Image credit: Konami

Differences between Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater and the original game

Q: Will there be a Metal Gear Solid 6 next?

After the success of Metal Gear Delta selling one million copies already, it seems logical that Konami may be looking into a <a href="https://www.escapistmagazine.com/metal-gear-solid-6-wish-list/">sixth entry</a> of the series. However, due to the Hideo Kojima departure and the controversy surrounding it, they may opt to stick to remakes and not open old wounds. A potential MGS6 could be a prequel, though, as MGS4: Guns of the Patriots did a stellar job of wrapping up the story of the whole series, including both Solid Snake and Big Boss’s arcs. Raiden’s story continued in Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, but the game may not have been popular enough to warrant a sequel.

Daryl Baxter

and

Sam Smith

Last Updated On: Sep 10, 2025 8:12 am CEST

Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater is here, and the game has reminded players how much they missed the series. A remake of Metal Gear Solid 3, its updated graphics, refined controls, classic gameplay, and storyline have finally helped to re-energize a series that’s been lying dormant for almost ten years.

Table of Contents

The Escapist recaps
Codec Calls
Crouch Walking
The Return of New Guy Savage
Re-recorded Snake Eater theme
New Secret Theater Reels
Snake vs. Bomberman
Quick-Switch Camouflage
Autosave feature
Ask The Escapist
References

It’s great that Konami has finally recognized that Metal Gear is still one of its crown jewels, even without Hideo Kojima. With the recent news that Metal Gear Delta has sold over 1 million copies, the series is off to a strong return. However, if you want to discover what’s different between the original Snake Eater and the remake, we’ve got you covered below.

The Escapist recaps

The Metal Gear series debuted in 1987 on the NES, MS-DOS, MSX, and other platforms.
The last game, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, came out in 2015 as creator Hideo Kojima’s swansong, before leaving Konami soon after.
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater came out in 2004 for the PlayStation 2 console to critical acclaim and is chronologically the first game in the whole MGS story.
The remake of the third game, Metal Gear Solid: Delta, came out on August 26 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S|X, and PC.

Codec Calls

Snake in codec conversation mentioning Godzilla’s 70th birthday in 2024 — A small touch that made a lot of sense for new players to Metal Gear. Image credit: Konami

Although this is a very minor change, it’s a welcome one, and something that Konami arguably didn’t have to do, but did anyway. In several codec conversations, Snake will talk to Para-Medic, one of his team’s support, all about the Godzilla franchise.

In the original Metal Gear Solid 3, it was noted that 2004 would mark the 50th anniversary of Godzilla, the infamous dinosaur-monster from Japanese media. But in Metal Gear Delta, the conversation has been re-recorded to mark Godzilla’s 70th anniversary.

In addition, with the bonus Snake vs. Bomberman mission on the Xbox Series version, a new conversation with Otacon and Mei-Ling is had, who are characters from the far future, narratively. It’s very random, but it fits in with the non-canon mode of Bomberman.

Crouch Walking

Snake sneaking along wall in crouch position with guard nearby — A change that’s been carried over from the Nintendo 3DS version of MGS3. Image credit: Konami

In the original Metal Gear Solid 3, Snake couldn’t walk and crouch at the same time. You could either stand up and run or lie down and crawl. In Metal Gear Delta, however, it’s finally added crouch walking, something that first appeared in the Nintendo 3DS version of Snake Eater. This means that you can sneak up on a guard far more discreetly and easily than before, letting you knock them out or hold them up as you seem fit.

The Return of New Guy Savage

Player fighting zombie-like creatures in dark graveyard scene — After being missing in previous remasters, Guy Savage makes his long-awaited return in Delta. Image credit: Konami

We didn’t expect this on our Metal Gear Delta bingo card. In Metal Gear Solid 3, after a player saves their progress for the first time, a codec conversation is had about vampires, and you are brought into a different game after loading the save. Called New Guy Savage, you then have to try to defeat hordes of zombies in an asylum, before Snake wakes up from the nightmare.

This section was removed in the remastered HD Collection in 2012 and subsequent re-releases, including the Vol.1 Master Collection in 2023. So imagine our surprise when Guy Savage made a return in Metal Gear Delta, this time, the mini-game was recreated by guest developers Platinum Games, who also made Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance.

It’s a very fun time, and is yet another nice touch that adds to the depth of Metal Gear’s world and its characters. Even the act of having Platinum Games come back for such a small segment shows Konami’s commitment to the series, even after parting ways with Kojima.

Re-recorded Snake Eater theme

Astronaut-suited boss with flamethrower in fiery battle scene — Cynthia Harrell’s voice is still iconic, 20 years later. Image credit: Konami

When Konami announced that it had also re-recorded the theme to Snake Eater, fans were worried that it would not feature the original vocalist, Cynthia Harrell. Her melodious voice in front of the orchestra brings the game’s narrative to life almost instantly in its early moments.

Not only did it give a James Bond vibe, but it let players know that this was going to be a different Metal Gear title from the ones before. Fortunately, the new intro video confirmed that Harrell had indeed re-recorded the theme tune, not at all sounding as if the two tracks weren’t recorded two decades apart.

New Secret Theater Reels

Shirtless Snake saluting with medal on chest during award ceremony — Secret Theater has some of the most random cut scenes you’ll ever watch. Image credit: Konami

In Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence, an improved version of Metal Gear Solid 3, released in 2005, Secret Theater was a way for the development team at Konami to create cut scenes that were almost a parody of some of the game’s story. These would be required to be collected by various enemies across the game, and then they could be viewed in a mode.

One even featured Raiden, the main protagonist of the second game from 2001. They were well-received back then, and most have been remade for Metal Gear Delta. But three new cut scenes have been created for the remake, which won’t spoil, but they only add to the silliness of Secret Theater, and make us hopeful that, if Konami decides to remake another Metal Gear entry, they would add this mode in.

Snake vs. Bomberman

Snake throwing bomb at Bomberman characters in forest mission — A welcome surprise for Xbox players here, catching Bombermen instead of monkeys. Image credit: Konami

Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence also featured a fun mode called Snake vs. Monkey. Featuring from Sony’s Ape Escape series, it required the player to catch these monkeys as fast as possible in a variety of missions. Although it’s made a return in Metal Gear Solid Delta, the Xbox version features Bomberman in this mode, instead of Ape Escape Monkeys.

Snake has to throw bombs in order to catch them all, turning a mode from 20 years ago on its head. The change is likely due to Ape Escape being a Sony property, but it seems like it’s been to Microsoft’s gain here. They’re very fun to play through, and have us wishing for more similar missions in the future.

Quick-Switch Camouflage

Snake hiding behind wall while switching camouflage options in quick menu — A change that is very welcome to both new and old players in Delta, without slowing down the momentum. Image credit: Konami

Another nice touch that Konami made in Metal Gear Solid Delta was the refreshed user interface. Previously, if you needed to switch up camouflage, you would press the start button, followed by going to the camouflage section, and changing as needed. It was slow and took you out of the action.

In Delta, pressing one button like Up will display a quick menu of all the camouflage you’ve collected so far, letting you change into whatever’s selected in a flash. It’s far quicker and easier this time, and it doesn’t take you out of the action.

Autosave feature

Soldier disguised with crocodile headgear hiding in water under trees — This change will save you from reaching for the Codec screen in those crucial moments. Image credit: Konami

Yes, autosave sounds obvious, especially for a series like Metal Gear, but to add to the realism, it wasn’t implemented until Metal Gear Solid V in 2015. Nowadays, it’s an expected feature, so in Delta, the game saves whenever you enter or leave an area. As an added benefit, you can quickly reload a save if needed without reaching for the codec screen, making everything feel far faster and more intuitive than before.

Ask The Escapist

What’s different in Metal Gear Solid: Delta?

The modern graphics engine has made everything shine for a start. Other improvements, like crouch-walking and a quick camo change menu, have been implemented, along with the points above.

Are there more Metal Gear remakes that Konami is working on?

Konami hasn’t confirmed anything just yet, but it would make sense to see Peace Walker be remade next, which is a title in the series that takes place after Delta.

Will there be a Metal Gear Solid 6 next?

After the success of Metal Gear Delta selling one million copies already, it seems logical that Konami may be looking into a sixth entry of the series. However, due to the Hideo Kojima departure and the controversy surrounding it, they may opt to stick to remakes and not open old wounds.
A potential MGS6 could be a prequel, though, as MGS4: Guns of the Patriots did a stellar job of wrapping up the story of the whole series, including both Solid Snake and Big Boss’s arcs. Raiden’s story continued in Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, but the game may not have been popular enough to warrant a sequel.

References

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