Of the many items found in the series, none is more synonymous with Metal Gear than the Cardboard Box. First introduced in 1987’s Metal Gear, the Cardboard Box has provided players with comical ways to toy with the games’ artificial intelligence. What might seem like a useless item to franchise outsiders can in fact be a versatile tool when in the right hands. Here are all of the ways players can use a trusty Cardboard Box to get out of a bind.

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Out Of Sight, Out Of Mind

The most common use for Metal Gear’s Cardboard Box is to hide the protagonist. Equipping a Cardboard Box covers the protagonist’s entire body, allowing them to slip by enemy patrols. Moving around and staying in guards’ paths while in a Cardboard Box will arouse suspicion, though not as much as moving around without it. For example, hiding in a Cardboard Box while in the middle of the Grozyj Grad enemy base in Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater will cause nearby guards to check what is underneath the box. Failing to reposition or eliminate the curious guards will result in them discovering Snake.

Players can decrease their chances of being discovered whilst in a Cardboard Box by keeping still and staying in corners and areas a box wouldn’t be amiss. An example of a good Cardboard Box hiding location is the Strut C kitchen of the Plant chapter of Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty. Raiden can equip the Cardboard Box and easily blend amongst the produce and boxes in the area. As long as he does not get in the way of enemy patrols, guards will be none the wiser of his presence.

Free Transportation

If players find getting around Metal Gear games time-consuming, they can equip a Cardboard Box in certain areas and hitch a ride elsewhere. Metal Gear Solid allows Solid Snake to fast travel by getting in the back of a cargo truck and equipping a Cardboard Box. Depending on which box he equips, he can travel to different locations. Cardboard Box A brings him to the Heliport; Cardboard Box B transports him to the Nuclear Warhead Storage Building; Cardboard Box C drops him off at the Snowfield.

Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain shifting to an open-world design allows players to pick up Delivery Point Invoices in areas around Afghanistan and Africa. By equipping a Cardboard Box and remaining still in the cargo delivery bay, players can quickly transport themselves to any of the previous areas they have invoices for. Players can also use the Cardboard Box trick to quickly travel to the different struts of their Mother Base; only this time they don’t need to collect any Delivery Point Invoices.

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The Hidden Defense and Offense

Aside from hiding, Cardboard Boxes can be used both defensively and offensively. In Metal Gear Solid, attacking Meryl Silverburgh in the wolf cave prior to Sniper Wolf’s boss fight and quickly equipping a Cardboard Box will cause a wolf pup to urinate on it. This will allow players to avoid being attacked by wolves for the rest of the game so long as they equip the Cardboard Box. Another example of the Cardboard Box’s defensive capabilities can be found in Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain; where Snake can attach posters depicting images such as idol girls or Soviet Soldiers to throw enemies off. While enemies are distracted by the posters, Snake can either take them down or eject himself from the box and attempt to escape.

The Cardboard Box’s offensive capabilities are most evident in Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, where multiple types of boxes allow Snake to fight back against his enemies. There is the Bomb Box, which allows Snake to hide explosives inside and detonate them when enemies shoot or investigate it. The game’s co-op mode also has the Tank Box - a tank-shaped box that shoots grenades out of its muzzle. The Tank Box also has variations of its own, including the Stun Tank Box and the Smoke Tank Box, the former of which shoots stun grenades while the latter shoots smoke grenades.

A Box of Easter Eggs

Perhaps due to the comical nature of the cardboard box, the Metal Gear franchise’s humorous elements seem drawn to it. This includes a lot of Easter eggs, ranging from dialogue about the box’s iconic status to restoring the player’s psyche gauge in Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of The Patriots. Metal Gear is rife with Easter eggs, and the cardboard box is just one of the many ways players can trigger some of them. It would take too long to list down all the Cardboard Box Easter eggs, but players looking to see some of them should equip the box now and then to see what might pop up.

Hideo Kojima has elevated Metal Gear’s gag item into a series mainstay. By keeping the comedic qualities of the Cardboard Box and infusing it with gameplay elements that help players complete their missions, the gadget has remained relevant for more than three decades. The future of the Metal Gear franchise may be unclear, but the legacy it left ensures that no matter what happens, there will always be a Cardboard Box to keep players safe.

Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain is available now on PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.

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