Ladders have played a surprisingly pivotal role in all sorts of different video games, from AAA shooters and action-adventure titles to visual novels and cosy life sims.
In our Ladders in Video Games series, we spotlight some of our favourite video game ladders – and today we're looking at the ladder from Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater that become a legendary part of video game history.
Twenty years ago, Konami released Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (often shortened to MGS3) for the PlayStation 2. With a remake of MGS3 tentatively scheduled for release before the end of 2024, now seems like a good time to revisit this classic title. In case you're unfamiliar with the Metal Gear franchise, the video games are a series of action-adventures known for their stealthy gameplay and heavy plots. Long cutscenes and plenty of dialogue abound.
Despite the name, MGS3 was not a sequel but a prequel. The action takes place in 1964, over thirty years before the events of the first Metal Gear Solid game. And unlike previous MGS games, which had been set in a high-tech near-future world, MGS3 takes place in a 1960s Soviet jungle.
But we're not interested in sweaty stealth and action today. We're here to talk about a ladder.
Where do ladders come into it?
Ladders are present throughout the MGS franchise, but one in particular stands tall above them all – literally and figuratively.
The key scene we're concerned with comes after the protagonist, Snake, defeats a sniper known as The End in the jungle. Snake must make his way to the top of a mountain. This requires passing through a cave and climbing to the top. And he does just that.
By using a ladder.
Huh. OK, you think, starting the climb.
The theme song starts playing. A nice touch. But the ladder doesn't seem to end.
Clunk! Clunk! Clunk!
It just keeps going. The music continues to play, and you find yourself climbing for the entire duration of the track – literally minutes of climbing. It's oddly spellbinding.
You start wondering if the rusty rungs will break. And who has to maintain the lights in this long vertical tunnel? Is there going to be some horrible surprise right at the top?
But it turns out that reaching the summit is entirely uneventful. No surprise attack. You finish the climb and carry on with the mission. It was just a quiet interlude (apart from all the clunking).
In a series that's full of high-tension stealth, never-ending cutscenes and the famous Codec calls, the calming ladder sequence is entirely unique.
I don't get it.
You wouldn't be the only one. The mystery of the ladder has spawned much discussion online.
A play on 'snakes and ladders' perhaps? Some sort of visual metaphor for Snake, the protagonist, quite literally rising to the occasion?
It could be a moment to breathe after an intense boss battle. Perhaps it's meant to functions as a physical and symbolic break between the tropical jungle below and the arid mountain above.
Some think it's just an alternative form of loading screen as the player transitions between environments, or an excuse to include the theme song in the game.
Or maybe it doesn't mean anything. As one Redditor put it:
I don't think it means anything. Dude probably wanted a long ladder in the game just coz.
(The 'dude' in question is Hideo Kojima, mastermind of the Metal Gear Solid series.)
Whatever the reason for such a long climbing sequence, if you mention 'the ladder' to any Metal Gear fan they will instantly know precisely which ladder you're referring to. Rather impressive for a franchise now spanning over twenty instalments.
Some Internet sleuths are far more concerned with hard facts and stats than philosophising on meanings and metaphors. Inevitably, the question of how long the ladder actually is has been both asked and answered. This is thanks largely to individuals with enough patience to actually count the steps; there's some disagreement on exact measurements, but all agree on a height of around 125 metres.
Then they went one step further and created a diagram so we can all appreciate the sheer enormity of the climb (with Snake and Godzilla included for scale).
So what about the ladder itself?
Of course, we at Ladders UK Direct are more interested in the type of ladder that could become such an enduring gaming legend. Closer inspection reveals that Snake climbs a vertical fixed ladder in MGS3, and at Ladders UK Direct we offer an extensive range of similar vertical fixed ladders at competitive prices. All orders include free delivery – but you'll have to provide your own theme music.
Fixed Vertical Ladders
