Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater has been released to acclaimed reviews, despite some performance issues and other bugs. For the most part, this is a faithful remake of Hideo Kojima’s subliminal PS2 classic, but prettier. On paper, this should be everything fans want from a remake, but they’re actually more split than usual about it.
“Soul” is often brought up when remakes are involved, as fans always want these games to maintain their identities while fixing flaws to make them digestible for modern gamers. This is a difficult tightrope to navigate, as some of those flaws can be seen as charming quirks by older fans. Delta has seemingly walked that walk by making the game prettier and keeping that signature gameplay fans loved.
In practice, however, the modernized visuals for Metal Gear Solid Delta look good, but also feel generic. Similarly, some of those QOL gameplay changes might have made the experience a bit too easy. There’s no doubt that Delta is a good game, but does that mean its original soul was intact?
Messing with the Set Dressing
One of the major changes fans weren’t happy about with Metal Gear Solid Delta was the default lighting, which made everything look generic. The jungles look too nice and clean, caves don’t have that rough or dirty feeling, and characters have a realistic aesthetic for better or worse, it’s a mixed bag. We can’t deny that this is a good-looking game, but these changes to the art seem to miss the point.
The original Snake Eater game had a yellow-ish filter that made everything look very ‘60s. Said color grading also added character to those aforementioned jungles and caves. While this remake does have a “legacy filter” that improves the game’s look, it still feels too “clean.” Fans have also brought up how the iconic ending scene was changed visually, which we won’t spoil, but everyone seems to hate it.
Are these fans being blinded by their nostalgia? Potentially. But there’s no denying how MGS Delta looks like every other game out there. Fans had similar thoughts about Persona 3 Reload, a great remake that might have also changed too many things.
Choose Your Boss
If fans feel that Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater does too much, they can just stick with the MGS Master Collection. Not only does this preserve the original game on modern systems, but fans don’t even have to buy all three games. By chance, fans only want to play the original Snake Eater; they have that opportunity with this release.
Konami should be praised for making a mostly faithful remake, while also selling the HD port of the original to keep all fans happy. This method also has its flaws - some fans prefer that top-down view from the very first PS2 release - but it does ensure that players everywhere can experience that original adventure.
The original Metal Gear Solid 3 might be too good. It's a story that is still fairly accessible to newcomers and can still be emotional. Its gameplay is still unique and doesn’t feel dated at all. Lastly, those PS2 visuals still look pretty good, with the HD remake not doing a ton to make them look much better.
Metal Gear Solid Delta is a perfectly fine remake gamers can check out. But players should do themselves a favor and play the original release as well.
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