It’s no secret that we were quite happy with Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater when it came out this year. The remake hit all the notes that the original game hit, while adding in a few lovely flourishes that made Naked Snake’s first outing an adventure that we fell in love with all over again.
The remake’s visuals were a huge part of making it very immersive indeed, and playing the game over the past few months has made us realize just how much they improve it over the original experience, which was limited by what gaming hardware was capable of back when it was first released.
A full, fun-filled playthrough later, and we had a few scenes that serve as great examples of how Delta: Snake Eater’s improved visuals had an effect on the scene in which they were in effect. This is going to be a fun one, so put on your thinking caps and let’s get started.
An Opening That Shines Bright Like the Sun
We thought it prudent to get the obvious one out of the way first. It’s no surprise that the game’s opening cutscene benefits from ray-traced reflections, and a general layer of polish across the board. Every shot here is already framed quite well thanks to Kojima’s excellent use of the screen space available to him.
The clouds below Naked Snake’s jet are almost as if there’s a curtain over the explosive story that awaits him below, a clever inclusion that makes it quite obvious that there’s going to be a jump involved. It does well to set up the scene that follows, where Naked Snake and his iconic cigar take the stage, showcasing his solitary nature and the clinical manner in which he approaches his orders.
Snake is set up to be quite the protagonist, the elements of the scene leaving no doubt as to his role in the game. However, it’s when he approaches the jet’s open doors, preparing for his leap into Soviet territory that had us smiling from ear to ear, the sunlight gently glancing off his uniform while streams of wind flapped his collar, his goggles reflecting the open sky in front of him.
It’s a shot that was already memorable considering how Naked Snake would go on to build a reputation for himself as Big Boss. But it’s now brought into the future with so much loving attention to detail that this is how we’re always going to remember the first time we met the character whose life was already a crucial part of the franchise’s meta narrative.
It did well to showcase just how far the remake was taking its quest to modernize the game’s visuals, immediately giving players a reason to wonder at how the Camo system would work in such detailed environments, building up the anticipation for Naked Snake’s leap until he hit the ground, and the story began in earnest.
Of course, there are several great moments all through it, but the next one really stood out for us as a showcase of how the remake improved action sequences.
A Battle of Brains, Brawn, and Luck
Snake’s final showdown with Ocelot is our next stop, and this one’s a really good example of how improved facial animations and detailed character models added a lot of cinematic flair to an already great cutscene. From the moment Ocelot forces his entry onto Snake and Eva’s aircraft, things get very intense, and the game’s new visuals keep up with the action in a way that’s both respectful to the original title while building on it.
Most important is in how you get to see the grudging respect that the two men have for each other, moments of respite between intense CQC sequences focusing on their expressions, their eyes narrowed but lacking the malice that comes when there is history between two combatants. Their menacing glares are brought out in glorious detail, reflections and shadows moving naturally with them as they attack, weave, and generally try a myriad of ways to get the upper hand.
It was a pleasure to watch, and is among our top picks for scenes that allowed the remake to transcend the original release’s limitations and present a cinematic version of MGS3 that has made it a newly minted modern classic. Snake and Ocelot’s showdown was lent a lot of weight thanks to how the remake let the world around them shine through, using all the great angles and framing from the original and bringing a level of realism to it that made this one stand out.
But while the camera was relatively stable on the plane that Snake and Ocelot fought in, there’s one sequence where it’s quite wild thanks to how chaotic things get for Snake and Eva.
The Insane Chase Sequence
We’re talking, of course, about the Shagohod and the thrilling chase sequence where Snake and Eva take it on while Ocelot attempts to run interference. We’ve already talked about how the improved character models bring a lot of life to the faces of our cast. But this entire sequence is a great display of how the remaster has managed to bring cinematic touches to the game.
With your camera having to constantly switch points of view in order to keep your enemies off your back, things could have gotten quite heavy for the remake. But this is where its performance comes into play, with the entire sequence maintaining an excellent framerate while the fortress and its surrounding mountains served as an excellent backdrop for the action.
The improved draw distance and the manner in which the mountains are contrasted against Snake and Eva do a great job of communicating the Shagohod’s imposing size, and the threat it poses to our protagonists, who must rely on speed and skill to bring it down. With Ocelot entering the fray, we expected things to get a little bogged down but the remake powered through it all, its particle physics sending sparks flying between vehicles while ricochets of bullets were presented with pinpoint precision.
It’s probably a good idea to consider that the remake also makes use of controller haptics and other modern touches that do add to the immersion, although players without compatible controllers might not experience those additions which led us to leave that part of it out of our analysis.
With its ray-traced visuals, excellent character models, level of detail, and ability to bring a new level of performance to the game’s most intense sequences, this remake is one that has made Snake Eater feel like a modern, well-produced experience that can surpass even some of the best films. But there is one scene where all of it comes to a head, and elevates the remake above even the original experience in our eyes.
The Concluding Conflict
You were probably expecting that encounter between Snake and The Boss to be the one that we picked. Well, you’re right. There are just so many things about this entire scene and showdown that the remake does so well to bring to life in a way that had us riveted despite knowing every word that was about to be uttered by heart.
From the somber expressions of Snake and Boss, as she ruminates on the futility of conflict across the globe, and the blurred line between soldiers and friends, to the way in which the wind gently carries white rose petals into the air, allowing them to fall in a cascade around the arena, and how the ray-traced reflections allow rays of light to gently illuminate character profiles in important frames, the remake makes this entire encounter all the more emotionally charged.
It’s a list of improvements over the original experience that shows just how clever Konami has been in making good use of modern hardware to add touches to the original experience that preserved its narrative aplomb while building on its dated looks. In doing so, it has found a balance between the old and the new that has made Delta: Snake Eater a modern version of a timeless classic.
And for that, the Metal Gear Solid fan in every one of us is filled with joy, and with the hope of seeing more titles from the franchise come back as cinematically immersive experiences over the next few years.
Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.
