Shadow Moses Island

Shadow Moses is an island that is part of the Fox Archipelago lying south-west 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, 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.

In 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. Ex-FOXHOUND operative Solid Snake was sent in to deal with the terrorist threat and defuse the situation. 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issued by Secretary of Defense Jim Houseman in order to keep the incident out of the public eye, but the orders were rescinded when Houseman was arrested at the last second.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 supposedly 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 claimed to have been 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 the rising waters due to global warming.

In 2014, Old Snake (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 Dwarf Gekko and Gekko, and fought and defeated Crying Wolf. 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, with Snake operating REX and Metal Gear RAY being piloted by Liquid Ocelot.

Cargo dock
A small port located within a cavern on the south of the island used for the transfer of cargo. An elevator to the north of the dock leads up to the island's heliport.

In 2005, Solid Snake infiltrated the island's disposal facility via the cargo dock.

Heliport
A small airport suitable only for use by helicopters, the heliport contained a single helipad with limited facilities such as lighting from two searchlights.

In 2005, the Sons of Big Boss used the heliport to dock a Mi-24 Hind D gunship, provided by the Gurlukovich Mercenaries.

Tank hangar
The tank hangar was built to hold the facility's two M1A1 Abrams tanks in protective storage.

In 2005, Solid Snake was forced to enter the tank hangar via the ventilation ducts, as the main door had been sealed due to the blizzard outside.

In 2014, Snake was able to access the hangar directly through the door, as it had been left open after the facility had been abandoned.

Holding cells
Located in the east section of the 2nd floor basement, the holding cells were used for the temporary confinement of base personnel as short term punishment for minor offences.

In 2005, the Sons of Big Boss used the holding cells to imprison their hostages, along with those soldiers who refused to participate in their revolt. It was here that Solid Snake met Decoy Octopus (disguised as the DARPA Chief), shortly before the latter's death, due to the FOXDIE virus being carried by Snake.

Medical room
Located to the west of the 2nd floor basement, the medical room was used to provide healthcare and patient treatment for base personnel.

In 2005, Revolver Ocelot placed his electrical torture machine within the medical room, in order to extract information from the terrorists' hostages. It was through his torture of the DARPA Chief, regarding the location of the nuclear weapons' PAL system, that Ocelot concealed the chief's deliberate murder. Solid Snake himself was later tortured and imprisoned within the medical room.

Armory
The armory was a location used for the storage of weapons and ammunition.

In 2005, Solid Snake battled with Revolver Ocelot to the armory's south, in order to rescue the ArmsTech President.

Canyon
A canyon providing passage between the tank hangar and the nuclear warhead storage building.

In 2005, Snake fought and disabled one of the base's M1A1 Abrams tanks within the canyon, which was operated by Vulcan Raven and two Genome Soldiers.

Nuclear warhead storage building
In 2005, Snake was restricted from using weapons in the warhead storage area by his internal nanomachines, due to the risk of igniting any leaking radioactive material from the nuclear warheads.

In 2014, the nuclear warheads had been removed from the missiles by Liquid Ocelot.

Dr. Hal Emmerich's lab
Located in the northeast section of the 2nd floor basement, the laboratory of Dr. Hal Emmerich was outfitted with several supercomputers for the purpose of testing newly-developed weaponry in a virtual environment.

In 2005, Snake battled the Cyborg Ninja, who turned out to be his former FOXHOUND comrade Gray Fox.

Commander's room
Located on the 1st floor basement, this was the personal office of the base's commander. A bookcase in the room concealed a door leading to the underground passage to the communications towers.

In 2005, Snake fought and defeated Psycho Mantis here.

Cave
A small cave providing passage between the 1st floor basement of the nuclear warhead storage building and the underground passage leading to the communication towers. The cave was inhabited by Wolfs.

Underground passage
Passage leading from the cave to Communication Tower A. It was situated underground due to the presence of glaciers above.

In 2005, Snake first battled Sniper Wolf here, after Meryl Silverburgh was shot by the latter.

Communications towers
The two communications towers were tall man-made structures, designed to support a large high-gain reflector dish antenna for data communications.

In 2005, Solid Snake used the walkway between the Communications Towers A and B in order to cross over the glaciers that were blocking the overland route. Snake was initially forced to use the walkway on the roof, though this was destroyed, along with the towers' dish antenna, by Liquid Snake, using the Hind D. After crossing via an alternative walkway, Snake decided to finish off Liquid's Hind, and was successful in destroying it using Stinger missiles that he had procured in Tower B.

Snowfield
In 2005, Sniper Wolf battled Snake here for the second time. Nine years later, Wolf's doppelganger, Crying Wolf, battled Snake in the same area.

Blast furnace
Due to the difficulty of bringing suppplies to the base, a blast furnace was built for the creation of building materials.

Casting facility
The molten metal from the blast furnace was transported to the casting facility, where it would be poured into a mold, which contains a hollow cavity of the desired shape, and then allowed to solidify. The solidified part would then be ejected or broken out of the mold to complete the process.

Warehouse
In 2005, Snake battled Vulcan Raven within the warehouse.

Underground base
The location of Metal Gear REX's development and maintenance. A large elevator would carry REX between the underground base and the supply route above for deployment of the Nuclear-armed bipedal tank.

Control room
A room that served as the operations centre where Metal Gear REX and its nuclear payload could be monitored and controlled.

Supply route
A large tunnel used to transport weapons, ammunition, equipment, and supply. In 2005, Snake battled and disabled Liquid's Metal Gear REX, then subsequently fought Liquid atop Metal Gear REX.

In 2014, Snake held off numerous Suicide Gekko while Raiden fought against Vamp atop Metal Gear REX.

Supply port
A large coastal port for transporting cargo to and from the island by cargo ship. In 2014, Snake piloted a newly-reactivated Metal Gear REX and battled against Liquid Ocelot's Metal Gear RAY.

Military technology (as of 2005)

 * M1A1 Abrams tanks (2)
 * Jeeps (2)
 * Cargo trucks (3)
 * Metal Gear REX
 * Snowmobile

Behind the scenes
In Metal Gear Solid, Otacon mentions that there is a mess hall in the facility, but it is 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. According to Gary McGolden's article, The Shocking Conspiracy Behind Shadow Moses, 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, but it was cut off, and thus left it blocked off in the final version.

When Snake returns to Shadow Moses Island 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, though there will also be dents in the walls, even though none of the soldiers were thrown into those walls. 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.

Differences between games
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 Dock, Holding Cells, Armory, Commander's Room, Cave, Underground Passage (remains of this area can still be seen in the Snowfield), Inside the 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 both the original Metal Gear Solid and Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes canonical 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 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, however on the PlayStation's sound hardware, the outside noise is not noticeable, yet is when played through the PlayStation 3 (and also the Nintendo GameCube). Note that this is not the case in the Japanese release.

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 piece 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.

Tank Hangar:
 * The front hangar door has been opened up. In Metal Gear Solid/The Twin Snakes it was locked due to a blizzard.
 * 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 Hanger are now closer to the main doors and are a different albiet more realistic model.
 * 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.

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 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.

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 is a reflective surface, Metal Gear Solid/The Twin Snakes features a matte, non-reflective wall.
 * 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.

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 Otacon'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.

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, where the rest of the area was enclosed by a series of barricades.
 * The Underground Passage where Snake fought Sniper Wolf (and where Meryl Silverburgh 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.
 * The cargo truck that was parked near the storerooms has gone.
 * The wreckage of the Hind D that Snake destroyed previously can be seen.
 * Liquid Snake's parachute, which was previously visible on a tree near the Hind D wreckage, is gone.

Blast Furnace:
 * 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 molten metal is gone (it appears to have been intentionally drained out of the furnace).
 * 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 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 cameras are out of service due to the power cut and there aren't as many as there were before. In Metal Gear Solid, there were approximately 30 or more gun placements on the walls. In The Twin Snakes, there are only 4, guarding the corridor to REX's hangar.
 * 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 there in Metal Gear Solid or The Twin Snakes.
 * 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.

Appearances

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