Summary
Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eateris the upcoming remake ofMetal Gear Solid 3, and the latest entry in theMetal Gearseries after a lengthy hiatus. TheMetal Gearseries has always been defined by a design that is equal parts quirky and cutting edge.Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eaterhas finally begun to introduce its own innovations with a brand-new battle damage system.
Ever since thedeparture of series creator Hideo Kojimaafter the production ofMetal Gear Solid V, many wondered if the series would be able to stay at the forefront of stealth action video games. The question of legacy has also come up frequently, givenMetal Gear Solid Delta’s status as a remake. There is still a lot of ground to cover, but this battle damage system represents a necessary first step.
Metal Gear Solid Delta Needs to Bring Its A-Game
Metal Gear Solid 3 Was an Instant Classic
TheMetal Gear Solidtrilogy is hailed as one of the best stealth series of all time. EvenMGS4andMGSV, though they have messier histories, are hailed for their contribution to the genre and their persistence towards innovation. In fact, many have called each entry in theMetal Gearseries one of the best games ever made, each for its own reason. It’s no wonderMetal Gearremakes are in high demand.
AlthoughMGS1wrote the book on action stealth games, andMGS2brought things further with a shocking narrative stacked on top,MGS3still managed to stand out. While the first two games innovated in the genre,MGS3performed the seemingly impossible task of living up to its predecessors. The game dripped with astyle inspired by James Bond films, and was equipped with all sorts of eccentric mechanics that immersed players in the act of sneaking through the jungle.
Quirky Realism Defines Metal Gear
Besides its status as a forebear of the stealth action genre,Metal Gearis iconic for its reverence for the utterly absurd.Metal Gear Solid 3is no exception, filled with more than a few trivia tidbits that can define a player’s experience. One major example is the boss fight with an elderly sniper named The End. Famously, players can bypass the intended long distance sniper duel by simply waiting for him to die of old age in real time. This is one of many ways the game is designed to reward creative solutions. Other mechanics exist to enhance the immersion of the experience, and these mechanics could define the game far more than a graphical update.
Metal Gear Solid 3 Remake Updates Graphics & Mechanics
Metal Gear Solid 3’s Healing vs Metal Gear Solid Delta’s Battle Damage
Living up to the originalSnake Eateris an extremely tall order. One way to bridge this gap is to embrace the series' identity of balancing realism and absurdity to create a completely unique experience. During itsSummer Game Fest trailer,Metal Gear Solid Deltashowed off a few of the mechanics developers are introducing. The new battle damage system is the clear frontrunner for showing the game’s promise.
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eatersported many systems designed to place players in the shoes of Snake. After all, forMGS3’s narrative to work, players needed to identify with Snake as much as possible. When something happens to him, the player feels it because they have been deeply immersed in every single struggle.
This is portrayed very prominently inMetal Gear Solid 3’s unique healing system, where injuries were realistically represented based on what dealt the damage to begin with, and where players must give time for those injuries to heal accordingly.MGS Delta’s battle damage seems to be taking the necessary steps to go beyond simply adaptingMGS3, and truly enhance the experience.
Konami elaborated on theMGS Deltawebsite, saying “Any injuries to his actual body will leave their mark permanently, telling a story of each player’s unique journey through the game.” Not only will Snake’s injuries appear and heal in real time, with differences depending on the type of damage inflicted, but the scars will remain even after he has healed.
Metal Gear Solid Delta Proudly Wears its DNA as a Successor to Snake Eater
This is the sort of unique interaction that is perfectly reminiscent of the attention to detail that gaveMetal Gear Solid 3its claim to fame. The question ifMGS Deltacan live up to its predecessor, or any previousMetal Geargame for that matter, is still very much in the air until the game releases, but this is very much a step in the right direction. For a long while, it seemed likeDelta’s main focus would simply be on giving the original a graphical update. While this is welcome by many, it isn’t necessarily enough to stand in for its predecessor’s status as a classic. After all, whileMetal Geargames have almost always looked great visually speaking, that hasn’t been the driving force behind their design.
Rather than just looking realistic,Metal Geargames equally prioritize feeling realistic, despite their often larger-than-life subject matter.Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eaterhas a lot to proveif it wants to meet expectations. Upgraded mechanics such as the new battle damage system are a strong way to show the game’s commitment to exceeding those expectations.
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (2004)
WHERE TO PLAY
Discover the origin story of iconic military operative Snake and begin to unravel the plot of the legendary METAL GEAR series. METAL GEAR SOLID Δ: SNAKE EATER brings unprecedented new graphics, immersive stealth action gameplay and sounds to its riveting story as players once again return to the world of METAL GEAR.Rival nations are secretly developing weapons that could threaten the future of mankind. Deep in the jungle, an elite soldier must combine stealth with survival to infiltrate the enemy and stop a weapon of mass destruction from triggering the largest full-scale war the world has ever seen.
