After ‘Metal Gear Solid Delta’, The Series’ Most Underrated Gem Is A Must-Try

The team behind Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater had one goal in mind when developing the recent remake of the series’ most beloved game. “The biggest opportunity here was reaching a new audience,” producer Noriaki Okamura told Inverse last month. In that way, Konami succeeded: the faithful-to-a-fault remake is the same generational game from over 20 years ago, built to be easier on the eyes and hands for contemporary players. And just three weeks after launch, the game has sold over a million copies so far, according to Konami.

As someone who’s played Metal Gear Solid 3 countless times over the years, however, revisiting the 2004 classic once more inspired me to finally play one of the only games in the series I haven’t touched. And getting to experience this crucial chapter in the wider Metal Gear mythos so soon after Delta has me the most excited I’ve been about the series in a decade.

Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker is a 2010 entry in the series originally released for the PSP. While most video game series will relegate inconsequential side stories to spinoff games on handhelds, Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima insisted Peace Walker would be a critical part of the overarching story. Within the first hour of playing it, I was immediately frustrated with myself for not playing this sooner.

From a story standpoint, Peace Walker bridges the gap between Snake Eater and 2015’s Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain. Peace Walker’s supporting cast are all major players in The Phantom Pain, and it’s fantastic to get a new glimpse at how these characters interact with Big Boss. Perhaps more interesting than its supporting cast is how the game sets up its story with its inciting incident.

(Spoilers ahead for Snake Eater.)

Taking place 10 years after Snake Eater, a disillusioned Big Boss finds himself in South America building a militia meant to protect countries without military forces of their own. When a mysterious military force is caught sneaking a large amount of munitions into Costa Rica, the country’s military reaches out to Big Boss for aid. While Big Boss is reluctant to help at first, a seemingly impossible turn of events changes his mind: A recording featuring the voice of his deceased mentor, The Boss. Even stranger is the recording features audio proof that it was taken sometime after her demise at the end of Snake Eater.

Big Boss was never the same after he was forced to assassinate his beloved mentor. And this mission is both an opportunity to make good on the peacekeeping principles of his new private military force and an effort to find closure after the harrowing events of Operation Snake Eater.

(Spoilers for Snake Eater are over.)

Peace Walker’s opening revelation hit extra hard after rolling credits on Delta. I’ve experienced Snake Eater’s incredible ending dozens of times since 2004. It’s one of my favorite climaxes in all of gaming because it’s equal parts epic, somber, and definitive. Stumbling into Peace Walker 15 years later, only to find out it’s a direct continuation of one of my all-time favorite endings, had me ready to run through a wall.

Peace Walker is also a ton of fun to play. It can be a little simplistic, as it’s designed to be played in shorter bursts on the go. But the condensed mission structure keeps the game’s plot moving at a brisk pace. The simpler stealth action exists alongside an in-depth recruitment and base-building system. Kojima was always candid about how the Monster Hunter series was a direct inspiration for Peace Walker, and it’s felt throughout. You’ll take on side missions with hopes of finding unique equipment, resources, and soldiers for your ever-growing army. And each session is contributing to the player’s growing military strength.

These exact ideas are featured in The Phantom Pain. But in Peace Walker, I think they are much more fitting. Whereas base management could feel overwhelming due to The Phantom Pain’s massive open worlds and gameplay options, Peace Walker is much more focused. It’s a quality over quantity thing that makes Peace Walker easy to get into, and even easier to obsess over.

Peace Walker is every bit a Metal Gear game, one that I unwisely skipped despite buying as part of the 2011 HD Collection. If you have access to this underrated gem but haven’t played it before, I implore you to play it back-to-back with Snake Eater.

While Delta isn’t likely to serve long-time Metal Gear fans beyond the novelty of its shiny new graphics, it did manage to reignite my love for the series. Konami would be wise to follow up the overwhelming success of the Snake Eater remake with something else in the series. Another Master Collection featuring the currently unplayable Metal Gear Solid 4, or even a Delta-style remake of Peace Walker would be great for those who missed it the first time. However Konami decides to keep the Metal Gear franchise alive and in the minds of modern players, I’m here for it.