Video Game / Merry Gear Solid

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• Merry Gear Solid, in which you play as Saint Nick, codenamed "Solid Santa," during his mission to sneak into 14015 Hideo Drive to deliver presents. At the end, he is killed by Solid Snake, mistaking him for "Big Beard."
• Merry Gear Solid 2: Ghosts of Christmas Past, in which you play as Old—er, Cold Snake during his mission to infiltrate Outer Savin' Mall.
• Merry Gear Solid 3: The Dead Of Winter has been announced... invokedOr should we say, Merry Fear Solid? Unfortunately seems to have become Vaporware after several years with no update on its progress.

See also UnMetal, another Affectionate Parody of Metal Gear that focuses on the first two games in the series.

This game provides examples of:

• Affectionate Parody: Very much so.
• Anti-Frustration Features: In Merry Gear Solid 2, if you call Otacon enough times after he reveals the solution to beating the Ghost of Christmas Present, he will move the system clock ahead two weeks for you, a nod to a similar workaround from the Psycho Mantis fight in Metal Gear Solid.
• Arc Number: Your Mission Control in both games has the codec frequency of 12.25.
• Arc Words: "Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night." They are Solid Santa's last words in the first game, as well as the final passcode needed to unlock Merry Gear in the second game.
• Benevolent Conspiracy: The Three Wise Men (Frosty, Santa Claus, and Bob Cratchit) created the Spirit of Christmas System to encourage good behavior.
• Big Bad: Tragic Tim manipulated the events of the games to gain control over the Merry Gear.
• Bilingual Bonus: The "Bigotes Perfectos" project mentioned in the first game, and the store "Les Enfants Clotildes" in the second.
• Broad Strokes: As an Affectionate Parody of the entire Metal Gear series up to that point, the Merry Gear titles pick and choose what to satirize based on Rule of Funny rather than continuity:
  • The stealth gameplay is based on the original MSX titles, Metal Gear 1 and Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake, as movement is strictly grid-based. You also get a Game Over the instant you're spotted, resembling the optional "Game Over If Discovered" difficulty modifier from Sons of Liberty and The Twin Snakes.
  • Merry Gear Solid is mostly a parody of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, the most recently released entry at the time. The Codec is inspired by both the Codec screen from Solid and the radio screen from Snake Eater, and your Mission Control is a parody of Zero (complete with a joke about changing his codename from Tiny Tim to Major Tim). Santa's Little Helper is a parody of a character archetype that appears in multiple Metal Gear games, but not Snake Eater. Solid Santa also has a personality closer to Naked Snake than Solid Snake. When Solid Snake kills Solid Santa in the ending, he has his sprites from Metal Gear 2, and his face on the Codec screen is taken from Metal Gear: Ghost Babel. And just like Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, it ends with a stinger where Snake and Otacon realize they've been duped.
  • Merry Gear Solid 2: Ghosts of Christmas Past is a much broader parody of the whole series. The lore and backstory satirize multiple plot points from all the games, while more specific examples include:
    • Aesthetically, it borrows a lot from Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. Snake is now Cold Snake and his sprite is based on Old Snake; Otacon is the Mission Control as he was in 4; the game logo, HUD, and Codec screen resemble the ones from 4; and the TADPOLE unit is a parody of the FROGs from that game.
    • The level design and structure are a parody of Metal Gear 2's heavy reliance on backtracking, while the solutions for the two Puzzle Bosses would also be right at home alongside the Moon Logic Puzzles from the MSX games.
    • The Ghosts of Christmases Past and Present are parodies of the Cobra Unit. Snake and Otacon also repeatedly use the power of belief to get items to work the way they want to, or to explain away using clearly lethal weaponry when dealing with children; a reference to Naked Snake assuming a glowing mushroom would recharge his batteries when he ate it, which then actually works.
    • The endgame featuring a No-Gear Level and a massive Gambit Pileup are clear references to Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty.
  • If an old trailer is anything to go by, The Dead of Winter was intended to make the Video Game 3D Leap with an art style closely resembling Metal Gear Solid, while incorporating the over-the-shoulder gunplay from Metal Gear Solid 4.
• Clap Your Hands If You Believe: Invoked by Otacon to power some of the items. Used fairly disturbingly when explaining why the Missiletoe Launcher (missiles with giant lips on the end) doesn't kill the kids.
  Otacon: "Tell you what. Let's call it a... Missiletoe Launcher!"
  Snake: "Missiletoe Launcher?!"
  Otacon: "Yeah! It's just like the Nikita but it fires... hmmm... Let's see... Let's say it fires a missile with a pair of lips on it... A Kissile!"
  Snake: "Otacon, you can't just—!"
  Otacon: "That's right! And smooching a kid with the Kissile will overwhelm them... with love!" (explains how to use it)
  Snake: "Kissiles?! Missiletoe Launcher?! This is ridiculous! Why should I believe a single thing you've said—"
  Otacon: "Well, because if you don't... ...You'll end up blowing up a lot of child—"
  Snake: "Alright! Alright! I believe you!"
  • Santa and his family only exist when people believe in them. Tragic Tim uses this to kill Nick Junior.
• Continuity Nod: Often during codec conversations.
  • All of 2 is one big reference to the original Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake; the TADPOLE ambush on the elevator was actually a boss fight in the original game, and all of the backtracking plays just like the original.
• Fan-Created Offspring: Played for Laughs in Merry Gear Solid 2. The milkman reveals himself to be the son of Python, who is actually Frosty the Snowman.
• Fission Mailed: In a part where Otacon thinks he can't reach you, he begins to yell "Snake? Snake?! SNAAAAAA—" until Snake interrupts.
• Gambit Pileup: It is retroactively revealed, during the events of the first game, Tragic Tim tired to trap Santa in order to torture him for the last code for the Merry Gear. However, Santa knew about Tim's plan. As such, Saint Nick created the Big Beard story in order to have Snake assassinate him. However, he survived the bullet in the head to Snake's heart believing Santa must be alive. As such, Tim formed the Ghost of Christmas Past with Jack Frost and Nick Junior. However, he intended to kill both of them so he could become Father Christmas. The Ghosts of Christmas Past threaten to use Santa's Hat to turn all the world's children naughty unless they got Santa's brain so they can obtain the last passcode, leading to the events Merry Gear Solid 2. However, Santa manipulated Solid Snake into stopping Tragic Tim. To top it all off, Scrooge and the mysterious Ha He Ho Ho Ho have Out-Gambitted everyone else in order to obtain control over the Merry Gear Solid for reasons yet unknown.
• The Grinch: Tragic Tim wants to become Father Christmas in order to end Christmas.
• The Hero Dies: Snake kills Santa at the end of the first game, mistaking him for Big Boss' twin brother. Then Merry Gear Solid 2 reveals that Santa was Faking the Dead as part of his own plan to stop Tragic Tim.
• An Ice Person: The milkman in the second game. His father, Frosty, was one.
• Insane Troll Logic: How Major Tim justifies Solid Santa not getting caught while wearing a gift box over his head:
  Major Tim: As long as you're not moving, you'll look like an ordinary Gift Box, so the children won't take notice of you.
  Solid Santa: Wait, aren't children attracted to gift boxes?
  Major Tim: Well... that particular gift box is full of bombs.
  Solid Santa: It's full of bombs?!
  Major Tim: If you believed it is, would you approach it?
  Solid Santa: No...
  Major Tim: Then yes, it's full of bombs.
  Solid Santa: That doesn't make any sense.
• Interface Screw: See Puzzle Boss below.
• In the Style of: The soundtrack of both games rearranges classic Christmas songs in a minor key made to sound like Metal Gear's soundtrack, including "Carol of the Bells", "Happy Xmas (War is Over)", "Jingle Bells", "Last Christmas", "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town", "Sleigh Bells", and "White Christmas".
• It Runs on Nonsensoleum: A lot of your gear has really screwy explanations for why they work, like the gift box that you can use to hide in (the kids you're hiding from will ignore it because "it's full of bombs") or the "See's Candy Cane" that lets you see invisible laser tripwires, or the aforementioned Missiletoe Launcher.
• Mission Control: Tiny Tim in the first, Otacon in the second.
• My God, What Have I Done?: Snake after realizing he just killed Santa.
• Nested Story Reveal: At the end of Merry Gear Solid 2, it's revealed that you have actually been playing as Ebenezer Scrooge, who has tricked the player into taking back Merry Gear for the Ha He Ho Ho Ho using a VR simulation starring Cold Snake.
• No Fourth Wall: Frequently parodied, and in one scene doubly subverted:
  Otacon: "Snake, do you know what it means to 'break the fourth wall'?"
  Snake: "I think I remember you telling me about this... It had something to do with that wall in Shadow Moses that sounded a bit difference when I tapped on it... Sounded a bit more... hollow... That's when I broke the fourth wall... ...With some plastic explosives! I'm pretty sure Revolver Ocelot was just a few rooms further..."
  Snake: "... But why are we talking about Metal Gear Solid 1?"
  Otacon: "What?! That's not it at ALL, Snake!"
• One-Hit-Point Wonder: There are no escape sequences when you get caught. Get spotted just once, and it's Game Over.
• Parrot Exposition: It wouldn't be a Metal Gear parody without gratuitous use of this trope.
• Private Military Contractors: Parodied in the second game with the PNCs—Pretty Naughty Children.
• Pun: Plenty:
  • Outer Savin' Mall.
  • The "Revolting Omelot" restaurant:
  Recording: "Six buffets. More than enough to fill anything that moves!"
  • Nearly all of the weapons, including the "Holid Eye" and "Nova Cane."
  • The soundtrack titles, including the remix of "Encounter", "He Sees You When You're Sneaking."
• Puzzle Boss: Both the milkman and the postman in the second game. To defeat the milkman, you have to set your computer clock ahead a couple of weeks, and to defeat the postman, you have to drag a file in the game directory onto the window.
• Retraux: The graphics and overall style are roughly SNES-level, except for the voice acting.
  • Judging by the trailer for Merry Gear Solid 3, the series has moved up a bit to parody PS1-era graphics with Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots's free camera system.
• Sequel Escalation: Merry Gear Solid was thrown together quickly for a game development competition, and can be finished in less than an hour. Merry Gear Solid 2 has more in-depth mechanics, two Puzzle Bosses, a proper story, and a 2-3 hour campaign.
• Sequel Hook: At the end of Merry Gear Solid 2, a mysterious group called the "Ha He Ho Ho Ho" has apparently taken possession of the Merry Gear.
• Shout-Out:
  • This quote:
  Foreign Kid: "DeceasedCrabcakes...? Let's eat!"
  • The music in the teaser for 3 is a mashup between the "Theme of Tara" and the main theme of Luigi's Mansion.
• Stealth Pun: The "Holid Eye" gadget works by filtering out the "sad blues and greens" of Christmasses past to (somehow) grant you infrared vision — Otacon all but says "rose-tinted glasses".
• Sure, Let's Go with That: How most of the items work. Otacon makes up some reason why something would work the way it does; for example, the toast can be used to un-jam the radar because the mold on the toast absorbs jam.
• Un-Installment: In the Previous Ops on the main menu of Merry Gear Solid 2, there's a recap page of Merry Gear, a prequel game that doesn't exist.
• What Kind of Lame Power Is Heart, Anyway?: Santa Claus has the power of Christmas Spirit... which is limited to turning on TVs with his mind. Once. Fortunately, in a stealth game the power is at least somewhat useful. Especially since it's a stealth game where all your opponents are small, easily distracted children.