Konami, difficulty isn’t an excuse to avoid a Metal Gear Solid Remake

Konami hasn’t even released Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater yet, but what’s been clear is just how much appetite there is for the PS1 original to undergo the same treatment. Sadly, any hopes of the original Metal Gear Solid returning in Unreal Engine form any time soon were dashed, as Konami revealed it would be far more difficult to remake as entire sections need to be rebuilt from scratch.

Difficult, but not impossible. While the upcoming Snake Eater remake reuses gated level design, animation data and old audio recordings, remaking the PSOne original would require almost everything to be remade. However, fans have already attempted to remake the iconic 3D debut, but were not allowed to continue development.

Fans try what Konami won’t

A few years ago, one fan managed to recreate the iconic fight between Solid Snake and Metal Gear Rex in Unreal Engine 4. While it’s a bit rough and ready in some parts, especially compared to today’s standards, it still does a good job of at least hinting of what could be in the near future should Konami decide to give the remake the green light. What’s particularly impressive (albeit clearly not finished) is the lighting – with explosions reflecting off Snake’s suit and Metal Gear Rex’s armor plating.

If a fan can create something of this caliber, then surely the team at Konami can take this to the next level? Yes, it would be difficult, but – personally, I don’t think this a valid enough reason to not tackle this project. Over the years there have been a number of attempts to ‘remake’ the original – or at least parts of it, in Unreal Engine. These range from simple level designs such as the helipad at the start of the game, to entire intro sections. Around 10 years ago, a fan made project that attempted to remake the original game was shut down by Konami, even though they managed to get Snake’s voice actor, David Hayter, on board.

Don’t delay the inevitable

Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater is a safe option for the team to tackle, and it does make sense especially given the ‘rough‘ launch of the Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection Vol 1. and – of course, Metal Gear Solid: Survive. Konami has already revealed the immense pressure of remaking Snake Eater, a remake that sticks as close to the original as possible, but should fan pressure stop the company from taking bigger risks?

Fortune favours the brave, and sooner or later Konami needs to back themselves to tackle the original – even if it means re-doing some areas from scratch. We’ve already seen just how great the Silent Hill 2 remake has gone down – and this underwent some serious treatment.

Now’s the time for Konami to build on the momentum and captilise on the trust it’s winning back from the community. After a decade of absence, fans are hungrier for Konami’s excellent history of gaming icons than ever before, and it’s time to finally take some risks to bring back Metal Gear as the juggernaut it used to be.

Sadly, for those waiting for Metal Gear Solid Delta, there’s no concrete release date as yet, but we are expecting news on this to drop towards the end of the year. Elsewhere, MGS actor Hayter revealed he has been back in the studio, potentially recording some new lines for Delta.