The idea of jumping straight into Metal Gear Solid 3 without playing the others seemed like a stretch, but I’m all for hype. After rolling credits on Metal Gear Solid Δ: Snake Eater, I’m so glad I dove in. What a game.
Metal Gear Solid has always been one of those series I’ve heard about but never fully experienced. While I did play the original on PS1, I never finished it. I do have vivid memories of dying and characters screaming out “Snakkkeeeee”, but my young, child mind couldn’t comprehend what I was playing.
Metal Gear Solid Δ: Snake Eater is ridiculous fun, the encounters are unique — it’s a classic revived, political incorrectness and all. It’s sexy, it’s violent, it’s thrilling and it’s fun. But that wasn’t my first impression.
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It’s a remake of KONAMI’s 2004 hit game Metal Gear Solid 3. The only difference in development this time around is that Hideo Kojima, the original writer and director of the game, has nothing to do with it.
So, is this remake faithful to Kojima’s original vision?
The game opens with Snake ready to deploy from the air. A lengthy cutscene ensues, followed by a lot of talking… And I mean a lot.
It looks amazing. The lighting is wonderful, the audio is crisp, and the animation is fluid.
That said, the dialogue is dialled up to another level, and I feel most of it is filler. I presume this is all the same as the original, but it didn’t gel with me in the beginning.
Snake shouldn’t need to take a five-minute phone call in a jungle with enemies around the next corner. It doesn’t make sense — even when saving the game, you’re offered a chat with another person. So much talking!
But pushing past the tutorial level, it all becomes much more enjoyable and the conversation seemingly has more purpose.
Snake Eater
In typical Hideo Kojima fashion, the game is a movie within itself — and the Konami team behind the remake has shown so much respect to that. It’s fantastic video game storytelling — cutscenes aplenty and cinematic camera angles throughout.
Metal Gear Solid feels very dramatised — very supernatural James Bond — and doesn’t take itself too seriously.
Cutscenes often offered a perspective through Snake’s eyes, with a subtle “R1” icon appearing in the top right corner. The first instance was when resident baddie EVA climbed off her motorcycle, unzipped her leather jacket to… cool off? Pressing R1, I was taken aback by the close-up shot of her chest.
It felt undeniably 20 years ago. Either way, I had a chuckle — simply from surprise. Snake is shirtless through a major sequence in the game and there are optional camouflage outfits that show off his ripped bod — they’re at least sharing it around.
That said, not every “R1” encounter was risqué, on more than one occasion it was helpful, giving Snake a hint or a heads-up on something coming.
The Boss Fights
Setting aside the fact that there’s a boss whose name is… The Boss; each boss offered something unique. From a man that controls hornets, to a man that controls electricity and an otherworldly being… These fights had me on my toes and finger on the trigger.
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One particular boss I was gearing up for — a man in a wheelchair with crazy eyes named The End — left me shocked after I unintentionally took him out before the big battle even began.
Having just acquired a new long-range rifle, I spotted The End from a distance, took aim and got him directly in the head — what a moment. He went down and a trophy pinged on my PS5.
The End is reportedly a spectacular boss fight. So while it’s cool that it’s possible to take out a boss before the showdown, he’s worth taking on properly.
Combat and Stealth
While boss fights are their own beast — especially the final showdown — general combat is a different experience. While you can go in guns blazing, it makes the game a lot harder. Snake is kitted out with a variety of camouflage to blend in. From different paints to outfits like a scientist — Snake is the master of disguise.
Sneaking around and tranquilising enemies was how I started playing the game, but the more I played, the more I just wanted to shoot. After picking up a machine gun, it was game on.
You’re able to sneak up behind enemies, grab them and interrogate them for info. It’s very useful stuff, ranging from a secret area to a radio code that deactivates the alarm. Then, of course, you slash their throats.
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In tense combat situations, Snake can get knocked down. I found this to be the most frustrating part of combat, as he doesn’t just get back up; Snake goes prone when knocked down and you need to get up into a crouch before standing again. It takes a few seconds to get yourself back up and ready to defend.
Resources
There’s an excellent variety of weapons to find along the way — it really pays to explore. Like the aforementioned sniper rifle that allowed me to take down The End early, if I hadn’t explored every crevice first, I may not have found it.
There’s a lot of trial and error, and a bucket full of gadgets at Snake’s disposal. You’ve really got to think outside of the box at times. If you’re stuck, my top tip would be to check your backpack.
The healing mechanic is unique even today, with a sequence of medical tasks to perform on yourself to treat a wound — from digging a bullet out with a knife, to disinfecting a wound and using a splint to treat a broken arm. They’re going for realism in the most unreal ways.
Another interesting element to the game was the animal, food and stamina resources. There’s plenty of fauna and flora throughout the jungle for Snake to sink his teeth into, some stranger than others. Wanna eat that frog? Go for it. Glowing mushrooms? Give them a go. How about that bat? I’d be careful with that one.
Hidden Mini-Games
There’s a hidden mini-game that was a joy to unlock. I admittedly read about it online first, but it’s worth experiencing.
Snake finds himself in a jail cell — as many CIA agents do while on an espionage mission — yet they allow him to keep his radio (as you do), which becomes his tool for escape.
After making a call to Para-Medic (a paratrooper medic) and saving the game, she’ll tell you the story of Renfield and Dracula. If you load that save file again (noticing it’s now highlighted red in the save file menu) you enter a game within the game — a prototype of an epic vampire action game that sees you find monsters and battle it out with Dracula.
It’s fast-paced, polished and fun. This was also in the original game so it’s great to see the remake devs stay faithful to the original, but also add a bit of shine.
And the minigames don’t end there.
Snake VS Monkey
The Ape Escape crossover is back in high fidelity. Snake sets out on his next intense mission — capture escaped monkeys in the jungle. There’s seven stages, each based on levels in the game. You unlock these stages as you play.
Each level is timed, and you have to capture all the monkeys within the time limit to pass the stage. There’s also a nice little Astro Bot touch in there.
I found this game mode served as an excellent training ground for the main game, especially with sneaking, overall movement and speed. This is a solid addition, and while I thought it was misplaced… It all makes so much more sense now I’ve finished the game. Anything is acceptable in the Metal Gear world.
Photo Mode? You better believe it
To my joy, the game has a photo mode. Though it wasn’t as detailed as, say, Death Stranding 2: On The Beach, it did offer me some moments to soak in this redefined world. Some animal photography below.
Is Metal Gear Solid Δ: Snake Eater a good entry point?
Metal Gear Solid Δ: Snake Eater is the perfect entry point — looking at the story chronologically, it’s the first in the series. I enjoyed it so much I want to go back and play the first two releases and the sequels. It’s action-packed, it’s got Kojima flair and it’s entwined with an unexpected love story. Sure, there’s a few things that went over my head but nothing that ruined the experience.
I played through the entire game on the PlayStation 5 Pro and experienced no major framerate issues or bugs — just the occasional frustration with controls.
If you’re unsure about the Metal Gear games, sink your fangs into this remake and your espionage cravings will be fulfilled. I’ve put about 20 hours in, Snake vs. Monkey included, and I’m going bananas for more.
Quest Daily scores Metal Gear Solid Δ: Snake Eater:
8.5/10
Metal Gear Solid Δ: Snake Eater is out now on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC via Steam and retails for around $120 AUD.
A review copy of Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater was supplied to Quest Daily for the purpose of this review.
