Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater: Faithful to a fault

Like Ocarina of Time and Final Fantasy X, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater was one of those childhood games I played nonstop until the credits rolled. From its stealth mechanics to its Cold War–era intrigue to those quirky, memorable codec conversations with Para-Medic and other allies, it had me hooked back in 2004. It was a game that stuck with me long after I finished it.

Fast forward 21 years, and Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater makes it easy to relive those memories. It’s essentially a one-to-one remake—rebuilt in a new engine, outfitted with some modern control options—but otherwise almost exactly as I remember it. That’s great in the sense that the original was already close to perfect, but not so great if you were hoping for something more ambitious than just a visual overhaul.

Back to the Jungle

2004 was a wild time—Uggs were everywhere, Facebook had just launched, and the Nintendo DS had landed on store shelves. If you owned a PS2, Snake Eater was one of the must-play games. Critics loved its cinematic cutscenes, complex stealth systems, and memorable cast. And, of course, it bore Hideo Kojima’s signature mix of drama and meta weirdness—like giving you the option to kill a boss right after a cutscene hours before the actual fight, skipping the encounter entirely.

That’s the kind of game Snake Eater was, and still is. The story is unchanged, the cutscenes have been recreated with more polish, but since the same voice lines and actors were reused, there’s nothing new in terms of narrative twists or hooks. At times, it feels more like a remaster than a full remake. Not to mention, all those tricks and shortcuts you tried back then will still work here.

On the technical side, Delta is running on Unreal Engine 5, and the results are gorgeous. The jungle glistens with sunlight filtering through the canopy, water ripples realistically as you crawl through swamps, and small details like tree frogs hopping around bring the setting to life. Everything looks better, but it’s still the same jungle you explored back then—just dressed up in high definition.

That commitment to authenticity even carries over to the game’s more controversial elements. Snake can still sneak glances at Eva during cutscenes, there’s still a moment when a soldier gropes her before realizing she’s a spy, and yes—you can still use blackface as camouflage. These elements reflect the original’s 1960s Cold War setting and Kojima’s campy, often provocative style, but they’re bound to stand out more in today’s cultural context.

Modern Controls, Classic Feel

For all its familiarity, Delta does bring in one genuinely useful update: the modern control scheme. The camera now sits behind the shoulder instead of the old bird’s-eye view, and new options like crouch-walking give you added mobility while still keeping things quiet. You have more visibility of your environment without needing to change views to the first-person in order to see in front of you, for example. These changes make stealth more fluid and prevent enemies from sneaking up from offscreen, all without compromising the puzzle-like nature of the original design.

At its heart, the game still plays like a stealth puzzle box. Each area challenges you to blend camouflage, tools, and positioning to outsmart your foes. Getting caught is punishing—especially at higher difficulties as guards call for backup quickly—but slipping past undetected is as satisfying as ever. For me, the highlight remains sneaking through bases with nothing but patience, a tranquilizer gun, and my trusty cardboard box.

Even the original’s health and stamina systems return unchanged forcing you to forage for food from the wilderness to keep you in top shape. Getting hurt also requires you to treat your own wounds before they drain your health so you will often need to check your medical supplies to ensure you have enough bandages or disinfectants for various injuries you may sustain. These elements reiterate the feeling of being alone on a secret mission in the middle of nowhere with limited supplies and nothing but the clothes on your back.

One area where the remake’s faithfulness works against it is the segmented world map. The jungle is broken into zones with loading screens between them, a limitation that made sense on PS2 but feels outdated now. These breaks disrupt the flow, especially if you’re being chased and suddenly hit a load screen that drains all tension. Since the game auto-saves every time you enter a new area, you can even cheat the system by escaping into another zone, reloading, and resetting the alert.

Final Thoughts

Compared to other modern PlayStation remakes—like Resident Evil 2 or Final Fantasy VII Remake—which reimagined entire systems, perspectives, and even storylines to various degrees, Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater plays it by the book. It is a stunning, faithful remake that beautifully preserves the 2004 classic, but its reluctance to add anything new makes it feel more like a remaster than a reimagining.

Still, the legacy of Snake Eater shines through. If you’ve never played the original, Delta will absolutely impress you with its cinematic flair and rewarding stealth mechanics. But if you’re a longtime fan, you may find yourself wondering if it’s worth diving back in—or if it’s better to dust off that old PS2 copy and just watch the updated cutscenes online.