Konami is dusting off the Metal Gear Solid series after half a decade on the backburner. Its plans are rumoured to extend far beyond what’s already announced, however, with a fully-fledged remake of the original reportedly in the pipeline.
Spanish website Areajugones has several sources that claim Konami is currently working on a Metal Gear Solid remake. It’s supposedly been in development for years and will likely be a comprehensive rebuilding of the first game in the 3D series.
It’s positioned as a current-generation exclusive coming to PS5, forgoing PlayStation 4. Unfortunately, there’s no word on other platforms just yet. With a renewed focus on PC thanks to the Master Collection re-releases, multi-platform isn’t too much of a stretch.
All the publisher’s efforts are currently focused on Metal Gear Solid Delta, the company’s from-the-ground-up remake of Snake Eater. Once the game is on store shelves, Konami will reportedly make Metal Gear Solid Remake its main priority. Since Delta doesn’t yet have a release date, however, it could be quite a while before we see either.
Like the recent re-releases and Delta, it likely won’t see input from Hideo Kojima. After all, the series creator and Konami had a public falling out back in 2015, following the tumultuous launch of The Phantom Pain. Areajugones describes the project as one of the publisher’s “most ambitious,” but the bar admittedly feels a little low given the state of Metal Gear Survive and the Master Collection at launch.
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen MGS1 get a new coat of paint. Developer Silicon Knights rebuilt the original game in the same engine as MGS2 in 2004. Metal Gear Solid: Twin Snakes, as it’s called, looks like a treat for its age and implements quality of life improvements, such as first-person aiming. Sadly, shoddily re-recorded voice lines, exclusivity on Nintendo Gamecube, clunky controls since it has one less button than the PlayStation pad, and over-the-top cutscenes that defied the laws of physics (timestamped below) all overshadowed its accomplishments.
As with any rumour, you’ll need to take this one with a pinch of salt. Areajugones has credibility with successful claims of a God of War Ragnarok DLC ahead of The Game Awards, also from Sony. That said, lots can change between now and a supposed release for MGS1 Remake.
Chronologically, a remake of the original game makes some sense. Delta takes place at the start of journey and MGS1 is the next acclaimed game in the series. Still, I’d prefer a 3D remake of the top-down Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2 since it’d reinvent how we experience the games and they’re set earlier than Metal Gear Solid.
Even an MGS4 remake would make more sense since the game’s been confined to PS3 since 2008. Then again, Sony might pull some wizardry to include it in Master Collection Volume 2.
