Cassette Tapes

Now unlike Phantom Pain's intro portion which is heavy with cutscenes and infused with Kojima craziness we all know and love, the rest of the game focuses on telling its story through gameplay. The game is 90% gameplay and 10% cut scenes with most of the games backstory and behind the scenes going ons being told through cassette tapes which can be listened to via iDroid without pausing the game like in Ground Zeroes.

By listening to Cassette Tapes you will hear everything from key conversations that expand the lore to back stories about the formation of entities like the Patriots and the fate of characters like Dr Strangelove. You will also get to hear light-hearted chats and conversations between characters that will bring a smile to your face.

Other tapes will focus on Intel for specific missions and some will even include some classic Kojima humor with an example being a cassette tape with audio of a soldier struggling to go to the bathroom.

There are also many musical cassette tapes featuring some classic 80's hits, classical and some tailor made tracks. Players can select any of the music tracks to use as Helicopter music (on PS4, press square on a highlighted track) which will play as you travel to missions and back to Mother Base.

Some tapes are optional

With cassette tapes Phantom Pain becomes Kojima's most accessible story yet as any new story and lore details which might cause confusion to the uninitiated can be left to be optionally narrated in the game's cassette tapes for hardcore metal gear fans or for curious newcomers, allowing Phantom Pains main story and scenarios to focus on telling a tale of revenge.

While the narrative structure might be different in Phantom Pain you can still expect to find characters motivations and an overall plot that is every bit Kojima's signature, going from the most absurd humor to the crudest seriousness in a matter of seconds. Do keep in mind however that Phantom Pain's story will move more slowly and more fragmented than previous games because of the sheer scale of the open-world gameplay but that comes with the benefit of allowing players to craft their own story between key story moments

In previous Metal Gear games the path from point A to point B was always fairly straightforward and all of the gameplay scenarios would be choreographed and directed by the level designers. In the Phantom Pain that power is headed off to the players you get to direct and choreograph what happens between point A and point B and in turn you get your craft your own story, at least that's the feeling that I got from my first play session.

Examples of Cassette Tapes

Afghanistan Today

The Soviet Invasion of Arghanistan
The Soviet Army's Scorched Earth Operation

Music Tape 1

Scouting Barron Lands
Journey to Point C-5
Sands
Dreamt of an Eclipse
Afganistan's a Big Place
MGO Trailer Music
Richard Wagner "Ride of the Valkyries"

Music Tape 2

Kids in America
The Final Countdown
Take on Me
Only The Time Will Tell

Cassette Tape Locations

The exact location of every Cassette tape is still being discovered but check back for a complete guide to finding every tape. I'll also show you which tapes provide key intel, and which are optional tapes for Easter Eggs, humor, or story telling purposes only.