Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater Review

Konami seem to have woken up! With Volume 1 of the Master Collection, and David Hayter all over the socials, they’re bringing Metal Gear Solid back into the spotlight after a decade away (we’re not counting Survive).

Ranked second in my personal list, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater is highly regarded and the first entry in the series chronologically. These two points alone make it the prime candidate for a remake to reintroduce audiences to Tactical Espionage Action. And cardboard boxes! But a remake brings trepidation. Could it recapture what made the original so good whilst coming across well to older timers and newer fans?

The simple answer is yes! An extremely faithful recreation with quality of life improvements and a massive graphical upgrade. For older fans who played the original game in 2004, Delta is MGS3. It’s how you remember the game, nostalgia and all. For those coming in fresh, it’s going to be trippy in true Kojima fashion, but there won’t be any controller, menu, or camera oddities, unless you want them.

So for someone who played the original in 2004, Delta is in many ways a guaranteed winner. But seven completions later, I’ve learnt something else about it.

Metal Gear Solid Delta is like Resident Evil 3 Remake. You might consider that an odd comparison but hear me out. They’re both the third entry in series’ I adore and have both been remade from the ground up. Obvious things. But there’s one other similarity they share.

Control.

In a world that constantly seems to hanging by a thread, with all sorts of nonsense going on, these games offer a safe space. A place where I feel in complete control. Where I always understand what’s next and can easily tailor how much challenge I’d like to face.

This is an important realisation! As someone who is working on understanding themselves better, this is a gift. The updated camera and controls add to this hugely. Then there’s the mixture of the remake overhauling the graphics (stunning), but mixed with the mostly original voice acting. Knowing what needs to change and what can stay. That I still feel right at home with the game speaks to both the care taken to implement the changes and how good the base game has always been.

If you’re expecting deep changes, perhaps like the REmakes, then this isn’t for you. No negatives come to mind! How much you enjoy this game will ultimately be dictated by how much you can enjoy Kojima and his eye for detail/zaniness. It’s all there, just looking better and easier to move through.

For me, Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater is a thoroughly enjoyable and replayable game that rightly brings one of the best games in the series up to modern standards. I really hope they do more.