Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater's nature as a remake has caused fans to scrutinize every piece of it. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater was so beloved that everything from the gameplay to the performances of renowned voice actors like David Hayter helped to cement it as the pinnacle of the franchise. To say the game would struggle without franchise creator Hideo Kojima would be a big understatement.
But while the world contemplates the bigger things like Hideo Kojima's involvement, smaller issues about the game remain in the dark. Easter eggs, for example, are an important part of the franchise and Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. Not only do they create moments of levity and appreciation for fans, but removing them from Metal Gear Delta: Snake Eater would hurt the game's overall tone.
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater Is Full Of Easter Eggs
Be they nods to the Metal Gear franchise or a totally unrelated property, Hideo Kojima always makes it a point to include Easter eggs in all of his projects. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater is no different. Fans of the original game will remember the 64 Kerotan frog dolls scattered throughout the game's many levels. By shooting all the dolls or completing the game without a single alert, players can unlock the infamous Stealth Camouflage that increases Snake's Camo index to 100% in any environment. The Kerotan dolls are just one of many Easter eggs that allow players to unlock special items or secrets in the game.
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater also has Easter eggs that are completely useless, too. Pressing certain buttons in the main menu, for instance, will cause different effects such as the speeding up or slowing down of Snake's CQC animations or changing the background entirely. This particular Easter egg doesn't help players get better at the game, but it does turn an otherwise unremarkable menu into something memorable and fun to play with.
There Should Be Breaks In Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater's Relatively Serious Tone
No matter what form they take, all the Easter eggs in Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater add levity to the game. Whether it be Ivan Raidenovitch Raikov breaking the fourth wall by flaunting his Raiden-like appearance to players or Snake talking about his pre-determined destiny to be inside a cardboard box, the Easter eggs keep things light-hearted by reminding players that they're partaking in a video game. Even the overly gory Guy Savage nightmare sequence gives players a break from Snake's mission to thwart the Russians and put an end to the Cobras.
Snake's missions are rife with so much deception, betrayal, and sadness that it can be hard to see how he can whip out his dry humor at times. His duties as a soldier and his close relationship with The Boss are constantly being put to the test up to the point where he has to make the difficult decision to choose one and forgo the other. Without the writing team's dedication to their craft and the presence of Easter eggs, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater would have ended up becoming a more serious game.
If Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater wants to retain the same tone as the original game, it should endeavor to add new Easter eggs as well as pay homage to the old ones. Keeping the classic Easter eggs is fine for the sake of posterity but if the remake wishes to improve, it needs to use the elements found in its predecessor as a jumping-off point for new ideas. While this could be said for just about any element of the upcoming game, hopefully, the developers won't forget the little things as well.
Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater is in development for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
