Remember Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes?

Cassie Mammone

26.8.2025

Translation: Patrik Stainbrook

In preparation for Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, I’m playing game one in the Metal Gear Solid series for the first time. The story is strong even today, but the gameplay is in desperate need of an upgrade.

Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater will be released on 28 August 2025. It’s a new edition of the third main game. Chronologically, Snake Eater takes place before all the other parts. It’s also the reason why Konami’s re-releasing the third game first.

However, I’m throwing this proposed new order out the window by starting with part one anyway. In retrospect, I’m happy with my choice. The story of Metal Gear Solid’s still convincing today – unlike the outdated technology and cumbersome gameplay.

The plot of Metal Gear Solid stands the test of time

Even though game one doesn’t start off the chronology, I’m on board from the very beginning – as you’d expect from a first instalment. I take on the role of legendary mercenary Solid Snake, tasked to put a stop to a series of terrorists. The Foxhound group has barricaded itself in a nuclear weapons disposal facility on the fictitious island of Shadow Moses.

The Foxhound group is still a good villain choice 20 years after the game’s original release. The individual members are memorable because of their strong personalities and creative boss fights. Psycho Mantis unfortunately doesn’t leave an impression on me as a newcomer, since I know how to defeat him already. On the other hand, the mysterious Cyborg Ninja, which could’ve been ripped straight from an anime, impresses me. I have to watch his movements closely and strike at the right moment. My firearms are useless in that fight – they can’t harm Ninja’s armour.

The story’s staged cinematically and told via commonly occurring cutscenes. They take up almost half of the playing time – clip compilations on YouTube last four to five hours. For a game that, according to howlongtobeat.com, takes around twelve hours to play, that’s a lot. But I’m never bored. I’m used to the narrative style of film fan Hideo Kojima from games like Death Stranding, so I can sit back and relax.

Despite the lengthy narrative style, the story of Metal Gear Solid hits a nerve and is more relevant today than ever. The threat of nuclear weapons is causing conflicts in the real world too, as US attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities a few months ago proved (article in German).

The first Metal Gear Solid also deals with the topic of Nature vs. Nurture. Various scientific fields have always questioned how much influence an individual’s genes or environment have on their development. While some characters lose themselves in their ramblings, there are always beautiful and strong moments. Snake is told several times how he should forge his own life instead of surrendering to his genes. This is also a topical issue in the context of self-discovery.

Creative gameplay ideas

When the action isn’t driven forward by an elaborate cutscene, it progresses in one of the many calls made via the so-called Codec. I can talk to various people helping Snake in his mission over the phone.

My buddies include the Colonel, who works for the US government and is responsible for my mission. If I have any questions, I can call up the Codec by pressing Start and A on the Gamecube controller and ask for tips – even in the middle of boss battles.

It does take me out of the game, using the phone for three minutes in the middle of an epic sniper duel. At the same time, I’m also incredibly grateful for the feature. It gives me tips on how I can best master any duel. As it turns out, I always need help in Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes.

Other gameplay additions deepen my experience. For example, I can save by calling data analyst Mei Ling via the Codec. She also breaks the fourth wall from time to time. I can clearly feel Hideo Kojima’s unique style here. This is also the case in the famous torture scene with Otacon. Instead of watching it as one of many cutscenes, I have to resist the electric shocks by repeatedly pressing the A button. If I succeed, I unlock a better ending. Admittedly, hammering the A button isn’t particularly fun or creative at that moment. However, it offers variety from the rest of the gameplay and is short enough not to leave a negative impression.

Looking at the gameplay in general, I quickly realise where the subtitle Tactical Espionage Action comes from. The best way to get through Shadow Moses is to bypass the stationed guards. To do this, I sneak around, enter ventilation shafts and make use of the tools I find on-site. I use these to switch off cameras and turrets while sending the security personnel to sleep with silenced weapons. It could be fun, but the technology often pushes my patience to its limits.

The necessity of remakes

As expected, the ravages of time have gnawed at the graphics of both the PS1 game Metal Gear Solid as well as its Gamecube remake The Twin Snakes. But that doesn’t bother me; I play a lot of older games.

What I can’t gloss over these days, however, are the controls and gameplay. Snake doesn’t control as precisely as I’d like from a stealth game. Far too often, I run into random boxes or straight into the wall. That wouldn’t be bad in itself, but Snake, sneaking extraordinaire, presses himself directly against crates or walls every time.

One room where I keep making the same mistake comes early in the game: a tank hangar. When I enter, there’s a guard directly opposite me – who fortunately looks in the opposite direction. But in the time it takes me to run to the crate in front of me, watch Snake’s leaning animation, run back and graze the wall that Snake is already pressing against again, the guard turns around and spots me. She sounds the alarm, and I’m faced with a lengthy exchange of fire that costs me resources and even more time. Alternatively, the guards kill Snake and – after the impressive Game Over screen – I start my stealth attempt in the tank hangar all over again.

This is just one of several places that try my patience. The remakes will hopefully offer the perfect solution for this with some modernisation. If the gameplay’s adapted to modern stealth titles such as The Last of Us or the two A Plague Tale spin-offs, my biggest criticism is already resolved.

Getting started with a controversial remake

Beginning with Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes, I didn’t realise I was starting with one of the most controversial entries in the series. While part one was generally well received, opinions are divided on the Gamecube remake.

One reason for this is once again the gameplay. While it feels dated to me 20 years later, The Twin Snakes brings some new features compared to the original. Snake can, for example, hang from edges and take shortcuts this way. A first-person mode for aiming with weapons is also new. While the elements provide more variety, they also simplify numerous sections of the game. Whole sections can be skipped simply by hanging upside-down. The improved aiming allows you to systematically eliminate enemies without going into direct combat. In short, I can make Metal Gear Solid easier for myself in the remake compared to the original.

My criticisms don’t stop at the gameplay, however. Since the Gamecube has better performance than the PS1, faces are displayed in greater detail. Some point out that this undermines the timeless style of the original – the polished cutscenes are also criticised accordingly. Snake dodges pistol bullets in slow motion using his best Matrix impression, or deflects the course of a flying rocket with his legs – the whole thing’s just too crazy. The original is far more grounded.

Still, since I’ve only ever played the bizarre Death Stranding games by Hideo Kojima, these exaggerated cutscenes are nothing unusual for me. The graphics don’t bother me either, as I don’t have an original to compare them with.

Since the remake changed a lot from the original and was developed by Silicon Knights instead of Kojima Productions, fans have always questioned the involvement of series creator Hideo Kojima. It’s said that the exaggerated cutscenes were requested by Kojima, although remake director Ryūhei Kitamura wanted to keep the ones from the original.

Metal Gear Solid still impresses me today – even more so with improved gameplay

So, my entry into the Metal Gear Solid franchise was a success. I really like the game and its captivating, topical story. Although Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes is about super soldiers with superhuman abilities, the characters are relatable. And that’s exactly the way Hideo Kojima gripped me in Death Stranding. I’m looking forward to the remake of the third game. Hopefully, it won’t be the last new edition – every game in the series probably needs an upgrade.

Before I pick up the next entry, I’ll wait and see if any more remakes are planned. Luckily, all that waiting while sneaking has made me a pro in that area.

Header image: Konami

Cassie Mammone

Freelance Editor

cassie.mammone.freelance@gmail.com

I wrote my first text about video games when I was eight years old. I haven't been able to stop since. The rest of my time is spent on my love for 2D husbandos, monsters, my cats and sport.

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