Big Shell

Lore & Background

The Big Shell was constructed in 2009, following the Tanker Incident in 2007, when Solid Snake was framed as a terrorist and an oil spill fouled the lower New York Harbor. Officially an environmental clean-up plant, the facility was actually a façade created to hide Arsenal Gear, a submersible mobile fortress housing multiple AIs (including TJ, AL, and JD), with the AI designated "GW" (short for George Washington) specifically controlling the Big Shell's systems. The Sons of Liberty, led by a man claiming to be Solid Snake (later revealed as Solidus Snake), seized the Big Shell during a public relations tour for the facility's opening by US President James Johnson, taking him hostage and threatening to destroy the facility if their demands were not met. The structure became a prison for both hostages and rescuers, its true purpose unknown to most until Raiden uncovered the Patriots' conspiracy.

In Their Own Story

Raiden, a rookie FOXHOUND agent, is ordered by the Colonel to infiltrate the Big Shell, rescue President Johnson, and disarm the terrorists. He is aided by Navy SEAL Iroquois Pliskin (secretly Solid Snake) and bomb-disposal expert Peter Stillman. Fatman, a rotund Dead Cell member with exceptional knowledge of bombs, plants explosives throughout the facility. Stillman helps disable the bombs, but they are a decoy that activates a timed bomb, which detonates and kills Stillman. Raiden kills Fatman and encounters a mysterious cyborg ninja who provides information. After shooting down a Harrier piloted by the Sons of Liberty leader, Pliskin reveals he is the real Solid Snake. Upon rescuing President Johnson, Raiden learns that the Big Shell hides Arsenal Gear, and that the leader of Dead Cell is George Sears, a clone of Big Boss known as Solidus Snake, who plans to seize Arsenal and overthrow the Patriots. Johnson tries to make Raiden kill him to prevent a nuclear strike, but Raiden refuses.

Reader's Guide

The Big Shell is divided into multiple sectors connected by rotating bridges and elevators. The facility's modular design forces infiltrators to adapt quickly; paths that were clear moments ago may become blocked or lead to dead ends after a rotation. Stealth corridors are often lined with sensors and automated turrets, requiring precise movement to avoid detection by the occupying Sons of Liberty. Enemy guards work in squads, communicate via radio, and will call for strike teams upon spotting the player, then attempt to flank and cut off escape. Players can use first-person aiming to target specific points, walk slowly over noisy flooring, hang off walkways, hide in storage lockers, and hold enemies at gunpoint for items. The environment affects stealth, taking into account factors such as weather, smell, atmosphere, and temperature. It is possible to clear the entire game, including boss fights, without causing a single deliberate death through use of tranquilizer guns, stun grenades, and melee attacks.

Did You Know?

• The Big Shell was built to clean up the oil spill caused by the Tanker Incident in 2007, but construction began in 2009, not immediately after the incident.
• The facility is a façade hiding Arsenal Gear, a submersible mobile fortress that houses multiple AIs, including GW (which controls the Big Shell's systems), TJ, AL, and JD.
• President James Johnson was taken hostage by the Sons of Liberty during a public relations tour for the Big Shell's opening, not a general tour.