Shadow Moses Island



Shadow Moses is an island that is part of the Fox Archipelago laying south-west of 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 AT 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.

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 enviromental inclusions, Shadow Moses appears identical to the version's in Metal Gear Solid and Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes with some notable differences.

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 rooms west of the helipad now include ventilation ducts.
 * The ducts used to enter the Tank Hangar have a different layout.
 * There are now more steps leading onto the helipad, previously there were only two large steps.
 * The columns around the upper ventilation duct are different.

Tank Hangar: Canyon:
 * The stairs in the Tank Hangar are now closer to the main doors.
 * The upper ventilation duct exit is now destroyed.
 * The elevator that lead to the armory and to the jail cell floors is out of order. (possibly due to their being no electricity)
 * 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.

Nuclear Warhead Storage Building:
 * The elevated platform now has stantion supports below it. In MGS it is fixed to the wall with no supports, 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 elevator also won't go to floor B2 where Snake contacted Meryl and fought Psycho Mantis.

Lab:
 * The glass seperating the elevator and the control panel is smashed.
 * The Air Cleaners now have rectangular holes, originally they were circular.
 * The large dent in the wall where Gray Fox kicked an enemy soldier into it in is now on a different part of the wall.
 * The bodies of the soldiers that were killed nine years previously are not there, and there are no remains whatsoever.
 * The supercomputers in Otacon's office now have a transparent cover.

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 alcloves can still be seen, but are damaged.
 * Sniper Wolf's body is not visible, though this could be because it is either covered in snow, or a wolf carried her away as one does with Crying Wolf.

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.
 * There is an elevator in the west corner (this doesnt exist in MGS or TTS) which leads to a previously unseen area called the Casting Facillity used as an alternative route to REX's hangar. It is possible to see the shafts of the Cargo Elevators 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 waterfall has stopped.
 * 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 Star Fox) 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