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 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.

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. 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. 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issued by Secretary of Defense Jim Houseman in order to keep the incident out of the public eye, but the orders were rescinded when Houseman was arrested at the last second.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 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.

Cargo dock
In 2005, Solid Snake infiltrated the island's disposal facility via the cargo dock. In addition, Liquid Snake sent several Genome soldiers to guard the cargo dock prior to leaving in a Hind D to take down some F-16s, anticipating Snake's arrival via the area.

Heliport
In 2005, the Sons of Big Boss used the heliport to dock a Mi-24 Hind D gunship, provided by the Gurlukovich Mercenaries. In 2014, Snake entered the area through a hole in the wall that connected to a snowfield.

Tank hangar
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. The ventilation duct was also left open in order to spray for rats.

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 (B1)
Located in the east section of the 1st floor basement of the tank hangar, the holding cells were used for the temporary confinement of base personnel as short term punishment for minor offences. It was also adjacent to the medical facility. It contained two cells, a bathroom, and an office that was presumably used as a prisoner registration area/guard post.

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) and Meryl Silverburgh, sneaking into the former's cell via the ventilation shafts that were left open in order for the personnel to start spraying for rats. Snake later returned here after escaping from the medical facility, although he also had to avoid some gun cameras that had been recently installed into the area near the elevator.

Medical room (B1)
Located to the west of the 1st floor basement of the tank hangar (adjacent to the holding cells), the medical room was used to provide healthcare and patient treatment for base personnel. It also contained a single room besides the medical lab itself, which was primarily where a patient is to stay at.

In 2005, Revolver Ocelot placed his electrical torture machine within the medical room, in order to extract information from the terrorists' hostages. It was also the place where he ended up murdering Donald Anderson and concealing it as a botched torture session. Solid Snake himself was later tortured and imprisoned within the medical room.

Armory (B2)
The armory was used for the storage of weapons and ammunition, located in the 2nd floor basement of the tank hangar. There were originally going to be renovations to the armory, but it was postponed due to the terrorist attack, thus leaving unpainted areas that could be used to detect weakened walls. The main portions of the armory were rooms that contained fragmentation grenades, C4, FAMAS (both the gun and the ammunition), Nikita missiles (ammunition and weapon), and a PSG-1, along with SOCOM ammunition. In addition, there were some areas beyond the walls that contained a support pillar as well as two rooms beyond the passageway in a weakened wall that contained various fenced off equipment that presumably were generators for the ventilation shaft, as they were connected to the ventilation shafts, as well as some Stinger missiles and a digital camera. Pit traps were also utilized within the main armory area. The various rooms also forbade smoking.

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 (1)
The first floor of the nuke building was used the house the facility's dismantled warheads.

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. By 2014, the nuclear warheads had been removed from the missiles by the U.S. Government due to the sinking of the Fox Islands.

Western Labs (B2)
The area that most of the engineers for Metal Gear REX worked on developing various technologies or things related to REX. Seven office cubicles were installed in this lab, as well as various desks. It also contained various air cleaners in the walls to dust off tiny particles off of the personnel's bodies before entering the lab. It also contained an electric floor as well as a generator for the electric floor. It was connected to the main lab of Hal Emmerich by a hallway in the back to the right, facing the entrance to the labs.

In 2005, a large portion of the lab was laced with poison gas (organophosphate nerve agents such as Soman) by the Sons of Big Boss during the Shadow Moses Incident, in order to prevent Dr. Emmerich from escaping in case he managed to evade the guards. The gas was also colored yellow to make it easier for personnel to detect if there was a leak (as organophosphate nerve agents in their pure form are colorless and odorless) Solid Snake had to utilize a remote-control Nikita missile to blow up the generator and deactivate the electric floor so he can freely access Otacon's lab. Gray Fox also slaughtered the six-man unit stationed inside the hallway shortly before Snake arrived. Nine years later, Snake had to traverse through this area in order to get to Dr. Hal Emmerich's lab in order to activate the doors on the first floor of the Warhead Storage Building to access the Snowfield.

Dr. Hal Emmerich's lab (B2)
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 virtual environments. In addition, it contained shelves of magazines, at least one of which was a book detailing the art of Alaska, as well as various computer control panels, a small office, two lockers, and a whiteboard that contained various algebraic equations (presumably relating to the REX project).

In 2005, Emmerich was confined to his lab by the Sons of Big Boss in order to continue his research on Metal Gear. After his life was threatened by the Cyborg Ninja, he was rescued by Snake, who proceeded to battle and defeat the ninja in unarmed combat. Nine years later, Snake returned to the lab in order to restore security to the building, and unlock the first floor back door leading to the snowfield.

Commander's room (B1)
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 addition, the office contained a diorama/hologram of the communication towers. To the south of the command room itself is the main lobby, which contained lavatories as well as a lab with various supplies within. The men's lavatories' mirrors were also shattered.

In 2005, Snake tried to locate a Nikita missile here as well as Meryl Silverburgh after she was ambushed. In the office itself, Snake fought and defeated Psycho Mantis here in order to save Meryl Silverburgh from his control.

Cave
In 2005, Meryl and Solid Snake traversed through here in order to get to the underground passageway. They also had to be cautious due to wolfdogs inhabiting the caves, although they didn't attack Meryl due to taking a liking to her. Snake later had to retraverse through the caves to go back to the armory and find a suitable sniper rifle after Meryl was shot by Sniper Wolf before retraversing again with the sniper rifle in tow. Snake later traversed through the caves one final time after escaping confinement in the medical room at the tank hangar.

Underground passage
In 2005, the passage was laid with Claymore mines, which were successfully avoided by Snake and Meryl Silverburgh, after the latter was able to recall Psycho Mantis's memories. However, they were ambushed by Sniper Wolf, whom Snake was forced to battle when Meryl was shot. Although he managed to temporarily defeat Sniper Wolf, he also ended up captured. He returned here later after escaping imprisonment, and had a brief flashback to when Meryl was shot when seeing the bloodstain before successfully infiltrating the communication towers.

Communications towers
The two communications towers were tall man-made structures, designed to support a large high-gain reflector dish antenna for data communications. They were both approximately 28 stories tall.

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, as the one located on the 16th floor was inaccessible due to the door being frozen from the outside. However, the upper walkway was destroyed, along with the towers' dish antenna, by Liquid Snake's Hind D. Rapelling down the exterior of Tower A to the lower walkway, Snake successfully crossed to Tower B, and proceeded to destroy Liquid's Hind using Stinger missiles that he procured there. Some of the lower stairs and walkways inside Tower B had previously collapsed, causing Snake to use the elevator, where several stealth-camouflaged soldiers attempted to ambush him.

Snowfield
In 2005, Sniper Wolf battled Snake here for the second time. Nine years later, Wolf's doppelgänger, Crying Wolf, battled Snake in the same area. Various armories occupy the perimeter in addition to the entrance to the underground base and the communication towers, and contain various pine trees. Liquid Snake also placed a parachute on top of a tree so Snake could know that he survived his Hind's crash. A truck was also stationed there, implying that the Snowfield was part of a supply route.

Underground maintenance base
The underground base was a facility used for the construction of Metal Gear REX and various other weapons. It contained a blast furnace and a casting/rolling facility to make building materials, as well as two cargo elevators, a warehouse, as well as the main facility itself. It was five floors underground.

Blast furnace
Due to the difficulty of bringing supplies to the base, a blast furnace was built for the creation of building. . The pipes used for the boiler in the blast furnace were also outdated, releasing steam occasionally. To the northwest was a service elevator that led directly to the casting and rolling facilities.

In 2005, Solid Snake passed through this area in order to get through the underground base, as well as attempt to avoid a mechanical arm knocking him into the molten metal. He later returned here in order to superheat the PAL key to gain the third key in order to deactivate REX.

In 2014, the molten metal had long since been drained. Snake used an elevator to the west to descend to the casting facility.

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.

Snake used the casting facility as an alternate route to the underground base, in 2014, as the door leading to the cargo elevator and warehouse had been sealed by Vamp. Numerous unmanned weapons were deployed to guard the facility.

Cargo elevator
A series of cargo elevators were developed to transport vehicles and building materials to the underground maintenance base during its construction. It was originally intended that there be only one cargo elevator, but the designers changed plans and added a relay point between two elevators, due to the structural integrity of the bedrock.

Warehouse
The warehouse was located directly in the middle of the permafrost layer, and lacked a heater. It contained a lot of crates because the room in question was still under construction, since finishing Metal Gear's underground base remained the top priority. To the north of the warehouse is a waterway separating the Underground base from the warehouse, connected via a stairwell, which also contains a second set of stairs containing an alcove.

In 2005, Snake battled Vulcan Raven within the warehouse, using the storage containers as cover from Raven's Vulcan minigun. Snake later revisited the warehouse in order to cause REX's override PAL key to freeze and change shape, thus allowing him to place another override code to shut down REX, as well as evade several Genome soldiers that arrived at the area.

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. The drainage ditch around REX's elevator contained spent fuel/nuclear waste, namely due to the negligence of the personnel of disposing it.

In 2005, Snake attempted to locate the PAL key here after Ocelot shot it out of his hand, as well as attempt to deactivate REX in this area. However, due to a ruse set up by Liquid, Snake ended up unknowingly activating REX instead.

In 2014, Snake utilized the same cargo elevator that brought up REX to get up to the supply tunnel after Otacon remotely via the Mk. III managed to activate it.

Control room
The control room served as the operations centre where Metal Gear REX and its nuclear payload could be monitored and controlled. It is located on the third floor walkway of the underground base. There were three laptop computers connected to the control panel that acted as activation/deactivation keys to Metal Gear REX, depending on whether the activation codes were activated or not, as well as a map of the world in the back and various holographic charts near the window. The window itself was made of bulletproof glass as protection from threats outside the control room, and presumably as a means to further trap the intruder. It has nerve gas release valves in case an intruder managed to infiltrate the area. Security cameras were also installed to monitor the room for any intrusions.

In 2005, Liquid Snake and Ocelot discussed their plans within the control room, as the deadline to their planned nuclear strike loomed. Solid Snake eavesdropped on the two, but was later discovered, subsequently dropping a PAL key into a drainage ditch far below, after being shot at by Ocelot. Snake later retrieved the card and used the control room to input override codes, in order to deactivate Metal Gear REX. However, this plan failed when Snake unwittingly activated REX instead, having been tricked by Liquid.

Supply route
A large tunnel used to transport weapons, ammunition, equipment, and supplies. It was also split into two different routes. One was the actual supply route, and the other was an alternate, much smaller tunnel to the left of the main supply route, used to escape from the facility in case of an emergency.

In 2005, Snake battled and disabled Metal Gear REX, then later fought Liquid Snake atop REX's frame. After Liquid's defeat, Snake and Meryl used the supply tunnels to escape from Shadow Moses during an impending bombing raid.

In 2014, Snake held off numerous Suicide Gekko while Raiden fought against Vamp atop REX's remains. Snake later escaped through this area, piloting the newly-reactivated REX, when the Suicide Gekko attempted the destroy the underground base.

Supply port
A large coastal port for transporting cargo to and from the island via boat.

In 2014, Snake piloted Metal Gear REX in battle against Liquid Ocelot's Metal Gear RAY. Sections of the port area were damaged when Liquid attempted to crush Snake with his personal warship, Outer Haven.

3D Environments
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, 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
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 both Metal Gear Solid and Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes, this area is available only in the begining 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 missing.

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. It contained an armory. It was also connected to a snowfield, although it was primarily sealed away.
 * 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 tank hangar was built to hold the facility's two M1A1 Abrams tanks in protective storage, and to maintain them. The tank hangar's cargo door was also designed to act as an airlock that seals itself and releases poison gas if an intruder trips one of the infrared sensors. It was at least two stories high and contained two basement floors, although the second floor of the building was an observation balcony. It also contained two computer labs on the second floor, and one storage area on each floor. The second floor storage area was locked behind a large door, and contained various crates and presumably acted as a pantry, as it also contained various wine bottles and watermelons. The tank hangar also contains a diesel generator to produce electricity throughout the base, necessitating ventilation shafts for this as well as recirculating air, as well as a cargo elevator for travel between the hangar floor, the holding cells/medical room and the armory to deliver supplies and to transport personnel.
 * 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 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.
 * 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.

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.The_Canyon_(Metal_Gear_Solid_4).png
 * 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.

Lab

 * The glass separating the elevator and the control panel is smashed.
 * The air cleaners now have rectangular holes; originally they were circular.The_Lab_in_Metal_Gear_Solid_4.png
 * 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.Supercomputers_from_the_Lab_(Metal_Gear_Solid_4).png
 * 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
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 wolf dogs.

Underground Passage
Passage leading from the cave to Communications Tower A. It was situated underground due to the presence of glaciers above.
 * In Metal Gear Solid 4, this area is inaccessible. However, a small part of it can still be seen in the snowfield.

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.

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 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 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.

Vehicles (as of 2005)

 *  M1A1 Abrams tanks (2)

Security systems (as of 2005)

 * Surveillance cameras

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

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.

In Metal Gear Solid, Otacon mentions that there is a mess hall in the island's disposal facility, though 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. 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. 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 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. 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 (Twin Snakes reference).

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.

Appearances

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