When it comes to making a video game experience feel cinematic and epic on multiple levels, there are very few series that ever get it done like Metal Gear Solid. For years, gamers have followed the deep and complicated plot of the series involving a CIA spy named Snake, and the many shadowy powers that would steer the world towards chaos. But rather than remaking the very first game in the series, Konami decided to revisit the first tale in the chronology of Metal Gear Solid games, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, and give it an entirely revamped look. But like the series itself, there are more layers that go deeper than you realize, showing why Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater is a beautiful rehashing of the tale of Naked Snake.

At its core, Metal Gear Solid Delta is the same story from the 2004 original release. But what's done to the presentation is beyond the scope of what the original vision was, along with some gameplay tweaks that further modernize the game in great ways. There are things that look and feel different, but the heart of Metal Gear Solid Delta is exactly what fans of the series have always loved about Snake Eater. And nothing that is done for this version of the game is without any reverence for the original Hideo Kojima game that many of us played back on the PlayStation 2 years ago. Only now does it have a more definitive graphical style for the series going forward.

Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater price and availability

Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater is available physically and digitally for the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Windows PC. The physical and digital versions of the game have multiple editions, including a standard edition with the base game and a collector's edition with bonus items. The Tactical Edition is available physically at retail stores and comes with pre-order bonus outfits and the Sneaking DLC pack. The standard digital version only has the pre-order bonus outfits.

The digital deluxe edition of the game has all the pre-order bonuses, items, and Sneaking DLC as the Tactical Edition, but also has 48 hours of early access to the game before release. The physical collector's edition of Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater is a limited release in North America and comes with bonus physical items alongside the game. This includes a terrarium diorama, patches, a Snake ID card lanyard, a steel case for the game, and a collector's box for everything. The collector's edition also contains all the pre-order and Sneaking DLC content as well.

• Tactical Edition (Physical) - $69.99
• Standard Edition (Digital) - $69.99
• Digital Deluxe Edition (Digital) - $79.99
• Collector's Edition (Physical) - $199.99
• Sneaking DLC Pack (separate digitally) - $14.99

Same Snake, with new tricks

Playing better than the original

Some of the more interesting changes that come with this new version of Snake Eater are how Metal Gear Solid Delta gives options for how to control the game. While previous versions also had multiple control schemes that offered new and improved or classic styles, Metal Gear Solid Delta does more with the third-person over-the-shoulder view. This approach lets players use a different camera view that is more in line with recent third-person shooter games, which was very different from the original Snake Eater release. With this comes an overall better control scheme that feels comfortable to use when sneaking around the jungle and various military structures. I never felt limited in my view when hiding from soldiers or maneuvering around areas to remain stealthy. Aiming a tranquilizer gun from within the grass didn't feel like I had to compromise with the camera or look for other ways to get a better shot from where I was.

But the best part is how Metal Gear Solid Delta gives you the option to switch between this and the original style, which is called Legacy controls. Most Metal Gear Solid fans who have played the majority of the games may want to go back to how things felt to control in the original game, so there's an option to do so. In comparison to the new style, Legacy controls are much more restrictive. You don't always have a better view of things around you, and you can't transition from different stances or movements as smoothly. It worked well enough in the original game, but for some people, the newer style of controls will be the preferred method to go with.

But with Snake's new approach to sneaking around comes enemies with even tougher mettle. If you're spotted and trigger the Alert Phase, enemy soldiers will be relentless in their pursuit of you. Although the game has different difficulty settings that manipulate how aggressive enemies will be, they are not always stupid and oblivious when investigating areas. Even in normal settings, I had to be careful not to draw the ire of patrol units that were carelessly moving about; otherwise, I could easily be overrun by enemies.

Like in the original game, Metal Gear Solid Delta has the camouflage and hunger mechanics that affect Snake as he executes his mission. Finding animals and other items to keep his stamina up is still just as fun and engaging as ever, and having the right camouflage outfit can make you completely invisible to enemies. However, with the new visuals for Metal Gear Solid Delta, having the wrong outfit in certain locations will make you stand out clearly to enemies. They're able to spot Snake from great distances and react accordingly, which can be a real problem in some parts of the story. As long as you're mindful of where enemies can see you and how you take them down before moving on, the game will never feel unfair or too difficult when trying to remain stealthy.

The total glow up

Snake Eater looks gorgeous

One cannot talk about Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater without acknowledging how much the visuals make this experience worth going through again. If Hideo Kojima had the vision of Snake Eater being an action movie that was shown in theaters, the visual style of Metal Gear Solid Delta would be super close to what he envisioned. Everything about the graphics, from the environments to the character models and everything in between, has an incredible amount of detail that looks so much better than the original game. There are even subtle details about characters during cutscenes that make the framing of them look even more dynamic and cinematic, such as sweat or deformations on their face when having a small expression. Naked Snake has never looked better than how he is rendered on the PlayStation 5.

The only major negative that I can point to with the game's presentation is the opening credits sequence. The opening is a remake of the original credits, which is a big homage to James Bond movies, with the Snake Eater theme song playing. In the original, it was a fun way to open the game. In Metal Gear Solid Delta, however, there seems to be a slight delay and blurriness to some of the text that appears on the screen. Names in some spots are just not readable because of how they're moving with the visuals, and certain text can appear to drag, which could be an issue with the frame rate. During the game itself, there are a few cutscenes that have a transition with a slight slowdown in the frame rate, but it's never present during the majority of the experience. Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater has performance and quality options that can be changed at the start, which may or may not affect other instances throughout.

The jungle locations and military outposts that you go to during Snake Eater have so much detail in them. Gentle movements of the trees and grass on the ground make everything feel alive, which is further reinforced by the reactions of the environment when characters or creatures move around. Details like footprints in mud or drops of water left behind look fantastic, even though they can be the very reason you get spotted by nearby patrols. It's a level of detail from the original Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater that gets further enhanced in a way that makes the game look beautiful. And when getting to the final sequences involving a meadow of white flowers, the visuals offer plenty of great eye candy that will stick with everyone.

But these visuals don't just make the game look great while you're sneaking around; they make parts of the story itself even better. The iconic moments that fans remember from Snake Eater look even more emotional, impactful, and suspenseful because of the visual upgrade. The characters that benefit the most from the glow up are some of Snake's enemies from the Cobra Unit, and others, like Volgin. Seeing them rendered in greater detail allows parts of their bodies that are tied to their powers or identity to tell more of the story of their trauma, with some parts of them that were never rendered clearly in the original game. The wasp stings on The Pain, the burn marks on The Fury, and the withered skin of The End are all examples of how much more can be seen on those characters, and make their encounters even better.

The extras get enhanced

Some surprises for fans, too

Finishing Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater doesn't take long, and is on par with the original game. As usual, you're given a title ranking at the end that is dependent on how well you snuck around, as well as if you avoided unnecessary deaths. But Metal Gear Solid Delta has a ton of replayability with New Game Plus and extra difficulty options, allowing everyone to collect titles that you can earn with each playthrough. This is great for those who really love Snake Eater or the gameplay of Metal Gear Solid in general, but there aren't many rewards from getting the various titles, outside the challenging ones that give bonus outfits and perks. There is a gallery that you can rewatch cutscenes and see which ones you're missing, which is presented like a VR mission from the series when selecting a cutscene. It's a neat way to present the gallery, which can give an incentive to unlock all the scenes you can discover.

Speaking of discovery, Metal Gear Solid Delta also has some bonus items to find while sneaking around. Certain soldiers will have filmstrips on them that can be obtained if you manage to hold them up. These unlock bonus cutscenes that can be accessed from the menus and often depict alternate scenes from the game. However, they can be difficult to get because of how tedious it can be to get enemies to drop them. Knocking out or killing an enemy with a filmstrip automatically destroys it, so you'll have to reload a save to try again. For some people, it might not be worth the effort to get them all, unless you're a die-hard fan of the series and want to complete everything. The bonus modes from Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater also make a comeback. The Ape Escape-inspired mode that has Snake catching monkeys returns with multiple scenarios. The visual upgrades for Metal Gear Solid Delta help make the monkeys stand out more when they're hiding in the areas, and they still look very goofy.

But the extra mode that will get the most attention is the Guy Savage mini-game. While you can unlock this by completing the game once, you can also access it as a nightmare sequence for Snake after he's captured during the story. This is a completely redone Easter egg that was remade by Platinum Games for Metal Gear Solid Delta, which looks and feels very different from the original in Metal Gear Solid 3. The mode has you fighting monsters and a version of Dracula in a horror setting, and controls very similar to other action titles made by Platinum Games. However, completing the sequence doesn't give any rewards whatsoever, not even a trophy for finishing it. It's disappointing not to get anything from it, but it's such a great bonus that fans wanted to see make a return. And luckily, what Platinum Games did, and they made it look amazing, more than makes up for not getting something out of playing through it.

I'm still in a dream...

Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater is the absolute best way to experience the story of Snake Eater. Those who never played the original game owe it to themselves to play through it at least once, and this is the definitive way to experience why so many people believe Snake Eater to be one of the best entries in the series. The game takes advantage of the power that comes with the PlayStation 5 and looks absolutely fantastic in nearly every way. The options for controls, the bonus modes and extra goodies, and the complete visual upgrade will bring something intriguing to even the most experienced Metal Gear Solid fans. It might be the same story that some have seen so much, but this re-rendering will have people still in a dream about Snake Eater, and hopefully, the rest of the Metal Gear Solid series again.