Metal Gear Solid Δ: Snake Eater

It's extremely difficult, if not impossible, to find a comprehensive angle on a brand new remake of something that must now be classified as antique, because it depends entirely on the crucial context surrounding each individual consumer and their specific purchasing attitude and situation. What do we expect from a "remake"? Is it just recreated graphic assets that aim to tell exactly the same story again? Or is there an inherent demand for a kind of remix, a reinterpretation?

I myself am torn, because {Final Fantasy VII: Remake}'s way of kickstarting a dialogue with itself and about itself remains one of the most exciting meta twists I have experienced, but at the same time I sympathise with the argument that remakes should, in a way, treat the source material with respect and care.

No matter who you are, the restoration work behind {Metal Gear Solid Δ: Snake Eater} has been done to perfection, albeit with a few issues worth highlighting, which affect everyone regardless of the aforementioned attitude and perspective, but apart from that, the game, or at least the main game itself, remains faithful to... well, itself, so it's difficult to determine what it actually takes for me to recommend it.

First and foremost, it's important to emphasise that apart from a few minor quality-of-life features here and there, and two secondary, separate modes called "Snake Vs." and "Fox Hunt", this is a faithful copy of the original {Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater} from 2004 in terms of content. That year, I received the game as a birthday present when I was 12 from a family member who was interested in gaming, and I spent something like 12 months completing it with my little brother. It was our introduction to an advanced, idiosyncratic, and thoroughly unique universe that we were in no way prepared to absorb and relate to at such a young age, but it still stands as one of the fondest gaming memories of my entire 34 years of life.

{Metal Gear Solid Δ: Snake Eater} is therefore a welcome reunion, and by recreating the exact same experience in {Unreal Engine 5}, it's clear that for that reason alone it is worth the purchase price for those of us who have missed {Metal Gear} in its purest form and who feel a pulsating nostalgia just at the thought of experiencing the adventure of {Naked Snake} in its entirety, without having to worry about any changes we might have to deal with.

The technology behind it is broadly approved. No, this is not a candidate for the most beautiful game on the latest console platforms, but neither is it downright underwhelming. It's sufficiently detailed, sufficiently smooth, and sufficiently faithful to the spirit of the original game that it's an adequate recreation of {Snake Eater}'s visual identity, fitting it into a modern framework. I say "adequate" because the game's overall graphical detail is neat without being flashy. The character models don't come close to the expressiveness of {Naughty Dog}, nor is the game's frame rate as silky smooth as {Doom: The Dark Ages}. On {PS5 Pro}, on which most of this review is based, the game looks great, but it's not so much that you'll be frantically picking your jaw up off the floor as the game progresses. On {Xbox Series} and the regular PS5, there are two graphics settings, {Quality} in 4K/30fps and {Performance} in 4K/60fps, where you don't have a choice on the {Pro}, but considering {Doom: The Dark Ages}' performance, {Konami} should have been able to give us both, especially when {Performance} upscales to 4K from something as meagre as 1080p.

In addition, the music sounds wonderful, the voice acting maintains the same kitschy tone that has given the game such a distinct and legendary identity, and combined with the slightly freer camera in the updated controls (you can also choose the classic setup if you wish), {Metal Gear Solid Δ: Snake Eater} appears modern and optimised, albeit with a few exceptions.

This raises an interesting debate about whether these remakes of classic, older games should update the games in question more drastically. For example, should {Konami} have implemented more elements from {Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain}? Or should every single outdated mannerism be retained at all costs, because it's precisely these that give the game its charm? I don't have the answer myself, but I can wholeheartedly say that after a slightly awkward reunion during the first hour, I quickly rediscovered my enormous love for this epic Cold War drama, even though it feels significantly better to control {Snake} in modern {Metal Gear} games. For me personally, it has been worth the whole reunion on a narrative, mechanical, and structural level.

Speaking of expanding a given game through remakes/remasters, there is a brand new mode called {Fox Hunt}, but it won't be available until sometime this autumn. It's a somewhat curious decision, and the few sequences we've seen suggest a rather entertaining multiplayer mode. Then there's {Snake vs. Monkey}, which is a rather entertaining diversion where, on PlayStation at least, you hunt monkeys from {Ape Escape}. There are eight distinct missions with their own rather amusing and meta-like introduction, where you have to neutralise the aforementioned monkeys within a time limit. It's not particularly deep, it's just a classic time trial, but in relation to the whole idiosyncratic side of Kojima's design philosophy, it fits in quite well.

That said, it's pretty easy to argue that even the smallest changes, such as {Eva}'s significantly altered appearance due to the recreation of the game's graphical assets in {Unreal Engine 5}, have drained the game of some of its edgy charm, but {Konami} has also remained extremely faithful to the game that many, including myself, love so much. It's harder to forgive the minor performance glitches here and there, and two slightly mediocre graphics settings on console, but at the same time, this is still an excellent way for newcomers to be introduced to the series, and a striking homage for connoisseurs. Bravo.