Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater is now out in the wild for returning and new fans to experience. After just over 20 years since Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater landed on PS2 in 2004, and was hailed as the most complex and celebrated entry in the series to date, Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater keeps the original's legacy going strong by bringing its story and gameplay into the current generation.
While remakes and remasters can cover a broad range of potential changes that can either elevate the originals or, in certain cases, end up diminishing them, Konami's new take on this iconic Metal Gear Solid title keeps the memorable story and moment-to-moment action largely intact. And while this doesn't result in a radically different experience compared to other remakes, it does accomplish the task of preserving the feel of Snake Eater while still including some welcome updates and tweaks to it.
Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater Plays Things Pretty Safe, and That's Mostly Fine
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater Was Already a Classic
After establishing the major gameplay pillars and overarching framework in the earlier entries, creator and director Hideo Kojima was in full stride for Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. Featuring the IP's wildest tale at the time of political intrigue, shifting loyalties, and unexpected (or perhaps entirely expected) betrayals during an alternate history of the Cold War, MGS 3: Snake Eater hit all the right notes for an incredible and engaging story.
It was also notable for taking place at the earliest point in the elaborate and often convoluted timeline of Metal Gear Solid. MGS 3: Snake Eater took protagonist Naked Snake's complicated history and relationship with his mentor, The Boss, and used it to form one of the emotional cores of the journey. Along with the rest of the fantastic cast, its tale has left an enduring impression on fans and within gaming ever since.
Of course, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater's gameplay is equally important to its popularity. Its array of creative mechanics and clever ideas all feed into the satisfying fun of inhabiting the role of Naked Snake and taking part in covert missions that are of the utmost importance to national and global security. At the end of the day, there wasn't much Konami needed to change or vainly attempt to fix in the remake, because hardly any of it was actually broken.
Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater Doesn't Reinvent the Wheel, But it Does Make the Ride Much Smoother
Konami's previous modern release of a landmark title in its other major IP, Silent Hill 2 Remake, did change things more extensively, both in terms of the gameplay/combat direction and expanding certain areas and even altering some scenes and lines of dialogue. While these ended up being mostly well-received, there was a risk involved that they would negatively depart from the impact of the original, especially with the actual development in Bloober Team's hands instead of Konami, which initially made the remake's direction unpredictable.
But similar to Silent Hill 2, because the bones of the game were already so solid, Konami did not need to do much heavy lifting in order to make Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater palatable in the current climate. In this regard, Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater also resembles Resident Evil 4 Remake. Everything that made the original such a standout work is still present, but it also provides a good variety of smaller but effective updates and options that don't come at the expense of sacrificing any of its core elements.
MGS Delta offers an old-school control scheme and a more modern configuration along with a legacy mode that lets fans play with the OG perspective and style.
Though it does contain a few lingering warts and flashes of finickiness left over from the era of the original, most of these rougher edges have been smoothed over by the use of modern design philosophies that ensure Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater plays and looks as well as it possibly can. Its best components remain front and center, and the delicate balance achieved by incorporating experimental mechanics into a memorable origin story for the character who would eventually become the iconic Big Boss largely feels like it hasn't aged a day. It is a game unmistakably of a distinct time and place, and the remake respects this while also making it accessible to fans of all ages and preferences.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 85 /100 Critics Rec: 89%
WHERE TO PLAY
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 5
- Genre(s)
- Shooter, Adventure, Stealth
