Note: Multiplayer online mode is to be released in a later patch and is thus not covered in this review.

Some games are absolute classics and age like fine wine. Regardless, they sometimes get remade for a modern generation. Metal Gear Solid Δ: Snake Eater is an attempt to do this for the original Metal Gear Solid 3 (MGS3), with somewhat good results.

For those unfamiliar with the series, Metal Gear is a franchise largely based on stealth action, where a lone operative is placed behind enemy lines and must complete a vital mission, often with gear procured on sight. There is combat, but the player is heavily encouraged to be stealthy to achieve objectives. MGS 3 was set in 1964, and the original plot was a prologue to the rest of the games in the series. It told the origin story of Big Boss, whose name is a living legend in games set further in the timeline. The game involved stopping a nuclear-equipped tank that could have sparked off World War III, with "Naked Snake" (the codename of he who would become Big Boss) being sent into Soviet territory to destroy this weapon. In the process, many characters who would go on to play major parts in future games in the series would be fleshed out here.

Metal Gear Solid Δ (MGS Delta): Snake Eater is a modern-day remake of MGS3 in Unreal Engine 5. While utilizing the original game audio and music, the graphical assets and game engine are entirely new. While all locations and set pieces are essentially the same as the original game (just looking a lot nicer due to the modernized graphics), this remake comes with some quality-of-life improvements and adjustments for a contemporary audience.

The original game mechanics are all faithfully recreated in this remake. You must procure equipment behind enemy lines, sneak past enemies, fight those who cannot be evaded, and otherwise complete your mission. There are survival elements in this game, including an injury system where you must treat serious wounds. You must also keep your stamina high by finding food (both processed and wild) to avoid issues with endurance, like steady aiming of weapons. You have a support crew you can contact for survival and combat advice, story lore, and sometimes some humorous dialogue. After completing the game at any difficulty, you can unlock various new equipment for another playthrough if you so choose.

There are a few unlockable modes. Demo Theater features humorous parody videos of the game, which can be entertaining for a good laugh. Snake vs. Monkey (on PS5 and PC) is a parody of the game Ape Escape, where Snake must capture wayward monkeys. The Xbox version instead has a parody of the Bomberman games called "Snake vs. Bomberman".

Graphically, this game closely follows the gritty, realistic style of the original MGS3, just with more modernized graphics. Due to the higher fidelity game engine, characters have far more facial details, and set pieces have more intricate designs. The original game was intended to show scars and other reminders of past injuries to your player character, which is now shown like the original PS2 versions of the game could not. A few cutscenes had more details added as well. Overall, while this remake stays very true to the original art style, it also redoes all of its graphical assets from whole cloth to be more detailed. Some of the original PS2 animations are still used but have been adapted to the new assets.

The sounds and music are lifted wholesale from the original MGS3. They do have somewhat higher quality, and there are a few modified lines to reference the new controls, but that is about it. They do have a new arrangement of the classic Bond movie-style Snake Eater theme, but the original is still in the game as well. If you liked the original soundtrack and vocals, then this is sure to please. If you are a newcomer, the spy movie feel of the soundtrack should be pleasant, if that is to your taste.

Controls are a bit complicated. The game engine offers "Legacy" controls, which mimic the original 2004 release of MGS3, complete with a top-down camera view. The "Modern" controls more resemble the Subsistence re-release of MGS3, where the camera adopts a more over-the-shoulder approach and can be more freely rotated. A few features from later installments, such as crouch walking, have been included for those who wish to be more stealthy without going completely prone. The game includes patient tutorials for both modes of play, and the controls can be remapped for player preference. This game is technically playable with a mouse and keyboard, but the developers recommend a controller, a sentiment I share.

As someone who found both the original MGS3 and the Subsistence version fairly intuitive, a few things need to be noted. The more modern controls attempt to avoid forcing the character to jump through a ton of menus to switch camouflage and use the radio. While this works well with the camouflage menu, I found it easier to use the classic radio menu, which can still be accessed; you just need to press down on the directional pad on a controller, then press the indicated button for the classic radio menu. The equipment and weapon selection menus may also need remapping for easier play, as they are no longer on the shoulder buttons of the controller, instead relegated to the left and right directional pad, which is a bit clunky for ease of use, especially on an Xbox-style controller.

Stability is generally fine, and this title runs natively on Microsoft Windows. This game will require a fairly good computer for high settings, but it can still look pretty good on lower settings. It will run on Linux and the Steam Deck via Steam Proton. For the latter, keeping most of the graphical settings on Low is recommended. There are some third-party tweaks to smooth out some performance issues.

Morally, this game has some content meant only for mature audiences.

Violence is fairly graphic. There are frequent displays of blood with some gruesome scenes. The player can slit enemy soldiers' throats, and there are scenes of brutal physical torture (inflicted on the player and others). While the player is heavily encouraged to use stealth and non-lethal methods to evade enemies, the option to be quite violent with various guns and grenades is just as viable.

Language is somewhat earthy. There is use of profanity like b***h and a**, and there are some crude sexual innuendos. On top of a female character who frequently exposes her body in some way, one of the villains is a confirmed bisexual (albeit this is portrayed negatively). There is also a scene where it's implied that the player has sex outside of marriage in the ending.

While the game is largely grounded in reality with some slight science fiction, some things are rather ambiguous. Some of the antagonists have abilities that have mostly explainable science fiction origins, but some may be occult in nature; this is left quite vague at times. One posthumous character was confirmed to speak with the dead and even have some form of control over them, but how true this was is never clearly specified or confirmed.

Morally, you are a soldier sent behind enemy lines, acting in good faith to prevent a global war. While in general your actions are sanctioned (albeit covertly) by your government and to an extent by another after a certain point, the player can choose to complete those objectives as brutally or mercifully as possible.

Overall, this is a pretty good remake of a good game. Technically, it's generally solid but may be harder on lower-spec computers. Morally, it has a lot of content meant for mature audiences only. It doesn't innovate very much on the game it's a remake of, but considering the original game was already pretty good, it's fine enough. If you love Metal Gear games or have never played the original MGS3, then this comes with my recommendation.