however, seen clearly.

Underground Passageway

 * In Metal Gear Solid 4, this area is inaccessible. However, a small part of it can still be seen in the snowfield.

Blast Furnace

 * The wall directly right of the entrance is covered in mysterious bullet holes in MGS4.
 * There are no gun cameras in the entrance room and the crate can no longer be crawled under.
 * There is a large control unit on the deck of the blast furnace, which is not there in either Metal Gear Solid or The Twin Snakes.
 * The railings in the area are a different, more realistic decaying model.
 * The furnace has been shut down and the pools of molten metal drained rather than being allowed to solidify.
 * There is an elevator in the west corner (this doesn't exist in Metal Gear Solid or The Twin Snakes) which leads to a previously unseen area called the casting facility, used as an alternative route to REX's hangar. The mechanics and shafts of the cargo elevator's can be seen in this area.
 * The overall layout is similar but slightly different.

Underground Base

 * 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 majority of the gun cameras in the room before REX's hangar are completely missing; only their mounting brackets remain, though there are a large number of these. In The Twin Snakes, there are only 4, guarding the corridor to REX's hangar.
 * There are numerous bullet holes from automatic weapon fire around the damaged mounting brackets. In MGS1 it would have been impossible to do this.
 * The waterfall of drainage waste no longer runs.
 * The camera in the corridor just before entering REX's hangar (which captures Vamp and Naomi Hunter entering the hangar) was not present in Metal Gear Solid or The Twin Snakes.
 * The elevator REX once stood on has been lowered back to hangar level at some point between the two games.
 * The door used to escape the supply route when piloting REX is seen in both Metal Gear Solid and The Twin Snakes but is inaccessible (Snake refers to it as "the door in front?" when questioning his escape in Metal Gear Solid/The Twin Snakes). In Metal Gear Solid 4, it is revealed that it leads to the port area, which was not seen originally, though the ending cutscene 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 fighting game, Super Smash Bros. Brawl. When fifteen battles have been fought on this stage, Solid Snake will challenge the winner of the previous battle. Upon his defeat, 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 Game Over in the Metal Gear Solid games.

Hideo Kojima worked on the development of Shadow Moses.

Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops
Shadow Moses Island, more specifically REX's hangar, also appears as a multiplayer map for Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops 's online mode.

Metal Gear Online


Shadow Moses Island, more specifically its Snowfield, makes an appearance as the playable map Icebound Inferno, included as a downloadable stage in the SCENE expansion of Metal Gear Online, alongside Old Snake. It is suitable for mid- to long-range combat. In addition downloading this stage will also unlock an auto matching reward mode that allows players to win more points than usual, which, depending on whether the setting is a team deathmatch or solo, the points will either be rewarded to the player on the winning team who ranked first or to the winner of the match, respectively.

Appearances

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