Hands-On with Konami’s reverent remake of Big Boss’s debut
By Dan Ryckert on August 26, 2024 at 12:48AM PDT
In 2016, Konami released a pachinko machine based on Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater that featured remakes of the game’s iconic cutscenes. For series fans that had been hoping for full remakes of the classics–especially in a post-Kojima Konami–this amounted to a gut punch. It was the slightest hint of what a modern take on Snake Eater could look like, but to see it you’d have to be seated in a pachinko parlor instead of getting the lengthy, cinematic Metal Gear Solid experience we had come to expect.
Eight years later, the dream of a proper remake is being realized with Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater. Announced via a 2023 Playstation Showcase, questions immediately arose about what we could expect from this update. Hideo Kojima has long been absent from anything Metal Gear, and his signature style of storytelling and game direction is perhaps the series’ defining feature. This first glimpse lacked the humor, flavor, and “Kojima factor” that fans expected from MGS trailers. Was Delta destined to be a soulless corporate remake of the 2004 classic?
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After experiencing the entire Virtuous Mission at a recent event hosted by Konami in London, I am pleased to share that the remake, Delta, seems to be the highly desired return to Snake Eater that fans have longed for. In contrast to the controversial Twin Snakes remake, which included a complete overhaul of the voiceovers and took significant creative liberties, Delta aims to respect and enhance the original experience of Snake Eater rather than reconstructing it drastically.
Despite the well-known split between Hideo Kojima and Konami, Delta proudly references Kojima’s influence and direction. His name is featured prominently prior to Naked Snake’s pioneering HALO jump. Moreover, Yoji Shinkawa’s distinctive character designs are prevalent across vignettes and introductory cutscenes. From the outset, there is an apparent homage to the classic rendition, unseen in subsequent post-Kojima endeavors like the perplexing Metal Gear Survive and the minimalistic Master Collection. The cinematic sequences are nearly identical to those in the original game, with the exception of enhanced graphics and substituted stock footage due to copyright constraints. Crucial details, such as the R1 command to view through Snake’s perspective, are meticulously preserved, mirroring the original game’s interactive cues.
When you first start controlling Snake in the game, it might take a bit of time to get used to the controls—typical for a Metal Gear game. The game introduces some substantial updates in gameplay mechanics. Instead of the older games where you needed to use trigger buttons for inventory and weapon selections, now you just use the left and right buttons on the D-pad. This change makes the controls feel more in line with those in Metal Gear Solid V. Additionally, you can change your camouflage easily by pressing up on the D-pad, which brings up the camo menu directly. Pressing down allows speedy access to your codec contacts. The display of health, stamina, and camouflage index has also moved to the bottom middle of the screen for better visibility.
The game features an enhanced CQC (close quarters combat) system which was a highlight of the original version. This system is not just about taking down guards silently; you can interrogate them, slit their throats, throw them down, or use them as shields. However, previously, the input method could cause unintended actions due to the pressure-sensitive buttons on the PS2. The new version has a tooltip system that eliminates the need for external help or manuals when executing CQC. Simply holding the right trigger when close to an enemy will display all possible actions, making the combat more intuitive.
This tooltip system is quite handy in various combat situations. For instance, hanging from a bridge to remain unseen, I almost forgot that Snake could aim and shoot with one hand. The tooltips reminded me of this ability just in time to tranquilize an oncoming guard with my pistol, proving how these gameplay improvements enrich the experience.
In modern gaming, frequent loading screens can disrupt the flow, so it’s interesting to see how the game handles transitions between zones. The developers kept the structure of gameplay zones similar to the original, maintaining a seamless transition without noticeable load times, although the screen still briefly fades to black to indicate moving into a new area, keeping the feel of the original intact. This approach to preserving the essence of the gameplay extends to not altering the environment capabilities drastically—Snake can interact with the environment much like he did back in the original game.
While the game aims for realism, it retains a quirky sense of humor. For instance, defeating giant anacondas results in their transformation into to-go boxes. Similarly, guards exhibit exaggerated reactions, such as panicking and running off when a beehive is shot down nearby. Should you meet an untimely end, a message appears warning of a “time paradox”. At the start, selecting “I like MGS2!” equips Naked Snake with a Raiden mask, though choosing “I like MGS4!” does not yield an Old Snake mask, keeping the effects of other selections a mystery.
The original game, while engaging, had a somewhat cumbersome Survival Viewer and wound curing system. Navigating through menus to use items like styptics and suture kits for healing interrupted the immersive experience. Whether this will be as obstructive in the new version isn’t clear yet, but a ‘Cure’ option hints at its return, possibly improved.
There’s exciting new content too. Notably, Snake’s equipment now includes a compass that not only shows cardinal directions but also an objective marker. Enhanced mobility features include a dedicated rolling button and the ability to dive from a stand. Among the familiar elements, such as Kerotan frogs, is a camouflaged GA-KO duck in a ghillie suit, reacting dramatically when shot. The function of these features remains uncertain—they may just be collectibles.
The most striking enhancement is the visual quality. ‘Delta’ significantly boosts the graphical fidelity with a denser, more detailed jungle environment and visible effects like mud trails left by Snake. Damage sustained by Snake persistently affects his appearance throughout the game. The character detailing is impressive, from Volgin’s vivid scars to the eerie appearance of The End and The Sorrow. The demo was confined to a 30fps mode, but a 60fps option is anticipated for the final release.
On the remake spectrum, Delta’s ambitions fall somewhere between the enhanced visuals and quality-of-life upgrades of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD and the substantial Resident Evil reimaginings in recent years. It certainly isn’t attempting to change things up as much as the newer Final Fantasy VII titles. This is a relatively straightforward, modernized remake of the original, which is in no way a complaint. Snake Eater has such a distinct personality that to make too many tweaks would risk losing much of what made it special. Delta’s dev team is walking a tightrope with such a beloved title, and everything I saw during my return to the Virtuous Mission has me confident that they’re handling this with a deft hand.
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