Our client is most satisfied, but is still in a hurry to stop the last two generals before they get close to the truth.
We’ve received information that one of the generals, general Mikhail Bardachenko, is interrogating people in the basement of the military facilities just off Nevsky Prospekt. The video was recorded by a security cam almost two days ago, so we have to hurry. Somewhere in the multilevel maze of corridors you will find your target — make sure the prisoner being interrogated escapes unscathed.
Your equipment is in the supply yard near a crate marked “FCK” just behind the main entrance. Security is beefed up because of the rumors of an impending assassination attempt on the general.
So — once you’ve completed your mission, there’s only one way out. Blast your way through a wall out into the sewers and return to the subway — we’ve located the only place where the walls are thin enough — it’s marked on your map.
Keep it clean, 47! ― Mission Briefing
Objectives:
Find your equipment in the Army Depot. Marked “FCK”.
Certainly an ambitious mission that feels much larger in scale compared to the previous ones. However, that size comes at a cost: linearity. There may be occasionally alternate ways to do things, but it’s limited to small sections.
Does that spoil the mission? Well, not really. I like this level a lot for the most part, even if the start of the level is pretty slow and the game tends to softlock more often than I’d like at the end (by the cutscene bugging out and dumping you back into the level with no way out).
We also get to see Agent Smith again! Love him or hate him, it’s a nice way to bring him back and helps to set up his reappearance later.
As for the target, I like shooting him from the interrogation room, but that one wandering guard can be troublesome. As such, dumping the pager outside the door and giving him a choke is the way I usually do things.
Overall, this may not be my favourite level in Russia, but it’s still pretty damn solid.
I love the tactical espionage action vibes of this mission. It really feels like metal gear especially at the beginning. I love all the unique objectives like the pickup and the bomb thing. By the time you get to the base and you are inside, it feels like you are doing some mission impossible shit. I like to stay in my suit until I get to the office with the loose disguise right before the elevator. Here is my idea of the definitive canon playthrough: https://youtu.be/VR5ZvFgYRiQ?si=A3rvMhUGrMSPGy8R
I love how you can shoot the widow, but I also want to use the pager because it’s given at the pickup and is a whole unique gimmick of its own. You can use the pager from the observation room instead of just outside the door. I like to do that, and then I shoot the glass and climb through after using the fiber wire on the general. That way I get to secure the general in the private room first, and then I get to use both the window and the pager. I also always use the combat knife that the general drops, on the Spetsnaz agent in the next mission. I always thought that was a cool way to tie the levels together
Linearity? I think this mission together with shogun showdown are the perfect examples of how all levels should have been. Instead of one giant box with lots of empty space and useless crowd. Here you have to experience everything from a to z without a possibility to kill a target in 10 seconds.
Yeah personally I loved having some more linear missions like this. It adds to the variety. I loved the metal gear splinter cell mission impossible vibes and to me this mission is peak stealth/espionage gaming
When I think of H2SA’s disguise system, this mission’s underground segment always comes to mind first.
The fragility of disguises combined with having to walk through these tight corridors with patrolling guards and vague detection UI really contributed to the atmosphere.
(And unlike Japan levels, you can still actually pass next to someone).
