Konami surprised fans with the announcement of a Metal Gear Solid 3 remake in 2023. Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater is a dream for longtime players, though others may see only a classic dressed up with beautiful graphics.

Metal Gear Solid Delta remakes the 2004 classic Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater with updated visuals, modern controls and some extra content, but it’s not a full revamp. From start to finish, it plays just like the original MGS3, with a graphical overhaul and a few minor script tweaks. For longtime fans or newcomers, that’s more than enough to make it a great remake.

Naked Snake has some new skin

As this is a remake of MGS3, the most obvious change comes with the graphical overhaul for today’s game platforms. Metal Gear Solid Delta uses Unreal Engine 5, so the character models look amazing. The remake also has modern controls and includes first-person or over-the-shoulder views, as opposed to only the latter in the original.

There are also some «quality of life» changes, such as frequent auto-saves and quicker menu access. Playing through the game, there wasn’t a moment when I felt that I was stuck with the aged mechanics, controls or graphics from yesteryear — it felt modern through and through.

Aside from these updates, Metal Gear Solid Delta sticks to the same espionage story of Naked Snake — the future Foxhound leader later known as Big Boss — on a 1964 mission set at the height of the Cold War. The events that play out in this game lay the groundwork for the entire Metal Gear franchise, so it’s a fitting entry point for newcomers.

The end is just the beginning

Where Metal Gear Solid Delta really shines is after you beat the game, which is why hardcore fans will get more out of it than casual players. A second playthrough unlocks new camos, face paints and weapons — plus a bounty of fun (and often weird) extras.

One of the most interesting extras is the Secret Theater. In this unlockable mode, players can view 18 different cutscenes. I didn’t manage to unlock them all, but the first shows Snake meeting Nikolai Sokolov, the scientist behind the Shagohad tank — the dangerous MacGuffin players chase through most of the game — as he tries to get him out of Russia. For some unexplained reason, in this cutscene Sokolov suddenly wields a strange power that he unleashes on a Cobra Unit helicopter.

Don’t get it twisted: This isn’t new lore or unused game footage. Rather, it looks like the developers just made some new animations with the characters. There’s not even additional voice acting in this particular cutscene, just remixed dialogue from other scenes. And the preview images for the other clips suggest some scenes are meant to give players a chuckle.

To unlock more scenes, players will have to obtain film reels carried by soldiers scattered throughout the game. However, players can only obtain these reels in one specific way: by holding up a soldier with a gun — not by putting them to sleep, knocking them out or killing them. Some Secret Theater cutscenes require tracking down a specific soldier at a certain spot on the map and getting the reel from them to unlock. This is really for hardcore fans, since finding them all adds an extra challenge for the truly devoted.

Another interesting unlockable is Guy Savage Delta. In the 2001 Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, Snake has a nightmare that turns into a hack-and-slash minigame referred to as Guy Savage. This new version puts players in control of a vampire hunter, battling waves of monsters and vampires in a fast-paced action style reminiscent of Devil May Cry, though without quite as much depth. I didn’t get much time with this mode, so there may be unlockables for those who stick with it. Another returning bonus is Snake vs. Monkey on the PS5 and PC versions (a bizarre extra from the original MGS3), while Xbox players get Snake vs. Bomberman. Both serve as fun distractions that also unlock more equipment.

Beyond those modes, players can also unlock the Demo Theater, which replays cutscenes and highlights any missed due to in-game choices. The camo collection lets you track what gear you’ve unlocked (and what’s still missing), while the food collection catalogs every animal and item Snake has eaten. There’s also a Character Viewer that provides a brief history of each character across different points in the game — complete with nods to other entries in the series, including 2015’s Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain.

While I wished Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater could have received the same full revamp of the graphics and story as the Silent Hill 2 Remake, I can’t find any real flaw in Konami’s execution of remaking the original MGS3 virtually shot for shot. The game looks fantastic, runs smoothly and offers plenty to do after the credits roll — all while being a remake of arguably the best entry in the series. Fans are going to love it. If you’ve never played MGS3 and are curious, this remake is a must. But if that doesn’t describe you, it’s not an immediate pick-up.

Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater will be released on Aug. 28 for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S consoles. Buying the Deluxe Edition of the game will unlock early access to the game starting on Aug. 26 at 12 a.m. ET.