Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance is a hectic game. After a two-minute tutorial that teaches you the basics of movement and combat and a cutscene that introduces you to the game's protagonist, Raiden, you'll quickly be flung into a boss battle with a giant mech — the titular Metal Gear, an imposing foe from previous entries in the series.

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You'll be expected to dodge rockets and giant laser beams, run down a falling building, and slash the mech to pieces, all while barely being taught the difference between light and heavy attacks. This quick pace will be jarring for players who are unfamiliar with hack-and-slash games, and since Revengeance is so different from other Metal Gear Solid games, potential players could use a few tips to get started.

8 How To Parry

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance screenshot of Raiden parrying in an attack from a Gekko mech

Unlike hack-and-slash games like Bayonetta, you don't have a dedicated block or dodge button in Revengeance. Instead, parrying is the best way to defend yourself. Enemies will signal that they are attacking by flashing red, which can happen either immediately before they attack or a few seconds in advance, and it can happen several times in quick succession. Every time this red flash appears you'll have the option to parry.

A parry can be performed by pressing the light attack button and moving towards the enemy at the same time, then immediately letting go of the movement button. On a controller, you only have to momentarily flick the control stick in the right direction. You may be tempted to continuously move towards the enemy to parry consecutive attacks, but this won't work. You have to let go of the direction button or control stick each time you want to parry.

7 Don't Worry About Stealth

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance screenshot of Raiden using AR Vision to sneak up on a Cyborg enemy

Since Revengeance is still technically a Metal Gear game, it will often prompt you to get rid of enemies by using stealth. If you stealthily approach an enemy, whether from behind or above, you'll be able to perform a sneak attack that instantly kills them. You may be tempted to stay hidden for as long as possible because of this.

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Unlike other games in the series, however, Revengeance doesn't require stealth by any means. There's no penalty for being caught and you can kill any enemy in the game with enough brute force, so don't worry if you're not that sneaky — just press on with the merciless killing. In fact, the game may be more fun if you ignore stealth altogether.

6 How To Upgrade Your Sword

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance screenshot of upgrades for the High Frequency Blade in the Customize menu

After every chapter, you'll be asked if you want to customize Raiden. Saying yes will bring you to a menu where you can spend Battle Points to give Raiden new costumes, upgrade his health and fuel cells, and buy new skills and weapons. Most of these upgrades will help you in combat, especially the fuel cells, but there's a somewhat hidden option that will help you even more.

By pressing the Enhancements button in the Weapons submenu, you'll be able to upgrade Raiden's katana. These upgrades improve the amount of damage it deals (Strength), the amount of fuel it gives you when it hits enemies (Absorption), and the amount of fuel it consumes per second when you enter Blade Mode (Energy). If you don't have enough Battle Points at the end of a chapter, you can access the Customize menu through the Codec at any time, so make sure to purchase these upgrades eventually.

5 What You Can't Parry

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance screenshot of the Defensive Offense skill upgrade in Customize menu

Even though parrying is Raiden's best defensive option, it isn't the solution to everything. If an enemy glows yellow while they're attacking you, that means they're about to grab you. Since grabs can't be parried, and since they make you very vulnerable to enemy attacks, you need another tool to deal with them.

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The Defensive Offense skill, which can be purchased in the Customize menu, allows you to avoid grabs by strafing sideways or backward while attacking. Since this movement option also swings your sword at the enemy you're dodging, it will allow you to stay on the offensive.

4 How To Use Blade Mode

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance screenshot of Raiden using Blade Mode against a Cyborg

Blade Mode is one of your best offensive tools. So long as your fuel bar is blue, entering Blade Mode (by holding Shift on the keyboard, or left trigger on controller) will slow down enemies and allow you to rapidly slice at them. In this mode, using your light attack will slice horizontally, and using your heavy attack will slice vertically.

By hitting the small box that appears on an enemy and pressing the Zandatsu button (F on keyboard, B or Circle on controller), you will rip out your enemy's spine and instantly kill them. This move will also make you regain all your fuel and health, which means you should stay aggressive even if your health is low. If your screen ever flashes blue in the middle of combat, this is an opportunity to enter Blade Mode even if you don't have enough fuel.

3 Experiment With Unique Weapons

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance screenshot of the Pole-Arm (L'Étranger) Unique Weapon in the Customize menu

While you're in the Customize menu, try purchasing a Unique Weapon. These weapons let you perform powerful heavy attacks, and they all have different uses. The Pole-Arm (L'Étranger), which is unlocked after beating Mistral for the first time, has a slow attack speed but hits enemies many times. It's also a very long sword-like weapon, so it's best used to attack enemies in groups.

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Meanwhile, the Tactical Sai (Dystopia), which is unlocked after beating Monsoon for the first time, is a single-target weapon that pulls you toward the enemy you hit. This makes it much easier to approach flying enemies and bosses. You'll be a killing machine no matter what weapon you choose, and they all have the low cost of 10,000 Battle Points, so don't be afraid to experiment. Make sure to buy their strength upgrades too!

2 Look For Secrets

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance screenshot of Raiden looking at a closed orange crate

As quick as Revengeance is, you'll sometimes want to take a minute to explore for secrets. Scattered around the maps are semi-hidden orange crates that can give you items like health packs, fuel regenerators, and grenades. The crates can even give you Battle Points if you have a full inventory of items.

Most maps will also have hidden areas that provide additional Endurance Plus items, which will permanently increase your health, or new VR (Virtual Reality) Missions, which are optional objectives that give you Battle Points when completed. Make sure to visit any suspicious side-rooms, since they may have goodies.

1 How To Fix The Camera

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance screenshot of the camera locked on Jetsream Sam while Raiden fights him

In Revengeance, you can control the camera with the mouse or the right control stick, but it tends to move around without your input. The camera can be especially broken during boss fights that involve large mechs, as they will change your perspective dramatically. Because you need to see enemies to parry them effectively, the camera often makes the game a lot tougher than it has to be.

Luckily, the developers implemented a button that makes the camera follow a target. Pressing the target button will lock the camera so that the boss is always visible during a boss fight, or so that the enemy closest to you is always visible during regular combat. A reticle that says LKD will hover over the enemy that the camera is focused on. No more finicky camera means you can witness Raiden's awesome sword skills in all their glory.

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