Warning: This article contains major spoilers for the Metal Gear series. Proceed at your own risk.The revival of Konami's Metal Gear Solid franchise with the announcement of Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater was the highlight of the recent PlayStation Showcase for many. The status of the series had been up in the air following the departure of its creator Hideo Kojima from the company following the release of Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain, and the dismal release of Metal Gear Survive without Kojima helming the project left the series in a dire state. Now that Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater looks to remake one of the series' most popular entries, players will get the opportunity to relive the iconic origins of Naked Snake.
While many players may be familiar with the iconic Solid Snake of the Metal Gear franchise, the protagonist of Metal Gear Solid 3, and now Metal Gear Solid Delta, is a different character entirely despite looking nearly identical. The Metal Gear series is infamous for its somewhat convoluted plot that involves nanomachines, shadowy government organizations, and clones, but breaking down the characters of Naked Snake and Solid Snake helps clear the waters surrounding the series' lore. For players new to the series, Metal Gear Solid Delta will be a great entry point and can help them better understand the rest of the franchise.
Breaking Down the Differences Between Naked Snake and Solid Snake
Metal Gear Solid 3 is the earliest game in the Metal Gear timeline despite being the third entry in the Metal Gear Solid series. The game is set in 1964 during the early stages of the Vietnam War and sees a renowned Green Beret operative codenamed Naked Snake on a mission to infiltrate the Soviet Union and extract the scientist Nikolai Sokolov. However, Naked Snake's mission is disrupted when it's revealed his mentor and superior, The Boss, has defected to the Soviet Union and sabotaged his mission.
The story of Metal Gear Solid 3 follows Naked Snake as he continues his mission without the support of The Boss, eventually having to face off against his mentor in a duel to the death. His victory over The Boss earns Naked Snake a legendary status among mercenaries around the world, and he takes on the title of Big Boss. As Big Boss, he was a founding member of the covert organization known as the Patriots, and though he would later break from the Patriots, he would first take part in a cloning project known as Les Enfants Terribles.
The result of this project was a series of clones based on Big Boss, including both Liquid and Solid Snake. One of the clones, David, under the codename of Solid Snake, is famous for being the protagonist of the original Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake where he would work as a mercenary for his progenitor Big Boss under the FOXHOUND organization, but Solid Snake would come to resent the man who had created him and Big Boss became his adversary. After leaving FOXHOUND, Solid Snake would retire only to be recruited as an undercover agent for the CIA, marking the start of the events of the first Metal Gear Solid.
Despite being a clone of Big Boss/Naked Snake, Solid Snake shares a very different view on war and conflict from his progenitor. While Big Boss relishes in war having only ever known conflict, Solid Snake strives for peace, which would ultimately lead to the antagonism between him and Big Boss. Solid Snake is an icon of gaming for his appearances across the Metal Gear series and in outside franchises like Super Smash Bros., and with Metal Gear Solid Delta, as well as Metal Gear Solid Master Collection Vol. 1 releasing, players will once again get to know both his and Naked Snake's struggles within a world of conflict.
Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater is currently in development for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.