So I’ve been using the MGSV:GZ app that’s been provided to use through the Apple Appstore and Google Play since Ground Zeroes’ release. I have to say, at first I was a bit confused about how to use it. I started messing with it a bit more and now got the hang of management. Kinda. It’s similar to Peace Walker’s Mother Base management with some differences.

I attempted syncing the app with my current GZ game but was unsuccessful so far, so I decided to manage Mother Base on standalone mode. It’s actually a bit tougher than I thought. I’ve put my soldiers through a number of virtual missions and they’ve been pretty hit or miss, meaning I’ve already lost some LVL1 troops as well as my only LVL4 guy to my dismay.

You start off with one Strut (Command Center) which Snake and Kaz are stationed. You also have one Common soldier at your disposal to take with you during the virtual battles. You start off with 20000 points to spend, which you need to spend wisely. Administering your funds in a conscientious way helps you have shorter wait times between either upgrading your current struts, recruiting more soldiers, or building AFVs (Armored Fighting Vehicle).

I currently have 5 operational struts comprising my Mother Base, including the Command Center, a Factory for building my armored vehicles, a Distribution strut for salvaging materials needed to build said vehicles and weapons, and two Barracks which can house 4 soldiers at a time. As it stands I can only have 3 vehicles total per Factory so I’m not sure whether that total will increase as of yet. My current player status is LVL7 so we will see.

Also, along with my increasing LVL stats I can unlock higher level soldiers as well as additional Officers to tag along with Snake and Kaz. In fact, I’ve already unlocked Amanda from Peace Walker, which was a welcome surprise!

This makes me wonder who else will be an unlockable character via the app.

As for sending soldiers out to battle they always need to be accompanied by at least one Officer (Snake, Kaz, and now Amanda). Depending on the mission there are specific requirements such as number of troops and the necessity of an AFV. This is where I feel the app had the most meat. When sending your squad out on missions it’s about a 50/50 shot whether or not they will return. As I quickly learned, investing time trying to level up your soldiers and vehicles proves daunting. I’ve lost a handful of lower level troops as well as my only LVL4 Normal soldier. I’ve also lost a handful of armored vehicles which I had to reacquire by building new ones and trying to level them up again. I actually became over eager and sent out Kaz to some missions as well with my soldiers thinking I could level up faster with my high level Officers. I grossly underestimated the difficulty of leveling up via these virtual battles. When you lose a soldier they’re gone for good and you’ll have to Recruit more,then try leveling them up again. And thinking that your Officers are invincible is another mistake I made. I’ve already sent Kaz AND Amanda into the infirmary in Near Death status. Not good. The only viable Officer seems to be Snake.

I realize it takes at least 3+hours for my Officers to recover so building Mother Base really is an involved process. But I’m having fun with this so far. This almost reminds me of XCOM and it’s system of gameplay where losing a soldier makes you feel at a loss, especially when you’ve taken time to carefully increase their stats.

Along the way you also get to unlock other items such as artwork from past MGS games. I’ve tried to win more virtual battles to see if I can unlock more set but I suppose I’ll have to grind a bit more.

For some the app may prove unnecessary but to others it can be a way to expand Ground Zeroes gameplay, as that’s what the app was intended to do. I thought it slightly tedious at first, having to take my eyes away from the action on my tv screen and have to look at my device but it actually isn’t half bad.

And luckily I enjoyed every aspect of management in Peace Walker so this app seems to be replicating that, at least on a smaller level. Its fun too, since you can take you Mother Base literally anywhere in your pocket, similarly as with the initial iteration of PW on the PSP. Hopefully I can unlock more special characters and soldiers as time prods along. I’ll do another series of attempts at actually syncing the app with Ground Zeroes in-game and see if I can use iDroid to my advantage. See you guys and girls next time!

UPDATE:

The app just notified me that Kaz and Amanda are fully recovered. Sweet!