After years of rumors and speculation, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater is getting a remake for current-generation consoles, titled Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater. For fans of the legendary stealth series, this is monumental news as the game has not been made officially available since the PS3 and Xbox 360 port that came out over 10 years ago at this point. As easy as it is to get swept up in excitement, it is also valid to take a step back and ask if this remake can capture what made Metal Gear Solid 3 such a special game.
Remakes are always tricky because developers have to figure out how to keep the spirit of what made the original worth remaking and updating elements that may seem archaic or outdated by modern standards. Capcom's success with its Resident Evil remakes shows that they work either as reinventions or as an updated version of what worked in the original.
Konami Might Be Making a Turn Around With Outsourcing Developers
Since the original Silent Hill development team disbanded after the fourth game, Konami outsourced the development of all future games to other studios, with mixed results. All the recently announced Silent Hill games follow this pattern, including Silent Hill 2 remake developed by Bloober Team, whose previous titles have largely received a mixed reception among horror game enthusiasts. Before then, new mainline titles in the series like Silent Hill: Homecoming and Silent Hill: Downpour were developed outside Konami, with the latter being from a studio with only one previous game.
Something similar can be said of the upcoming mainline title Silent Hill F, developed by NeoBards, as that studio has mostly been responsible for porting Capcom games and developing the multiplayer-focused Resident Evil Re:Verse. That title still shows much promise regarding its story since it is being written by When They Cry creator Ryukishi07.
Other franchises were affected to a varying extent, with MercurySteam's Castlevania: Lords of Shadow gaining acclaim. Its sequel paled in comparison, failing to meet sales and being the last new game released for the franchise, leaving all subsequent releases as collections of older titles. Contra had a more disastrous fate with the maligned Rouge Corps developed by Toylogic.
In the case of the Metal Gear Solid 3 remake, development is handled by an in-house Konami team alongside developer Virtuos, confirming rumors of the latter's involvement with the game. The latter studio is already acclaimed regarding remastering titles, as it was behind the NieR: Automata Switch port and even assisted Bluepoint studios in the Demon's Souls remake, which already shows a significant amount of promise with Metal Gear Solid Delta's quality.
The remake is showing itself to be a passion project with details such as the reprisal of Metal Gear Solid 3's original voice cast, including David Hayter as Naked Snake/Big Boss. Given that almost 20 years have passed since the original release of Metal Gear Solid 3, having the voice cast return is a level of commitment not found with many remakes. It still does not guarantee it will fully capture what made it such a special game, even in the storied franchise it is a part of, but it is a good sign of the developers' intentions.
Keeping the Tone Intact is Crucial for Metal Gear Solid Delta
Like the rest of the series, Metal Gear Solid 3 has its share of goofy moments mixed in with the more dramatic ones. Metal Gear Solid 3's tone stands out uniquely, taking a more tongue-in-cheek approach compared to other games in the series, placing the setting in a Soviet jungle and taking inspiration from pulpy spy movies like the 007 series.
Several moments in the game make the overall lighter tone more apparent, ranging from Big Boss going on a rant about the mechanics of a gun with child-like glee to having one boss be a man who shoots bees at the player. Supernatural elements have been in the series, and while Metal Gear Solid 3 has some of the most haunting uses, having a boss fight who can shoot bees from his mouth is incredibly silly, whatever the intended tone is.
Keeping this tone intact is important to ensure the remake keeps the emotional impact from the original intact. In the same game with a man shooting lightning from his fingers and a mech in the 1960s, it also has one of the most beautiful and moving final boss encounters in any game.
Considering that among the confirmed details for Metal Gear Solid Delta is the impressive return of the original voice cast, things are leaning toward this being a faithful remake. Even with the possibility it does miss the mark on some key moments, the announcement of the Metal Gear Solid Master Collection at the same time as the remake at least allows the original experience to be preserved for modern audiences.
Konami Could Be Turning Over a New Leaf
There is a lot of pressure on Konami and Virtuos to remake a title as beloved as Metal Gear Solid 3, especially without Kojima's involvement. His fans and detractors alike cannot deny his approach to storytelling is unique, and his touch was all over the original game.
Something to note is that he was not the only writer for the game, as others like Shuyo Murata had heavy involvement in the game's narrative. If other writers from the Metal Gear Solid series are penning the remake's story, it could alleviate any lingering apprehensions that this will be a faithful remake regarding tone, but this has not yet been confirmed or denied.
Considering that the derided Metal Gear Survive was the last release in the series, and the only glimpses of a Metal Gear Solid 3 remake were from pachinko machines, the current state of the Metal Gear franchise is looking more positive. Between Metal Gear Solid Delta and the slew of Silent Hill games announced by different developers, Konami is pushing to revive its beloved IPs. If it is successful, the company could be making a great return that restores some of its former popularity.
Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater is in development for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.