It’s an thrilling time for Steel Gear Strong followers corresponding to myself. We’re not solely about to get a remake of top-of-the-line MGS video games of all time, but in addition a brand new tackle the traditional stealth gameplay that made it so memorable. Earlier this month, I and a number of other different journalists had been invited to a Steel Gear Strong Delta: Snake Eater occasion to get some prolonged time in with the sport and to take a look at the tremendous cool set up at NYC’s Lightbox studio that housed a recreation of the long-lasting flower mattress of the sport’s last showdown. Together with Michael McWhertor of Polygon and Destin Legarie of The Destin Channel, I obtained to speak with Delta’s producers, Noriaki Okamura and Yuji Korekado.
What follows is a transcript of our roundtable dialog, with some slight edits for brevity and readability. Konami offered a translator for our interview.
Michael McWhertor, Polygon: There’s been numerous remakes lately, particularly at Konami, and I puzzled whenever you began engaged on this undertaking how a lot you needed to do that as a reinterpretation, or as a straight remake. Did you wanna add to it? Did you need to make Steel Gear Strong 3 by way of the lens of 2025? What was that method like? Was it a straight remake or one thing else?
Noriaki Okamura, Producer, Steel Gear Strong Delta: Snake Eater: That is one thing we contemplated on the very starting after we had been beginning this undertaking: What could be one of the best ways to do a remake of MGS3? And in these conversations what we finally selected for Delta is [that] the idea of Delta is to have the ability to have new Steel Gear followers, new Steel Gear gamers to expertise the unique as is, as a lot as potential. Clearly we did the modernization that we have to in order that it is going to be extra fluid and extra accepting to trendy avid gamers and the way they play video games however to ensure that us to respect what was initially nice concerning the recreation, we needed to maintain it as is as a lot as potential.
Destin Legarie, The Destin Channel: You’ve had a number of preview periods and also you’ve gotten some suggestions on-line. What modifications have you ever been capable of implement primarily based on that on-line suggestions right now?
Yuji Korekado, Artistic Producer, Steel Gear Strong Delta: Snake Eater: So one of many issues we did is that, after we introduced that we’re gonna do a remake, clearly there have been numerous reactions from numerous Steel Gear followers and one of many issues that basically stood out to us is a few of the extra modes that had been, , eliminated, and since this recreation has been re-released so many occasions, and so a few of them had been they actually needed Snake Versus Monkey again, or, like, the Secret Theater movies again. After we we noticed that there’s a lot demand for it we determined, OK, what can we do to make these modes come again and how much method could be greatest to deliver them again? So we did look into that type of suggestions.
Destin Legarie: Particularly, I’ve seen numerous suggestions about a few of the facial animations. Has that suggestions been taken to coronary heart?
Yuji Korekado: Sure, we did get that type of suggestions. We heard them loud and clear and particularly after we launched a few of the earlier trailers, that’s undoubtedly one thing that was identified to us and like I mentioned, we need to ensure the expertise that we offer within the remake is similar type of expertise that the individuals who performed the unique expertise had. We wanna guarantee that wow issue continues to be there, so after that we undoubtedly needed to guarantee that the standard is on par to what a Steel Gear recreation must be.
Claire Jackson, Kotaku: What was it like balancing trendy stealth mechanics with the stealth challenges of the unique recreation?
Yuji Korekado: One of many issues we did for Delta is to supply two sorts of what we name “Play Styles.” We’ve the Legacy Model which you’ll be able to play type of with an analogous digicam and controls as the unique, and the brand new type you possibly can play with extra trendy controls and a third-person digicam setting. And after we allowed that new kind of play type, we needed to make some changes, some rebalancing as a result of the best way that you could now see the map modifications how it’s worthwhile to conceal and what you possibly can see and what you possibly can look out for. So one of many issues we modified was the character animation, character motions and likewise the reactions and the responses of of a few of the NPCs, the AI as nicely, and we wanted to do this as a result of permitting a special type of angle, completely different type of play type modifications the joys, the nervousness of needing to cover. So that is one thing that we had to return and do numerous testing with, using trendy know-how to make it really feel [like] that very same nervousness as you had been taking part in within the unique type, however with a brand new trendy management and digicam.
Destin Legarie: Do you are feeling that modernization may make it too simple? As a result of I bear in mind when [the GameCube remake of Metal Gear Solid, The Twin Snakes came out, a lot of the criticism was that having that extra perspective made gameplay easier and the game easy.
Yuji Korekado: To simply put it, yes, we knew this would happen, obviously. So, we had to do a lot of rebalancing between when you’re playing the Legacy Style versus the New Style, we had to make sure that the difficulty level would still match whatever playstyle you’re playing with and not make things too easy or too difficult.
Claire Jackson: Does the staff have a desire between the unique, overhead digicam or or the third particular person one?
Yuji Korekado: So, for [me] personally, [I love] each. Clearly trendy gamers are extra used to the third particular person digicam and , particular sorts of controls. So for [new players] we would like them to play with New Model first and since we predict that that is one of the best ways for them to get immersed into Steel Gear’s world in that method that they’re extra used to. And as soon as they cleared the sport it is going to be enjoyable for them to return and replay the sport in Legacy Model and see, “oh my goodness, there’s a whole new way of playing this game that I didn’t even know about,” so we might love for them to get pleasure from each Play Kinds.
Michael McWhertor: I’m questioning if any technical points got here up growing sure elements of the sport? And I’m particularly serious about how simple it was on the PlayStation 2 to, say, change the date, in your PlayStation 2 [to defeat the sniper boss, The End], whereas now on a PlayStation 5 or an Xbox Collection X or a PC, it’s, it’s harder to vary the date in your system as a result of it’s linked to the web, and I’m questioning if in case you have a technical resolution to that challenge or if some other technical points popped up?
Yuji Korekado: So simply with how we had been capable of adapt [the game] to the consoles and platforms again then, we had been ready to do this for all of the the supported platforms that [Delta] goes to return out on right now, and there’s completely different options on several types of platforms and options that we needed to include as nicely. As an illustration, we just like the [rumble] suggestions on the [PS5’s DualSense]. These are the sorts of issues that we did actually look into to guarantee that we do what we are able to to greatest adapt [the game] to trendy consoles as a lot as potential. When it comes to technical difficulties, we didn’t actually have an excessive amount of, yeah.
Destin Legarie: I do know we’re right here for Delta right now, and we’re operating low on time. I’ve a lot that I need to ask however I’d get in hassle if I didn’t ask about Steel Gear [Solid] 4. Is there any hope you may give for followers about MGS4 presumably being in Quantity 2 [of the Master Collection] or is it being labored on in any capability?
Noriaki Okamura: That is one thing that we’re at all times, at all times serious about: What’s our subsequent transfer by way of the Steel Gear collection, and we’re conscious that numerous followers really need MGS4 again as a result of it’s at present not playable on any present {hardware} or platforms, and that is one thing we do need to deal with sooner or later, ensuring that followers can have an opportunity to play it as soon as once more. Sadly we are able to’t offer you any extra particulars apart from that, however yeah, hopefully sooner or later that is one thing we are able to do.
Claire Jackson: Had been there any distinctive challenges or surprises when it got here to preserving the cinematic aptitude of the unique [Metal Gear Solid 3]?
Yuji Korekado: So for the cutscenes, we needed to remake all the things: The character fashions, the extent, the phases, we needed to do all of it from scratch. And after we did that, certainly one of our issues was that despite the fact that all the things seems to be superb, if we nonetheless saved the identical dealing with, the identical digicam angles, would it not nonetheless maintain up? And so as soon as all the things was accomplished and we determined to create all of the cinematics utilizing the identical digicam, utilizing the identical background music, voice performing, we had been blown away as a result of the best way that [Metal Gear Solid 3] was constructed initially was already good to start with and the the trendy graphics simply enhanced that to the fullest. So we had been very shocked that, , even to today the best way it was initially made was, , [it] didn’t should be retouched.
