Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance walkthrough: VR Mission 009

VR Mission 009 is located near the beginning of File R-03. Shortly after you complete the battle against the two generic GRADs on the streets you'll gain access to a building lobby. The computer console with the mission is sitting behind a glass wall on the upper half of this lobby.

Mission 009 is a straight running affair. You need to reach the waypoint on the far end of the maze without getting murdered by the numerous soldiers and robots along the way. Unlike the previous waypoint mission, which was a piece of cake, this one is difficult for pulling off a gold ranking. You need to be swift and smart to get through in one piece, let alone in under 20 seconds.

There are two ways to get through this maze. The first is the straightforward, visible way. This overland route will take you through waves of RPG-bearing soldiers, a few Dwarf Gekkos, two normal-sized Gekkos and a GRAD in its tank form. Getting past here is not that difficult so long as you Ninja Run and jump whenever you hear shouts of 'RPG' or 'rocket' or whatnot. Getting hit by a rocket will not only destroy your chances of getting to the end with a ranking, it will possibly get you killed.

Unfortunately, this first route will, at best, net you a bronze ranking. That's not enough to satisfy most players, so what can be done to improve to a gold? Simple: take the secret route through the maze.

When you take off from the starting point you're presented with two routes, left and right. Right will lead you to a series of platforms that will take you safely to the secret route. Left will lead you to a trio of rocket-bearing soldiers, but will also take you to the secret route. Though potentially painful, the left route proves quicker almost every time - so long as you don't get hit by rockets. As soon as you hear yells, jump once to get out of the way and speed past the soldiers.

Dash ahead and take a right. You'll hit a dead end - but find a conspicuous-looking wall guarded by two Dwarf Gekko. Slice through here and you'll find the secret passage necessary for gold ranking. Slice through the wall as soon as you get in range without jumping to maximize the chances of getting in without having to stop. If the wall trips you up at all as it's falling (entirely possible) you may have to start over.

Inside are three RPG soldiers and several Dwarf Gekko. You need to zigzag down the hallway to avoid incoming RPGS, jump over the soldier on the ground, and Ninja Run up the steps to another fake wall at the top. Don't aim for the gap beside the soldier, as Dwarf Gekko will land on you and slow you up. (I actually managed to complete this part by doing that anyway, but it's not a good idea.) Slice through the wall at the top and you'll drop out -

- a short distance from the waypoint! Dang skippy. Dash at it and you'll get there without issue. (Don't worry about the Gekko sitting in the light, he's not bothering anyone.)

Bear in mind that you have room for a single minor slip-up at most. 20 seconds is 20 seconds, and you need to make every second count. Limit your jumping, weave back and forth to avoid rockets, and avoid the temptation to attack anyone or anything in your way. You'll take out some of the competition, true, but you'll also eliminate any chance of earning a gold ranking.