One of the cult chapters of the Kojima series returns and in some ways he still does school for many things today.
For decades, the name of Metal Gear Solid has been synonymous with innovation, stealth, complex narratives. After a long absence and a stormy separation between Hideo Kojima and the publisher Konami, the fans waited with a certain anxiety the return of the series halfway between conspiracy and spot on vaticans. With a similar inheritance on the rump, Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater is not just a remake: it is a tribute to one of the most loved and significant chapters of the saga, a bet and, above all, a declaration of intent. Will he be able to fill the void left by the legendary Kojima and to re -propose the magic of the original for a new generation, maintaining the integrity of the work? The answer, as often happens for this series, is also complex and stratified.
A remake 1: 1, “Not for Honor, but for you”
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Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater presents himself exactly as we remembered it, or rather, with the same graphic design that we cook on him thinking that the PlayStation 2 was the non plus ultra of photojournalism. The approach of Konami and the developer Virtuos, specialized in remastered, was extremely cautious. And he is right: after the separation with the creator of the franchise consumed in 2015, every substantial modification to the original work would have been seen as an affront, a “injured majesty” towards the Japanese director. For this reason, unlike other remakes that have distorted or expanded the narrative, there are no additional scenes or extensions at a gameplay level. The game is the same, enriched by a graphic modernization which, although not the most successful and keeping a relationship almost 1: 1, performs its duty. Also because there were already not necessary revolutions in Silent Hill 2 style, where there was no shot behind the shoulders, and there were none. A touch of class not obvious you will grasp it in the heads inspired by 007, where the names of the members of the classic team remained in place, with the wording “Original” to precede the various roles. The re-registration of the iconic musical theme is an additional touch, a tribute to the Legacy of music in video games signed by Kojima, where he has always played a crucial role.
Snake Eater’s cutting -edge gameplay
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On a technical level, the game offers the choice between 30 and 60 fps. On PS5 Base, the detachment is rather clear: at 60 fps the resolution drops significantly, making the image shell on large panels, without even guaranteeing constant smoothness. At 30 fps, however, the game is too “triggered”, compromising the entire experience. The animations are a mix of the cross and delight, just like in the original of 2004. The fluidity with which Snake lying on the ground, or the way he shoots lying on his side and on his belly up, is still incredible today. On the other hand, the action can be at times cumbersome and inaccurate to move, causing some frustration for those who are not used to understanding the internal “meta-function”. Apart from the marginal retouches to the secondary modes, which will culminate in the Multiplayer Fox Hunt mode in the autumn, the single-player package remains valid and, in some ways, still makes school in 2025: the revival, resting on the solid arcade component of the series, is very high.
A timeless storytelling tale
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On the game itself, there is little to add. It is strange to think that behind such a dense work of content, the same hand of Death Stranding and its sequel is celved, where Kojima seems to have tried to move away from the legacy of Mgs, opting for less personal or even absent boss fights. In Delta, every clash with a boss is a small masterpiece, with secrets to discover and alternative ways to overcome them. Each character has a unique character and a well -defined motivation. The story, set against the background of the Cold War, is still incredibly relevant today, especially in a moment of international geopolitical tensions. Although it is not our favorite metal gear, the way in which it creates and represents the narrative setting of the first two chapters of the saga, bringing events that we had only read, imagined or tried on the EMS dated 1987, is a sumptuous storytelling lesson. The radical narrative approach, with its long cutscene, could however be difficult today. And we do not hide that we are curious about the reception reserved for him by a Tiktok generation accustomed to much more tight pace, if for some dark coincidence it should come into contact with a similar product.
Metal Gear Solid Delta, did we really need it?
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In conclusion, the question is legitimate: did we need this remake? Considering that Snake Eater had already been the subject of a remaster, it might seem obvious to respond negatively. But Metal Gear, understood as a franchise, desperately needed it to resume the thread of a dialogue with his historical fans and, without doubt, Konami hopes for him, with the new players. The choice to start from the third chapter, chronologically the first of the 3D saga, was almost mandatory but, to continue, a Peace Walker free from the restrictions of the portable consoles, content with contentistically at the level of the main episodes, would not be sorry.
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