Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater Review – No Going Back

Reviewed on:
PlayStation 5

Platform:
PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC

Publisher:
Konami

Developer:
Konami

Rating:
Mature

Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater is a PlayStation 2 classic in a way not many games from that era are. Few games from that generation continue to hold up graphically, narratively, and remain fun to play. Metal Gear Solid 3 is still impressive to look at and play, even in 2025, which is a testament to Hideo Kojima and the team that created and released it in 2004. I never thought it needed a remake, but now that it’s here, I’m not sure I will ever be able to go back to the original versions.

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As Konami grapples with what to do with Metal Gear without its creator, the decision to specifically revisit Snake Eater makes sense. Along with ranking as a favorite among series fans (myself among them), it is also the first in the broader storyline. It has always been my recommendation for anyone looking to dive into the dense but engaging story, and this version will now be my recommendation moving forward.

My biggest fear with the remake was that without Kojima’s involvement, the game would lack a soul, an admittedly impossible-to-define element. However, because the game is such a direct adaptation of the original with only a handful of understandable changes, that element of the game came over just fine in the copy/paste/improve process. Even without the original creator’s involvement, the fact that it came from a team with such a specific and expertly executed idea and point of view remains intact. Decisions like not re-recording the dialogue (as they did for the GameCube remake of Metal Gear Solid, Twin Snakes) and keeping all of its strange bonuses and secrets (Snake can still have a nightmare), all add up to Delta feeling as compelling as it did in 2004, which is a feat. The few changes that were made, however, are smart.

Visually, the team at Konami has fully brought the game up to contemporary standards. Snake looks amazing, and you can see every scar from every battle on his exhausted face. The jungle, in particular, with its dense foliage and various animals, looks terrific. And though no element of the cinematography or cutscene choreography has been changed, it is filled with renewed life thanks to all the heightened detail and new lighting. Later sections of the game, when you are spending more time in plain military buildings than outdoors, lack the impressive pop of those early moments, but they still look fantastic.

You can use the original controls if you desire, but the new standard controls make Snake move and shoot more like a modern third-person shooter. It took some getting used to, and early in my playthrough, I would panic when I got caught, and muscle memory would make me press the wrong buttons, but I can’t imagine ever going back to the way things were. I was popping off tranquilizer headshots quickly and efficiently and having a good time doing it. Quick-changing camo with shortcut keys is also a godsend and finally fixes an element of the game that has always annoyed me.

One place where Delta’s age does show is in its writing. Don’t get me wrong – it has been years since I played without skipping most cutscenes. For this playthrough I remained fully and consistently engaged with the characters and the story’s direction. The Boss’ journey has always been the highlight of Snake Eater, and I appreciated it all the more playing the remake.

But there are moments where you just have to suspend disbelief. Why wouldn’t they take Snake’s radio when they put him in jail? Why do they let Tatyana, their prisoner, more or less come and go as she pleases? In one moment, antagonist Volgin literally says, “Very well. I’ll explain it before I kill you,” before settling into an extended and frankly absurd monologue doing precisely what he promised. It also takes entirely too long for the game to start. As a longtime fan of Snake Eater, I find these elements charming and even comedic, but I completely understand if a newcomer gets frustrated by the excessive and frequently self-indulgent character lectures.

Metal Gear Solid Delta makes the case for its existence quickly. It smartly adheres to what made the original game great with evident reverence and makes updates only to the most crucial elements. For fans like me, it colors Snake Eater in a new light and elevates it to something better than I remembered. It’s impossible for me to objectively imagine this being my first experience with Snake Eater, but I am extra excited for those players who have always been curious about Metal Gear for this to be their starting line.

Score:
9

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