What can we expect from Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, the remake of the third installment?
, by Quentin
Konami, in collaboration with Virtuos studio, is set to release its remake of the third installment of the cult saga created by Hideo Kojima on August 28: Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater. This comeback is eagerly awaited by fans of the franchise who are hungry for new content, especially since the creator's departure many years ago.
However, it was responsible for the company's heyday and enjoys a remarkable reputation among the gaming community worldwide. Hideo Kojima has created a series of games with innovative and revolutionary ideas, combined with polished gameplay, memorable characters, and adventures rich in lore and writing.
A remake that refreshes the technical and audio aspects while retaining the original writing
However, this remake will not succeed in reconciling Konami and its original creator, who recently stated that he would not play this new version of his work. The relationship seems to have deteriorated too much to hope for any truce on that front.
But it will be interesting to see what Konami and Virtuos—a studio renowned for its work with major international studios, but more recently with the remaster of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion- have in store for us this time around.
We know that the overhaul will focus mainly on graphics and sound. As for gameplay, the controls will be modernized with a choice between the original vision or a more contemporary approach designed for new players.
The storyline, meanwhile, remains unchanged. The development teams are not taking any risks on this front, and it seems that this is for the best, as the original game is so well written from start to finish and rich enough as it is. Some will see this as a lack of risk-taking, while others will be reassured to know that its original strength has been preserved.
Nevertheless, we know that Konami is doing everything it can to win over current players who didn't have the opportunity to discover the original game when it was released. The game's producer, Noriaki Okamura, made no secret of this last year in an interview with the British magazine Play.
He explained:
"One of the main reasons we decided to make this remake was because we realized that a large portion of the new, younger generation of gamers were unfamiliar with the Metal Gear series. It was our mission, our duty, to ensure that the series would survive for future generations."
The beginning of a long series... of remakes?
However, you may rightly wonder why the decision was made to launch a remake to introduce new players to the franchise, starting with the third installment.
There are several explanations for this. First, there's the chronological aspect of Metal Gear Solid. Episode three is actually the one that takes you back to the beginning of the timeline, in 1964. But there's also the fact that remaking Metal Gear Solid 1 and 2 would require a lot more work, according to the teams.
In fact, several months ago, during an interview with Famitsu, we learned that the task would be more complex for the first two games. This is because the developers would be forced to rework entire sections from scratch, unlike the third game, where only small, less restrictive sections needed to be reworked.
However, there is no doubt that if Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater is successful, they will look into the matter and consider it.
Konami and its new vision for the future
Furthermore, Konami seems to be fully embracing this trend and desire to revive its iconic franchises, as is currently the case with Silent Hill. After entrusting the remake of Silent Hill 2 to Bloober, they are doing it once again with the first entry.
For his part, the father of the Metal Gear Solid IP is fully occupied with his own studio, founded in 2015, through which he produced Death Stranding 1 and 2, and is currently working on the horror game OD, as well as the PHYSYNT project.
In any case, we will be get to enjoy Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater for the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC on August 28.