Highlights

  • The Metal Gear Solid Delta remake promises a faithful reimagining with updated visuals and classic stealth gameplay mechanics like the camouflage system returning.
  • Metal Gear Solid 3's iconic Camo Index returns in the remake, ensuring players will have to adapt and use various camouflage patterns to stay hidden.
  • Metal Gear Solid Delta could introduce modern updates to Camo Index and reward system, giving players new ways to earn unique camouflage patterns.

Last year's PlayStation Showcase carried with it the reveal of a long-rumored remake of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, the Cold War-era origin story of the Metal Gear series' primary antagonist Big Boss. Long considered to be one of the greatest games of the 6th generation and a strong contender for the best game in the Metal Gear Solid series, Metal Gear Solid 3's remake had a tough job ahead of it in terms of pleasing fans, thanks in large part to a complete lack of involvement from series creator Hideo Kojima. If the recent trailer for Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater shown at the Xbox Games Showcase is anything to go off, though, those same fans can breathe a sigh of relief.

Other than a significant visual upgrade and a change in title from Metal Gear Solid 3 to Metal Gear Solid Delta (stylized as the actual symbol), the gameplay that was finally revealed for the ambitious stealth-action remake indicates that it's definitively skewing toward a faithful reimagining. Perhaps one of the more important things established by the Metal Gear Solid Delta gameplay is the inclusion of the camouflage system, which plays a huge part in the stealth mechanics of the title given its primarily outdoor environments. Metal Gear Solid 3's camouflage was a huge part of the moment-to-moment gameplay in the original, and its return in the remake is a great sign.

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Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater Remake Got the Upper Hand Over MGS5 In One Area

One particular aspect of the new Metal Gear Solid Delta trailer should ensure that it has the upper hand over Metal Gear Solid 5 in one crucial area.

How Metal Gear Solid 3's Camouflage System Works

In addition to its looking backward through time to uncover the origins of Foxhound, Big Boss, and the Philosopher's Legacy, Metal Gear Solid 3 abandons the established conventions of the two games preceding it by taking place primarily in outdoor environments. Metal Gear Solid and Metal Gear Solid 2 both require players to consider a stealth approach in the context of indoor environments, making good use of cover (and subterfuge when possible) to avoid detection. Conversely, Metal Gear Solid 3's jungle is a much wider open sandbox, requiring new mechanics for players to remain hidden. Enter the Camo Index.

Every new area that Naked Snake (aka Big Boss) enters in Metal Gear Solid 3 sees him needing to acquire a new camouflage and face paint pattern that effectively keeps him hidden in the environment. Some camouflage patterns even allow for minimal visibility regardless of environment, making the camouflage system one of the more engaging aspects of the title in terms of making sure that players stick to the "sneaking" aspect of the Virtuous Mission. Its clear return in the first gameplay footage for Metal Gear Solid Delta is a good sign regarding the direction the title is headed.

Metal Gear Solid Delta May Update the Camo System As it's Doing With Other Elements of MGS 3

While the apparent return of the Camo Index is definitely a good sign that Metal Gear Solid Delta is sticking to the core elements that made the original such a beloved title, there's also plenty of room for the remake to take things in exciting new directions. Metal Gear Solid Delta is changing battle damage compared to the original for an added emphasis on survival elements and making each playthrough unique, and the close-quarters combat (CQC) shown off in the first gameplay trailer looks to improve on the original's melee combat mechanics. Accordingly, the Camo Index could receive some modern quality-of-life updates.

The original Metal Gear Solid 3 notoriously rewarded players for non-lethal gameplay in Snake's fight against The Sorrow, which also granted one of the best camouflage patterns available in the game (the Spirit camo). Aside from potentially introducing some new camouflage patterns that each have their own unique bonuses along with a specific Camo Index, Metal Gear Solid Delta could shake things up over the original by finding new and novel ways to reward players with some of the better available camouflage and face paint patterns while still paying a faithful homage to Metal Gear Solid 3.