Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater Discussion and Analysis

Kai Taylor
12 hours ago
5 min read

Genre: Action/Adventure

Mode: Single-Player

Developer: Konami Digital Entertainment

Publisher: Konami

Release Date: August 28, 2025

Price: $129.95 (PlayStation & Xbox), $116.95 (PC via Steam)

Available On: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC

Played On: PlayStation 5

DISCLAIMER

This is not a traditional review of Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater. As a game, I loved every second of it, and it is now my preferred way to play Metal Gear Solid 3. Instead, this article will discuss whether or not Konami has done enough to justify charging such an enormous price for a game that is essentially more than 20 years old.

Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater is a challenging game to review. On the one hand, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater is one of my favourite games ever made, and I love the fact that I can now play the game on a modern console. Not to mention, the game has gotten a massive graphic overhaul, making it one of the most detailed and graphically impressive games I have ever seen in Unreal Engine 5. If you have played Snake Eater before, then 99% of Metal Gear Solid Delta will be familiar to you. It's the same story, cutscenes, locations, gameplay mechanics, bosses and even the same music. There's not a great deal of difference aside from a couple of gameplay mechanics and the updated graphics. On the one hand, I'm glad that Konami was faithful to Hideo Kojima's masterpiece, but I can't help but feel uneasy while playing this game, despite my love for it. If you have never played Snake Eater before and don't own Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol. 1, then this is probably the definitive way to play Snake Eater. However, suppose you have played the game before and own the original on another console, and you still play it. In that case, I wouldn't recommend it, especially given the high price of Metal Gear Solid Delta.

Opening cutscene of Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, featuring the game's protagonist, Naked Snake in his HALO suit outfit as he lands in the jungle.

THE PERFORMANCE

One of the main critiques I have seen online about Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater is the performance. I've read articles complaining about the game's frame rate and that Unreal Engine 5 is not the best engine for this remake. In my experience, I rarely ran into any performance issues. The only time the frame rate stuttered was during the Shagohod boss near the end of the game when Snake and EVA are in the bike and sidecar. The performance drops were only noticeable when EVA was driving the motorcycle at a high speed to avoid the attacks of the Shagohod.

I liked the use of Unreal Engine 5 for this game. I am not saying that the performance issues do not exist; I just never had any significant problems during my 13-hour playthrough. Developers have used Unreal Engine 5 in some of the most atmospheric AAA games of the past few years, including Silent Hill 2, Black Myth: Wukong, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Still Wakes the Deep. In terms of graphical quality, these games boast some of the best graphics I have ever seen, made possible by Unreal Engine 5. Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater is the same story. I played the game in performance mode on a base PS5, and the game was going at a buttery smooth 60 fps 99% of the time. I don't know how the game's performance compares on Xbox or PC, but it was impressive on the PS5.

Gameplay of Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater featuring the boss battle of the Pain, and Snake with an AK-47 in his hand ready to fire.

THE ETHICS

When talking about a Metal Gear Solid game, it is hard not to mention the fallout between Konami and Hideo Kojima, the creator of the series. Konami ousted Kojima after the release of Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain in 2015. In the following years, Konami became a hated company by the media and fans on social media, and in some cases, rightly so. Metal Gear Survive was the first game in the series after Hideo Kojima left, and the game was met with criticism upon release. It was a significant departure from the heart of Metal Gear Solid, and the game was a notable failure. Another game, like eFootball 2022, is often considered one of the worst video games ever made, with 92% of the Steam reviews being negative. It wasn't until the success of Silent Hill 2 in October of 2024 that Konami began to mend its broken reputation. The company is committed to making a comeback in the AAA space, and Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater is perhaps their biggest game since Silent Hill 2 that proves this point.

Konami's intentions are where the game becomes a slight double-edged sword. On one side, Konami has created one of the most faithful and respectful remakes ever made; everything about the original Snake Eater is here, and every blueprint is a near carbon copy. Obviously, Kojima has no involvement in this remake, but Konami credits him left, right and centre in the game's opening and closing credits. Considering how messy the split was, it genuinely makes me happy to see that Konami has recognised Kojima's work and has even asked Kojima to play this remake and see how much they appreciate and love his work. On more than one occasion, Kojima has said that he won't be playing Delta.

Cutscene from Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater featuring Naked Snake looking down at the research facility where the Boss, Colonel Volgin and the Shagohod are waiting for him.

Then there's the other side, the price. This game is more or less precisely the same as the original game from 2004. Remakes of recent years have more often than not been faithful to the original games, but have added more to make the game feel like a new experience. Games like Resident Evil 2, Crash Team Racing: Nitro-Fuelled, Silent Hill 2, Oddworld: New 'n' Tasty and Final Fantasy VII Remake are all perfect examples of this formula. Not to mention, most of these games, aside from Silent Hill 2 and Final Fantasy VII Remake, were released at a significantly lower price compared to the respective AAA releases of their time. But Metal Gear Solid Delta does not follow this formula. Instead of lowering the game's cost, Konami is selling this game on the PlayStation and Microsoft digital stores for $129.95, which is $5 more than the standard AAA price of most console exclusives, such as Death Stranding 2: On the Beach and Marvel's Spider-Man 2. I don't understand this, and even more baffling is that the Steam version of the game is $116.95, $13 cheaper than the console editions. The price is the main sticking point for me with this remake.

Cutscene from Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater featuring Naked Snake saluting the Boss at her grave after he learns the truth about his mentor and why she became a traitor.

***METAL GEAR SOLID DELTA: SNAKE EATER*: CONCLUSION**

Konami is trying to rebuild its reputation in the video game space, and they have a lot in the works. Their next game, Silent Hill f, comes out later this month. After years of abandoning their best franchises like Metal Gear and Castlevania, it's nice to see that the company is starting to pay attention to fans, but they have so far to go. Selling Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater for $129.95 on a console is absolute lunacy, and it really makes me question exactly what Konami is trying to prove. They were at the top of the industry at one point, but the years have not been kind. Despite how much I loved Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, I can't help but feel let down by Konami and their questionable practices. I have not given Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater a final score out of 10 for this reason.