Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater established itself as one of the sixth console generation's most remarkable titles and also as a high point in Hideo Kojima's career. Released in 2004, the game tells the origin story of Big Boss, a central figure in the mythology of the Metal Gear series. Although it was the fifth game to reach the market, this is where the franchise gains a solid narrative foundation, revealing the cornerstones of its story. Two decades later, Konami decided to bring this classic back as a remake. Now called Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, it seeks to preserve the essence created by Kojima, but this time without his involvement in the game's production.
The Snake Eater remake stands out for the graphical leap provided by Unreal Engine 5. The jungle, already immersive in the original, now gains an impressive wealth of detail: dynamic lighting, moonlight reflected on water, particles in the air, and even the gradual wear on Snake's clothing, which accumulates dirt, mud, and vegetation as he moves.
In terms of gameplay, adjustments were made carefully to modernize without stripping away its character. Movement is more fluid, and the camera system was updated to a third-person view, aligning it with current standards in the stealth-action genre. Changing camouflage, previously more time-consuming, is now simple and quick, preserving the game's pace. Hand-to-hand combat has also been refined, offering faster and more natural responses in direct confrontations.
The improvements also appear in the interface and armed combat. Menus are more intuitive, and weapons can be used with an over-the-shoulder aim, ensuring greater precision and control. In addition, the commands were reorganized to follow the standard of modern action games, making the experience more accessible to new players and more fluid for veterans.
Positive Metacritic Scores and Mixed Fan Reception
Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater was widely praised by specialist critics, as shown by the reviews collected by Metacritic. The title currently has an average score of 86 based on 71 critic reviews, 92% of which are positive. These figures establish the remake as one of 2025's best-received games.
Among the general reviews, critics highlighted the remake's fidelity to the original 2004 game, praising both the preservation of the narrative and the modernized visuals powered by Unreal Engine 5. The gameplay improvements, including updated controls and more intuitive camouflage systems, were also well received.
Some fans and reviewers, however, emphasized that they greatly missed Hideo Kojima's involvement in the game's production. On forums such as Reddit and in the Steam community, comments emerged saying the game “is not really Metal Gear without Kojima,” while others recalled the turbulent way Konami parted company with the director in the past.
Analysts also stressed that although Delta is faithful to the original in gameplay and narrative, there is discomfort in seeing Konami try to “erase” Kojima's figure, since he was essential to the franchise's style, boldness, and creative signature.
In the launch trailer mentioned above—not the cinematic one—some players also complained about the lack of care, even citing a grotesque editing error in which one character's line is cut off halfway through.
Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater is available for PC, PS5, Xbox Series S, and Xbox Series X.
