The Metal Gear Solid series is full of Easter eggs and secret data, and Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater is the same. One of the most famous secrets is the Ocelot Time Paradox, a unique event which allows you to completely ruin the timeline and earn the Time Paradox Trophy. This guide will inform you how to access the event, why it happens, and why it’s awesome.
What is the Ocelot Time Paradox?
Revolver Ocelot is a franchise regular, appearing in every main game. But since Delta is a prequel, Ocelot is just starting out in his career throughout the game. The game taunts you by letting you kill him pretty much early on in the Virtuous Mission, thereby creating a “paradox” in that he must survive for the benefit of the future of the series.
By doing so, you essentially rewinds history—kicking Ocelot’s existence in subsequent games like Metal Gear Solid and Metal Gear Solid 2. Rather than simply letting this slide, the game makers snicker at this ridiculousness by offering you a special trophy while, in parallel, ending your game with an instant “Time Paradox” screen.
When and How to Trigger the Paradox
The Time Paradox only occurs in the course of the Virtuous Mission, the Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater opening. What happens is this:
- When you reach Rassvet and locate Sokolov, there is a cutscene in which we encounter Ocelot for the first time. Snake pushes him to the ground, where the young commander is unconscious on the ground. You get back to playing as Snake afterward, with Ocelot remaining on the ground nearby.
- Now you can trigger the paradox. Equip a weapon that does actual damage (not tranquilizer) and set fire to Ocelot. He won’t die immediately—there are some shots until he finally dies. The instant that happens, the screen goes white, the timeline is ruined, and you’re able to view the game-over screen with the Ocelot Time Paradox message. In the meantime, the Time Paradox Trophy also appears on your account.
Because this results in an irrecoverable game over, it’s a good idea to save your progress before attempting it.
Why the Time Paradox Exists
The Time Paradox is not only a weird little secret—it’s a clever nod to the tangled timeline of the series. Since Metal Gear Solid 3 is a prequel, Ocelot’s demise would make a farce of everything that occurs throughout all the subsequent games. Without Ocelot, Snake’s later battles, the Patriots storyline, and even Liquid Snake’s rise in MGS1 would never have taken place.
In acknowledging this contradiction to a moment of failure, Hideo Kojima and his team of developers do something that could have otherwise been a story-breaking flaw and make it an enduring Easter egg. The trophy is both a celebration of experimentation and a comedic reminder that even in a prequel, the timeline has to be kept.
