If Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater is a 10 out of 10, then Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater is an 11 out of 10. That is not hyperbole, that is just the truth. Delta is the kind of remake that does not faff around. It is not a reimagining or a bold new take. It is Snake Eater as you remember it, only sharper, prettier, smoother, and more satisfying to play. For anyone who has spent years humming that theme song or reminiscing about crawling through the mud to take out The End, this is the same game you loved, simply tuned up for the modern era.
The first thing that hits you is how faithful it all feels. Snake Eater was already a near perfect game, and Delta does not try to mess with that. The jungle is still dense and hostile, full of guards to trick and wildlife to eat. The boss fights still have that theatrical flair, veering from absurd to heartbreaking in a way only Metal Gear can get away with. The story beats land exactly where they should, and the cutscenes are delivered with the same gravitas and occasional silliness that made the original a classic.
What has changed is the presentation. The graphics are absolutely stunning. This is not just a remaster with a bit of polish, it is a full rebuild in Unreal Engine that makes the world feel alive in a way that would have been impossible on the PlayStation 2. Light trickles through the canopy, rain leaves everything slick and heavy, and the detail on Snake’s gear is ridiculous. Even the mud looks convincing enough that you half expect it to stink through the screen. The characters are equally impressive. Snake is grizzled and expressive, Ocelot has never looked smarmier, and The Boss is as commanding as ever. It is still the same game, but seeing it presented like this is almost like playing it for the first time again.
The gameplay has had the most obvious tweaks, and this is where I expect opinions will split. By default, Delta plays like a modern third person action game. The camera follows Snake closely, aiming is smooth, and movement feels intuitive in a way the original never quite managed. It makes sneaking and shooting feel far more natural. Personally, I loved this change, because it made the game feel contemporary without losing its identity. But if you are someone who believes Snake Eater should only ever be played with the quirks and clunk of the PlayStation 2 version, Legacy Mode is there. Switch it on and suddenly you are back with the fixed camera and the old school feel. I respect Konami for including both, because it means everyone can play the way they prefer.
On top of the controls, there are smaller additions that show care and thought. One of my favourites is the way tranquiliser rounds now have bullet drop. It means long distance shots are not just point and click, you actually need to account for trajectory. It sounds like a tiny change, but it makes lining up a shot far more satisfying. There are also little animation tweaks that make Snake feel more present in the world, and enemy AI seems that bit sharper, reacting to sound and sight in ways that feel more convincing.
The bosses are still the stars of the show. The End is still a tense sniper duel through the jungle, The Fear is still an unnerving battle of speed and poison, and The Boss is still one of the most emotional finales in gaming. Every fight feels just as iconic as it did the first time, only now wrapped in that beautiful presentation. That said, I have to mention the absence of the Kojima-coded trick for The End. In the original, you could skip the fight entirely by messing with your console clock or saving and reloading. It was silly, it was brilliant, and it was Metal Gear at its most playful. Delta removes this, and I cannot pretend it did not make me very, very, very sad. The fight itself is still superb, but the absence of that oddball creativity is felt.
Beyond that gripe, though, it is hard to fault what Delta has done. The cutscenes are still gloriously overblown. The dialogue is still that mix of melodrama and nonsense that only works in this series. The survival systems are still intact, forcing you to patch wounds, treat infections, and catch your dinner in the wild. The camo index is still here, making you obsess over face paint and fatigues until you are basically a walking shrub. Everything that made Snake Eater special is still here, untouched and unspoiled.
Performance on PS5 is excellent. The frame rate is stable, the load times are quick, and the DualSense support adds a lot of texture to the experience. You can feel the tension of Snake’s grip when climbing, the kick of each shot, and the subtle rumble of movement through the jungle. It is all small stuff, but together it makes the game feel that little bit more immersive.
And then there is the ending. I knew what was coming, of course I did, but it still hit like a truck. The final battle with The Boss, the music, the emotion, and the way it all comes crashing down is still one of the most powerful moments in games. Experiencing it again in this remake reminded me why Snake Eater is often held up as the high point of the series. It is storytelling at its most operatic, and it still works twenty years later.
So, is Delta perfect? For me, pretty much. Some will argue it is too safe, too faithful, that a remake should do more than just present the same game with better graphics and smoother controls. I get that perspective, but honestly, I did not want Konami to reinvent the wheel. I wanted Snake Eater, only sharper, prettier, and easier to play. That is exactly what I got.
I cannot overstate how happy I am with this remake. Yes, I miss the Kojima oddities. Yes, part of me wonders what a completely reimagined Metal Gear might look like. But this is exactly what I hoped for. A respectful, stunning, modern update to one of the greatest games ever made.
11/10
Snake Eater was a masterpiece, and Delta somehow manages to be even better.