I wasn’t sure what to expect going into Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater. Remakes can be hit or miss, and this one is based on a game I’ve played so many times I could probably sneak through the jungle blindfolded. The question for me wasn’t whether the story still held up. I knew it did. The question was whether this remake could capture the magic of Snake Eater while smoothing out the rough edges that came with its PS2 roots. After playing it, I can say that it does. It doesn’t reinvent the game, but it preserves what made it special and makes it easier to appreciate in 2025.
The first thing that grabbed me was the jungle itself. Back in 2004, those environments were impressive for their time, but a lot of the atmosphere had to be carried by imagination. Now the jungle feels alive. Grass moves as Snake crawls through it, the sound of birds and insects fills your ears, and shafts of light cut through the canopy in a way that made me stop and just look around. It’s the same locations I remember, only this time they actually look like the places I always pictured in my head.
Character models got the same level of care. Snake doesn’t just grunt his way through codec calls anymore. His eyes shift, his expressions carry weight, and the tension of every conversation comes across. The Boss, in particular, is incredible to watch. Her conviction shows in every cutscene, and when the final confrontation comes, the scene lands harder than it ever did before. Seeing that field of white flowers in modern fidelity was worth the price of admission on its own.
Gameplay has also seen important adjustments, even if the design underneath remains the same. The original Metal Gear Solid 3 launched with stiff movement and a fixed camera. Later versions improved it, but it still felt clunky. Delta fixes that from the start. You now have a fully controllable camera, aiming feels natural, and Snake is much more responsive. CQC, which always felt like a gamble before, finally works the way it was supposed to. Grabbing guards, slamming them to the ground, or using them as shields feels reliable instead of awkward.
The survival mechanics are still here, but they’ve been streamlined. Healing wounds no longer requires you to dig through menus every time Snake takes damage, and the food system isn’t quite as fiddly. You still have to patch up bullet wounds, treat cuts, and cook or catch animals to stay alive, but it’s quicker now. It strikes a nice balance between keeping the identity of the original and respecting the player’s time.
That said, the structure hasn’t changed. The game is still broken into small zones with transitions, which feels dated compared to how seamless modern stealth games are. Guards still have their set patterns, and sometimes you’ll get caught in ways that feel unfair. I had a few moments where a guard off-screen spotted me out of nowhere and suddenly the whole area was in alert. Those trial-and-error frustrations are part of the package. They sometimes pulled me out of the flow, but I found myself forgiving it because this is how Metal Gear played, and part of me wouldn’t want it any other way.
The camouflage system stood out to me again after all these years. The idea is simple but clever, change your outfit and face paint to match the environment so guards have a harder time spotting you. In practice, it means pausing often to swap gear just to push your stealth percentage a little higher. For some players, that will feel tedious. For me, it felt like reconnecting with an old habit. I remembered doing this exact thing back on PS2, and there was something oddly comforting about repeating it here, even if it isn’t the most elegant mechanic by today’s standards.
And then there’s the story. This is still one of the best video game stories ever told. Naked Snake’s journey from soldier to legend is paced perfectly, filled with betrayals, philosophy, and absurd yet unforgettable villains. The Cobra Unit is just as weird and theatrical as I remembered, and Ocelot’s antics still made me laugh. But it’s the relationship between Snake and The Boss that carries the game. That final mission is devastating, and the way it plays out in this remake left me sitting in silence after the credits rolled. I knew what was coming, but it still hurt. That’s how you know the story hasn’t lost a step.
The music is also just as powerful now as it was in 2004. The iconic Snake Eater theme returns, still sung by Cynthia Harrell, and hearing it in the remake sent chills down my spine. That ladder climb sequence hasn’t lost a bit of its magic, and seeing it play out with the new visuals while the song swells was surreal. It felt like being transported straight back to the first time I played this on PS2, only sharper and more cinematic. The rest of the soundtrack is strong too, but it’s that song that steals the show. It reminded me why this game stuck with me all these years.
Performance was solid for me on console. The game ran smoothly, with no crashes or stutters that pulled me out of the experience. The jungle is dense, and the lighting effects can be intense, but the frame rate held up. I did notice that loading screens between zones were still there, which reminded me that this is, at its heart, a PS2 game dressed up for a new era. On PC, I tried it briefly and saw some of the usual Unreal Engine issues like small stutters and high demands on my rig. It wasn’t unplayable, but if you have a choice, I’d recommend console for the smoother ride.
What surprised me the most was how strong the nostalgia hit me. I’ve played a lot of remakes, but few made me feel like I was reliving my younger days the way this one did. The first time I climbed that endless ladder and heard “Snake Eater” kick in, I couldn’t help but smile. Facing The End again in his sniper duel, I remembered how frustrated I was years ago, and this time I felt the same tension all over again. The remake didn’t try to rewrite those moments. It just let me experience them the way I remembered them, but with the benefit of modern visuals and controls.
By the time the credits rolled, I felt satisfied. Not because the game surprised me or gave me something new, but because it respected what made the original special and made it easier to play today. Some players will want more, maybe a reimagined structure or new content. That’s not what this remake is about. This is about keeping one of the greatest stealth games ever made alive and beautiful for a new generation.
For me, Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater is everything I wanted. It’s faithful, it’s gorgeous, and yes, sometimes it feels clunky. But it reminded me why this game mattered to me in the first place. And if that’s not the point of a remake like this, I don’t know what is.
Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater (PS5)
Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater is everything I wanted. It’s faithful, it’s gorgeous, and yes, sometimes it feels clunky. But it reminded me why this game mattered to me in the first place. And if that’s not the point of a remake like this, I don’t know what is.
The Good
- A faithful remake
- Modern Gameplay Controls
- Still Holds the Greatest Story in the Franchise
- Visually Stunning!
The Bad
- Performance hiccups
