Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater Proves Snake Still Has Bite

In this age of rapidly releasing video games, few titles can leave a lasting impact on us. An impact that leaves you thinking about the game weeks, months, and even years after you played it. The Metal Gear Solid games have that impact on me. Even now, I have vivid memories of sitting in my old bedroom with my PlayStation 2 and 480p TV—with the VCR attached—playing through Metal Gear Solid 3 for the first time. Konami has decided to bring this experience up to date, remaking it for a new generation 21 years later. Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater is finally here, but how does this old classic hold up in 2025?

Metal Gear Solid Delta is as faithful a remake as they come. I was surprised how 1:1 this remake is with the original. It’s really a shot-by-shot remake of MGS3, but this time with modern graphics, improved animation work, and superior controls. And, for the simple fact that Konami chose to keep all of the quirks and easter eggs that made the original game fun, Metal Gear Solid Delta is, without a doubt, the best way to experience the story of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater currently.

I was worried about some of the goofiness and mature themes getting toned down in this remake, but that didn’t happen. Konami elected to be faithful to the original, showing that they do have some respect for Kojima’s original work and what fans loved about it.

Gamers coming into MGS Delta expecting the same kind of remake as Final Fantasy Remake and Final Fantasy Rebirth, might be let down, as this really is the original game with advanced technical upgrades. But I, for one, am glad that Konami didn’t opt to change the story, as Metal Gear Solid is already a complex web of plot threads. Deviating from Kojima’s original story would only hurt it.

For those unfamiliar with the game’s formula, Metal Gear Solid Delta is a stealthy survival game with an espionage twist. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater pioneered some interesting survival gameplay 21 years ago with the introduction of hunting to survive and treating your injuries. Survival games have evolved since then, but this game still holds up well considering.

The premise here is that a CIA agent going by the code name Naked Snake is sent into the Russian wilds to rescue a scientist captured by the Soviets during the Cold War era. Snake must enter the jungle and go unseen, because if Russian leaders are alerted to the presence of a CIA agent on their soil, it presents a nuclear threat to America. Unfortunately for Snake, he learns that his mentor and previous CIA agent, The Boss, has defected, switching sides and almost killing him to put the cherry on top. I’ll say no more, as what unfolds is some of the best espionage storytelling ever put into a video game. Fans of spy thrillers like James Bond will love this, as Bond was also one of Hideo Kojima’s many inspirations.

Gameplay-wise, Metal Gear Solid has never felt better. One of the critiques of the old games is that the control schemes can feel dated when going back, with some analogue movements not adapting well to modern controllers. Things like the camera and first-person mode are also clunky when going back to the old versions. Thankfully, Metal Gear Solid Delta gives the control scheme a makeover. The camera and first-person mode are fluid and easy to operate. You can also crouch walk, something that previously wasn’t possible until Metal Gear Solid 4 on the PlayStation 3. Those who enjoyed Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain will feel at home, as the new control scheme is similar. There is also the option to use legacy controls for the game.

I did encounter a nasty glitch while fighting the boss known as The Pain. For some reason, my grenades just wouldn’t throw where the marker indicated, and they kept falling right in front of me, which obviously led to my death. This wasn’t the same as the mechanic where The Pain throws your grenades back at you, because the game was legit hindering my ability to throw the object where the marker was. Thankfully, a reload fixed things for me, and I haven’t encountered it again since then. Perhaps it’s a rare glitch, one that will be fixed with a day-one patch even.

I’ve always been terrible at stealth games, but MGS games are so engrossing that I’m forced to get with the program and improve my sneaking skills. To go unseen as you traverse the jungle, you need to make sure that Snake is wearing the relevant camouflage for the area. The game gives you a camo score so you can tell how difficult you are to spot in your current attire. The lower your score, the higher the chances you’ll be spotted by the enemy. If you alert an enemy, they will radio in for backup, and these backup units are typically more dangerous than the soldiers on patrol. Players will need to find a way to go back into hiding until the alert phase ends.

There are many tools in Snake’s arsenal for dealing with combat situations, from handguns to AK-47S and grenades. You also have an MK2 tranquilizer gun for putting enemies to sleep. To prevent the overuse of this gun, the suppressor breaks after a while. With no suppressor, the gun is loud enough to alert other enemies in the area, making the tranq gun far riskier to use until you find another suppressor. This is great because the tranq gun is easy to overuse and ruin the fun of the other stealth mechanics.

MGS Delta reminded me of how great UIs used to be back in the day. The food, camo, cure, and backpack menus are easy to navigate. This game’s UI is uncluttered and works extremely well. Equipping new weapons and items is a breeze. It was a nice change from some of the cluttered UIs we see in games nowadays.

As you can imagine, the game looks stunning. I was worried about the game losing some of its character and charm by looking so hyperrealistic, but I was worried for nothing. This game holds up with the new visuals. The main cast of characters looks superb. And I love seeing the extra level of detail put into textures, and even small things like grass getting stuck in Snake’s hair are nice to see.

One thing I noticed is that some of the flashback scenes with archival footage now look extra blurry. My guess is that because this is footage not produced through the actual game engine, it was tougher to upscale and maintain the quality. After all, the original game was made for 480p resolution. Some might say that Komani should have remade these scenes completely because this is indeed a remake and not a remaster. And you might have a point. For me personally, it wasn’t that big of a deal because these scenes are mainly there to add diagrams and background context to what is being spoken about.

The sound design is superb in Delta, and I haven’t noticed anything that sounds off. The lips are synced with the English voice acting, and if you switch to Japanese, they’ll be synced to that language as well. Sound technology was much different in 2004, with 128kbps audio. We now have higher bitrates, and I’m sure it took a lot of work for Konami to enhance each piece of dialogue, along with every sound effect. Thankfully, everything sounds fantastic.

Outside of the main story, the game has some extras on offer. There is a Snake vs Monkey minigame series where you can test your skills by hunting, you guessed it, monkeys. If you love the core mechanics of the game, this is a fun way to put your skills to the test as each challenge gets more difficult. There’s also a secret minigame dream sequence inside the main story itself, which is called Guy Savage. It’s a concept game Kojima was working on that got scrapped, but it’s cool that they added it to this version of the game.

And finally, there is a hidden mode that is unavailable at the moment. I believe this will be the multiplayer mode, and it should unlock sometime after the game releases. Players do need to finish the game’s story mode before the mode shows up, too.

Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater is a phenomenal and faithful remake of a classic game. Depending on who is asked, Snake Eater is the best game the series has to offer, and that’s why this remake is so important. This remake is so well handled that I’m now craving remakes for the first Metal Gear Solid and Metal Gear Solid 2. And since those games happen after the events of MGS3 chronologically, it makes total sense to go in that order.

The original Metal Gear Solid was made for the PlayStation One, which means it’s a much older and outdated game than Metal Gear Solid 3 is. But after seeing how Konami has handled Metal Gear Solid Delta, I have all the faith that they can deliver the Metal Gear Solid remake we need and deserve.

Whether you’re new to the Metal Gear Solid series or you’re a sneaky veteran, I highly recommend picking up Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater. Just do it! It’s pretty good!

This review was written based on a digital review copy of Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater for the PC provided by Konami.