Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes "not a linear game", clear time "not standard"

Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes is not a traditional MGS game, Hideo Kojima has said, and as such its play time will vary greatly beyond the two hours figure touted yesterday.

In an image post on Twitter, Kojima said Ground Zeroes departs from the franchise norm in being non-linear and more replay-able.

"Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes includes the main mission alongside five side ops," the statement reads. "All missions include elements such as Trial Records, where players can compete against each other online.

"This is not a linear game like [in] the past. Ground Zeroes offers freedom of approach and play style, which we hope players will enjoy over and over again without boring [them].

"I believe people will be satisfied with the play time of Ground Zeroes and will not stress the Clear Time, which is a standard for linear games."

Kojima's comments follow a GameInformer preview which claimed Ground Zeroes could be finished in two hours.

Ground Zeroes is a prequel, tutorial and taster for Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain, which Kojima has said is to reward fans for their patience during the lengthy development of the full game, thanks to its next-gen technologies.

There have been conflicting reports regarding the price, but it is significantly cheaper than a standard triple-A release, and price will vary depending on system and whether you pick up a digital or a boxed copy.

Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes is due in March on PlayStation 3, PS4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One. The Phantom Pain has not been dated.