Ten years on from the purpose the place it regarded just like the Steel Gear franchise would by no means return, it’s about to return. Getting back from a decade-long hiatus (sure, I’m intentionally erasing Steel Gear Survive from my reminiscence), the legendary stealth sequence is gearing as much as take centerstage once more with Steel Gear Strong Delta: Snake Eater, a remake of Steel Gear Strong 3 that’s completely positioned to show past doubt (but once more) that the 2004 recreation stays a stealth masterclass to at the present time with the type of timeless design and excellence that few video games within the style have been in a position to match as much as within the two-plus many years because it launched.
In fact, this isn’t the primary Konami franchise to return from a hiatus of late, and never the primary to do it with a remake of arguably its most generally beloved recreation. Lower than a 12 months in the past, Konami and Bloober workforce wowed every person with a remake of Silent Hill 2, a survival horror spectacle that turned out to be a much better recreation than Bloober Staff’s beforehand spotty monitor report had led many – ourselves included – to consider it could be. Although Steel Gear Strong Delta isn’t essentially taking the identical strategy. Silent Hill 2 struck an ideal stability between sticking to the unique script and bringing its personal concepts to the desk, serving as a remarkably expanded and overhauled remake that saved the unique’s core intact.
However the place Silent Hill 2 straddled the road between these two paths, Steel Gear Strong Delta: Snake Eater is committing itself virtually completely to only one- that of devoted recreation, moderately than radical reimagination. On one hand, you need to admit that that may elevate some points that, for a lot of, may not be minor by any means. Take, for example, the truth that Steel Gear Strong Delta will, identical to the unique, separate screens and areas from one another, moderately than making your complete play house seamless the way in which you’ll think about issues to be in a AAA recreation releasing in 2025. For individuals who had been hoping for a Steel Gear Strong 3 remake that will not solely recreate, however improve its gameplay expertise, that’s possible a irritating choice on Konami’s half, and it’s a place that I do have sympathy for.
On the identical time, I can’t assist however take some solace from the truth that Konami is selecting to not mess with perfection. As a result of, actually, in so some ways, that’s what Steel Gear Strong 3: Snake Eater achieves from a recreation design and stealth gameplay perspective- perfection. Taking part in the unique traditional at the moment even in its authentic kind, it’s laborious to not be blown away by how good and enjoyable it feels to play. It’s a tightly designed, compact expertise that wastes none of itself on something that doesn’t contribute to its unimaginable gameplay core. Purely as a stealth expertise, Steel Gear Strong 3 continues to be proper up there as the most effective video games within the style even today- not simply due to its legacy (which is unimpeachable, to say the least), but in addition due to its astonishing enduring high quality.
So sure, it is considerably of a bummer that Konami isn’t taking the chance with Steel Gear Strong Delta: Snake Eater to do some actually bold gameplay reworks, and that the remake is, from a gameplay and design perspective, going to play issues fairly protected. However a) taking part in it protected is precisely what Konami must do proper now with Steel Gear, given the state that the franchise has been in (because of Konami) this previous decade, and b) the sport that we’re going to get continues to be Steel Gear Strong 3, and Steel Gear Strong 3 is – I can’t stress this sufficient – an absolute blast.
There are clearly elements of the unique MGS3 that do want updating. As nice as it’s, it’s not an ideal recreation, and particularly by at the moment’s requirements, there are elements of it which can be fairly tough and janky. However fortunately, these elements of the sport are getting the facelift that they require. Steel Gear Strong Delta: Snake Eater’s centerpiece goes to be its huge, radical visible and technical overhaul, which, from all that we’ve seen thus far, is respiratory new life into the sport. Overhauling the visuals, modernizing the expertise with quality-of-life upgrades, and sanding out its tough edges with passes of polish may not be probably the most thrilling technique to take care of a serious, flagship remake- however the place MGS3 is worried, it’s a wise strategy. Replace the elements of the sport that want it probably the most, and the elements which can be nonetheless nice – the gameplay and the design (to not point out the unforgettable story, in fact, however that’s a special matter) – will be capable to shine brighter than ever earlier than.
“However have a look at Steel Gear Strong 5!” you say, and what? It’s laborious to not agree with that no less than somewhat bit. For all of its flaws and inconsistencies, Steel Gear Strong 5: Phantom Ache is a completely spectacular stealth recreation – one of many perfect ever made – and it does so with utterly seamless open world design. A Steel Gear Strong 3 remake that constructed on these foundations (however, , with a extra densely populated world that didn’t have the hammer introduced down on it partway by growth) was the dream for a lot of, and indisputably, if performed effectively, that will have been an thrilling technique to deliver Steel Gear again.
However once more, that’s not one thing that anybody is able to belief Konami with simply yet- and that clearly consists of Konami itself, too. And if the choice to a devoted Steel Gear Strong 3 remake was no Steel Gear recreation in any respect, I’ll gladly take the previous, as a result of, on the threat of repeating myself MGS3 continues to be an unimaginable stealth game- one that may stand as much as the most important and AAAest fashionable video games on the market, and barring some very uncommon exceptions, come out on high each single time.
If Konami continues remaking extra Steel Gear Strong video games – which, let’s face it, they most likely will if Delta proves to be a important and industrial success – expectations can be excessive that they’d be extra bold with their remaking efforts. However as their first mainline Kojima-less Steel Gear outing after the franchise was given a swift and bitter (and public) execution years in the past, Steel Gear Strong Delta: Snake Eater is well taking part in to its supply materials’s strengths, which is permitting it to take the most secure attainable route. That route could be a bit too unexciting for a lot of, particularly given how profitable the much less typical remakes like Resident Evil 2 and Silent Hill 2 have been in recent times, but it surely is nonetheless a route that’s going to allow us to play by a stealth masterpiece.
In fact, that’s all contingent on the truth that Konami doesn’t royally mess issues up with Steel Gear Strong Delta. However then once more, that’s the point- that first by choosing Steel Gear Strong 3 as the sport to remake, after which by selecting to stay as near the supply materials as attainable, the corporate is, no less than on paper, giving itself the absolute best likelihood of success. Whether or not issues will pan out that means stays to be seen, however we’re cautiously optimistic, on the very least.
Notice: The views expressed on this article are these of the writer and don’t essentially signify the views of, and shouldn’t be attributed to, GamingBolt as a company.
