It's been nearly 10 years since the release of Hideo Kojima's final Metal Gear Solid game, MGSV: The Phantom Pain, and it's still a hot topic among fans. Along with discussions about what could have been with the game (which didn't launch with all intended features) and the circumstances surrounding the creator's exit from Konami, one topic that continues to be a lively discussion relates to the infamous character Quiet, played by Stefanie Joosten.
In an interview with IGN, Joosten took some time to share her thoughts on the character in the years since the initial controversy surrounding Quiet, and how her views have changed in the years after.
"It's been interesting to see the discussions about the character. Of course, I've seen them and read a lot of different perspectives on the character at the time," said Joosten. "And still, I respect the choices Kojima made and his team in designing the character. And also, of course, there's also just a choice of creating a visually appealing character. I think video games are, in a way, still a sort of fantasy world you enter, so I respect the choices regarding the Quiet appearance, for instance, being quite revealing."
"But I also understand the perspective of the people that are not as happy with how she was portrayed," she continued. "This game came out in 2015, and I think the video game landscape has changed quite a lot since then. People are looking for more representation, and I really get it."
Before MGSV's release in 2015, the character Quiet became a topic for discussion due to her revealing costume and how she fit into the game. Many fans felt that her character added unnecessary sex appeal to the game which came off as degrading to her character. Hideo Kojima would eventually speak to the controversy, stating that there were in fact, story reasons for why the silent assassin Quiet needed to wear a bikini and leggings, which led to the now infamous comment from him stating that critics of Quiet would be "ashamed of your words & deeds."
As it turned out, the story's reasons for why Quiet needed to wear a revealing outfit weren't quite as revelatory as expected. In the full game, it's revealed Quiet's body had mutated due to a Vocal Cord Parasite created by XOF and its leader Skull Face, which was an infection that targeted people's speaking abilities and specific languages spoken. This parasite also imbued Quiet with enhanced strength and speed and photosynthesis through her skin -- which explains the story's need for her to wear as little clothes as possible to take in nutrients. It's bizarre, but it makes more sense within the context of the game -- though not completely.
While Quiet became a fan-favorite character and was a fun ally for Venom Snake to bring into battle, many fans felt that the need to keep her in a bikini throughout the game wasn't too justified, and MGSV added an option for Quiet to wear a more appropriate outfit if you wanted to. Joosten also agreed that Quiet's outfit wasn't totally justified, but still felt it was acceptable due it being a fantasy game.
"Quiet's outfit is not practical at all," Joosten said to IGN. "Even with the explanation that was given of her breathing through her skin, of course, there were so many other options you could have gone with. I do agree on that. I got to see the character artwork when we were starting motion capture, and of course my first reaction was, 'that's a very revealing costume', but I respected it and accepted it. So that's basically my stance. It's fantasy, and I find that acceptable as well. But I do understand, having more of a diverse representation in video games for woman and all minorities is something I would encourage as well."
Despite the choices for the character, Joosten stated she was proud to work on Metal Gear Solid V and that she would "absolutely" work with Kojima on another game given the opportunity. Quiet was certainly one of the MGS franchise's weirded ally characters, who ended up being a total badass at the end of the day despite the one sore spot to her portrayal.
With the Metal Gear Solid franchise back in the discourse with the recent release of the Master Collection, fans have been looking back on the franchise as a whole; with Volume 1 out the door, we'll likely see even more discussion for MGSV once the next set of remasters come along.
For more on Metal Gear Solid, check out our thoughts on the recent remaster, and how it gives the most underrated MGS game its due.
