Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater Review – SWAMPS, STEALTH & STRANGELY GOOD MONKEY BUSINESS

Everyone was asking for it, but it might not have been what you expected. Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater takes the classic Cold War stealth romp where Snake eats more wildlife than Bear Grylls, gives it a slick Unreal Engine 5 facelift, and modernises the controls so you don’t sprain your thumbs sneaking around, singing “Snaaaake Eater!”

Old Snake, New Tricks

Seriously, this remake looks schmick. The jungle drips with detail: mud squelches, rain lashes down Snake’s face, and the swamp is so lush you’ll feel like mozzies are buzzing around your living room. Some old-school fans reckon the brighter tone kills the gritty Cold War vibe, but let’s be real—when your mission area looks like something you’d find in a David Attenborough documentary, who cares? That said, the sleekness of the graphics does lose the intentional artistic flourishes of the original. It can’t be denied.

Although, the most obvious improvements of this remake are the quality of life updates, like the crouch-walk from the Nintendo 3DS version and a choice of two control options. Legacy Style is basically Konami saying, “Here ya go, have fun breaking your thumbs again,” keeping the original overhead camera and clunky button layouts intact. Meanwhile, with the New Style, it seems as if Snake finally learned how to walk in a straight line without face-planting. Over-the-shoulder aiming, modern movement—it’s like putting power steering in an old ute. Honestly, if you’re new here, don’t even think twice—New Style is the way to go. Veterans can stick with Legacy if they enjoy suffering for nostalgia, but I would steer clear unless you’re an absolute die-hard fan who’s hellbent on the glory days of 2004.

Welcome to the Jungle

Of course, it wouldn’t be Snake Eater without Snake eating… well, everything. Crocs, frogs, snakes—you name it, he’s chewing it like a cheeky KFC Zinger at 02:00AM. Very tasty. Even better is that the survival mechanics and tunable radio are still here, but patched up with quick menu shortcuts so they’re far less fiddly. Performing surgery on Snake’s busted bones no longer feels like you’re cramming for a med exam, and swapping camo mid-fight is way less menu-wrestling, way more action. It’s still gloriously weird, but much smoother. Think of a camping trip with fewer tantrums about setting up the tent. Plus, you can still skip and cheese boss fights if you know exactly what you’re doing. I’m quite glad they didn’t remove these features, because it just would not be the same without them.

You’d think Konami might tone down the kook, but nope—this remake keeps the weirdness well and truly alive. The Guy Savage nightmare stage is back from the dead, pun intended, looking like Bloodborne and DMC wandered into David Hayter’s dreams after a dodgy kebab. What a sight. Meanwhile, the Snake vs Monkey mode also returns, because nothing screams “Cold War espionage” like chasing monkeys in the jungle for a laugh. It is good fun though. And while Foxhunt multiplayer isn’t here yet, you’ll soon be choking your mates out online pronto, then blaming them for lag. Sounds about right.

Now, let’s not pretend everything’s smooth sneaking. The voice lines are ripped straight from 2004, which still sound great, and the cutscenes do have that silly Kojima energy on full blast. But there’s just so much yappy dialogue and lemme-bash-the-main-themes-into-your-head moments that I started to lose interest pretty fast. The game did as well, apparently. As it would randomly drop the frame rate at points without much rhyme or reason. Traversing around tight corridors can be awkward too, as Snake likes to snap to every wall in sight, and a few mechanics—like body-dragging—still feel about as fun as carrying shopping bags up three flights of stairs. It’s almost as if the game’s too faithful in spots. Thankfully, the audio department is on point in this remake, with plenty of high-impact goodness, and the iconic sounds of the original still holding up surprisingly well, believe it or not.

Decision

Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater is the gaming equivalent of a meat pie with fancy garnish. It remains the same delicious core you remember, just cleaner, shinier and served up with modern flavour. Newcomers get a properly playable version of one of the most lauded stealth games ever. Whereas veterans get their nostalgia hit without the arthritis-inducing controls. And everyone else? You’ll come for the countless, countless cutscenes of Cold War spy drama, but stay for the moment Snake takes down The Boss—or the moment you realise you’ve spent an hour hunting apes on the escape instead of saving the world. Either or.

By Anthony Culinas – Reviewed on PC

Great

This is Snake Eater—bonkers, brazen and still one of the slickest spy thrillers you’ll ever crawl through.

This game was reviewed using a download code provided by Konami. The Beta Network uses affiliate partnerships, however, this does not influence reviews or any other content published. The Beta Network may earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links that are on the website.