In 2015, Konami announced they would be making Pachinko machines for famed franchises such as Silent Hill and Castlevania, crushing the hearts of fans worldwide. And with the firing of Hideo Kojima and liberal use of microtransactions in Metal Gear Solid V, the future of Metal Gear Solid looked like it would fated to become yet another title to join the ranks of pachinko fodder for Konami. Thankfully, we were wrong, and it turns out that the spirit of Metal Gear Solid will live on with the upcoming Metal Gear Solid: Facebook Ops.

Launching for iOS and Android, Metal Gear Solid: Facebook Ops is a free to play top down Metal Gear Solid game that manages to capture everything that makes Metal Gear Solid so great, as well as everything that makes mobile gaming so profitable. Fans can expect a retelling of Metal Gear Solid and Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, with a possibility of a paid Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater update at a later date.

The gameplay showcases Solid Snake's infiltration of Shadow Moses Island, starting within a cramped hall. Snake is controlled by tapping on different points on the map, which will trigger a set animation of Snake sneaking around. As always, the game's iconic GENOME soldiers are on patrol, albiet rendered in the adorable style games like Clash of Clans are known and loved for.

"When you step into a guard's cone of vision, you will trigger an alert phase," gameplay director Amitt Mahajan (FarmVille, CityVille) demonstrated by tapping near one of the two dozen guards patrolling the hallway. "Once triggered, you must wait 12 hours before you may continue. Alternatively, you will be able to pay one Alert token [Ed Note: Roughly 2.99 USD] to cancel any alarm, adding to that extra depth hardcore fans truly crave."

The gameplay demo concluded when Snake stumbled into Psycho Mantis' lair, where the psychic member of FOXHOUND displayed some of his famed fourth wall breaking by ramping up the price of MB coins for the duration of the battle and requiring you to get a friend to register for Metal Gear Solid: Facebook Ops to break Mantis' telekenetic control. Once the gameplay ended, a QR code popped up on screen to scan in five MB coins free of charge*, and urging viewers to follow Facebook Ops on Twitter or like them on Facebook for extra MB coins.

The game's announcement has caused quite a stir among the Metal Gear Solid fanbase, but I couldn't be anymore thrilled. Sure it may not seem like the best, but consider the alternative. I think we can all agree that with a future focused on taking your money through microtransactions rather than through slot machines is a bright one for the legendary Metal Gear Solid series.

*QR code promotion only lasts until 6/1/2016