The father of sniping

Scope to scope with Snake Eater’s greatest boss

The first time we meet The End in Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, he’s snoozing in his wheelchair, oblivious to the events unfolding around him and the inexperienced Naked Snake eavesdropping from afar.

The next time their paths cross, The End is virtually invisible, just a trigger pull from incapacitating the future Big Boss. It’s the standout moment in a game full of them, a chess match played out with rifles and thermal goggles.

Every inch of cunning is required just to discover where he is on the map, as you slither through tall grass and creep around trees. Depending on what you’ve nabbed earlier in MGS3, the thermal goggles and active sonar become invaluable, with every softly softly step in the direction of a noise feeling like a small victory.

Despite spending ages sneaking up on him, however, the old fogey will duly spot you and pop off some shots. For someone who spends “an eternity sleeping,” he sure knows how to get the drop on you.

And it wouldn’t be a Hideo Kojima boss fight without a novel twist – the fact this long-range duel is completely avoidable with planning and fourth-wall tinkering. You can take him out the first time you spot him by the Ponizovje Warehouse, providing you land a headshot. Or if you save during the stalking – having met him in Sokrovenno – and then wait a week.

Not the patient type? Readjust the internal clock on your console. When you return, old age succeeds where you didn’t and you see a cutscene in which Naked Snake bemoans how he didn’t give The End the fight he wanted. So, y’know, maybe don’t cheat yourself out of one of the best boss fights in the series.