Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain has arrived with what may be the last true installment of the Metal Gear Solid franchise (as well as the last good video game from developer/police state Konami). Last year's Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes gave gamers a brief taste of Hideo Kojima's open-world reinvention of his famous stealth series, but this is the main course.

Players strap on the eyepatch of Venom Snake, a.k.a. Big Boss, the hero of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater and eventual villain of the original Metal Gear on the NES. In The Phantom Pain, Snake awakens from a nine-year coma to find his base and body nearly destroyed by Cipher, a group of former friends attempting to secretly control the planet. Driven by vengeance, Snake begins to rebuild his nation of soldiers.

Whereas past Metal Gear games had players sneaking through tightly designed levels in industrial warehouses or foreign jungles, The Phantom Pain gives Snake two huge regions to explore: Afghanistan and Angola. Metal Gear has never featured gameplay quite like this before, so here are some tips to help you stay out of sight and in control.

1. Choose Your Approach Carefully

The Phantom Pain's wide open spaces require a totally different kind of stealthy approach compared to the cramped corridors of past games. You now have much more freedom when figuring out your strategy, and much more to consider. It's all a matter of reading your surroundings. Take advantage of a sandstorm or the cover of night to breach enemy bases and tranquilize guards. Use the environment by climbing underneath hidden rock bridges or up the side of a mountain. And if you want to go in guns blazing, just make sure you have the firepower. 

2. Use the Buddy System

Snake's mission is mostly a solo one, but later in the game you gain access to helpful buddies to take into battle. Ride Diamond Horse to move across the huge environments faster. Command Diamond Dog to sniff out enemies and hidden treasures. Pilot the Walker Gear to gain the power and protection of a small mech, and team up with the mute sniper Quiet to assassinate foes from afar.

 

3. 99 Fulton Balloons

Snake needs soldiers to rebuild Mother Base, so why not borrow some from the enemy? If you choose to knock out an enemy guard instead of killing them, you can then claim them for yourself using the Fulton surface-to-air recovery system. Based on actual military tech, this self-inflating balloon will carry unconscious bodies back to your base where they'll be strongly persuaded to join your cause. But if an enemy is too injured, or the skies are too obstructed, they won't survive the trip. You can also steal enemy weapons and supplies with Fulton balloons.

4. Research and Develop

Use the cash you earn from missions and the soldiers you recover from the battlefield to expand your Mother Base HQ. You'll then be able to research and develop new technologies to aid Snake during an operation. Build a cardboard box to hide in plain sight. Upgrade your prosthetic arm to deliver a taser-like electrical shock. Develop body armor for Diamond Horse so he can survive longer in a firefight. Recruits also have unique skills that are best put to use in certain tasks like translating foreign languages or researching better bionics. 

5. Kick Out the Jams

The Phantom Pain takes place in 1984, and some of the game's best collectibles are cassette tapes featuring the decade's distinct discography. While trekking across the desert and the jungle, Snake can listen to everything from Kim Wilde's "Kids in America" to "The Man Who Sold the World" by David Bowie. These tunes are good for more than just entertainment, though. What better way to strike fear into the hearts of your enemies than to blast Pat Benatar's "Love is a Battlefield" from the speakers of your personal helicopter?