Ghost Babel (the Japan-only subtitle, used here in the interest of clarity) is a game of odd genesis. Taking selective mechanical and thematic inspiration from the preceding two entries in its franchise, Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake and Metal Gear Solid (the latter of which had already lifted some choice traits from the former), the 2000 title would seem an unlikely candidate to produce a coherent and worthwhile experience from the combination, especially on the limited Game Boy Color platform.

The previous step in the Metal Gear franchise, from Solid Snake on the MSX2 computer to Solid on the PlayStation, brought about a host of precedential alterations to what had been the structure of the series up until that point. While it certainly sampled select gameplay elements from Metal Gear 2, Solid also formed the new mechanical, thematic, and cinematic base for the series as it did so, creating a distinct separation between itself and the older games. Ghost Babel, consequently, occupies a sort of middle space between the two, with a balanced approach to both the series' brand of stealth-action and narrative grandiosity.

Ghost Babel is a bit of recondensed package of the elements effectively extrapolated and deepened by MGS, a structure created by equal parts necessity and ingenuity. Like MG2, it employs a top-down, 2D perspective of the environments Snake works his way through, as well as a similar suite of tools (dynamic radar; gas mask; mine detector) and abilities (crawling; guided Nikita missiles) to facilitate completing the sneaking mission. The addition of mechanics from MGS, such as flattening Snake against a wall to hide or move through tight spaces, or tapping against a surface to strategically lure enemies, complements this traditional style, however, giving Snake a deceptively deep range of abilities that not only work smoothly, but do so within the four-button confines of the Game Boy Color.

As a sort of non-canonical companion to Metal Gear Solid, Ghost Babel inherently retains some of the former's tonal qualities. Characters, including Colonel Campbell, Mei Ling, and Solid Snake himself appear as their Metal Gear Solid selves, and even fresh faces like Chris and Jimmy fit post-MGS personality templates (Meryl and Otacon, respectively). Codec conversations and painterly cut scenes are used frequently to keep the plot in stride, and though conversation with a team member or adversary occasionally strays into the philosophical or existential, these resting moments are effectively pared down from their protracted MGS equivalents in the name of brevity and portability. Instead of a continuous flowing narrative, Ghost Babel segments events into stages of malleable length and type. Some involve carefully plotted treks across environments or through military structures, while others may simply be comprised of defeating a member of Ghost Babel's animalistic FOXHOUND equivalent, Black Chamber.

In the lineage of Metal Gear, we can chart characteristics of MG2 being blown up to precedential proportions in Solid, with a combination of the two then being distilled and streamlined in the mechanically sound and narratively swift Ghost Babel. A balanced and capable entry in a series often guilty of being heavy handed in both story and gameplay, Ghost Babel remains a tight combination of substance and necessary moderation.