To say that its been a long wait for a new Metal Gear Solid would be an understatement, and even if its been several years coming, diving back into the stealth action franchise with Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater feels good. With advanced access now live on Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC, the whole world or at least those who bought the Digital Deluxe Edition can experience the remake in all its glory. Even with the revamped visuals, at its core, this is still inherently the classic that long-time fans know and love in terms of the story, character and classic voice acting. But what about the gameplay?Konami has adamantly retained the same fundamentals that made the 2004 classic such a massive hit, but added several new options and features to change things up. How deeply do they affect, or even improve, the gameplay? Join us as we dive into some of the most game-changing new features, starting withNew Camera StyleIf youre a fan of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, then the new controls for Delta will feelweird. Almost unnatural. And yet, the New Style camera can feel pretty good. Its essentially an over-the-shoulder perspective of Naked Snake, synergising with the new movement options (more on that shortly) while enhancing overall immersion. However, boss fights may feel a touch easier with this setup, since keeping track of and responding to your opponents is far easier (though you can balance this out by increasing the difficulty).How does the Legacy Style camera hold up, especially with the extensive visual upgrade? The answer: Well enough. It may not quite convey the same feeling as the 2004 classic, but for all intents and purposes, it works well enough. The only downside is that you cant switch between the New and Legacy Style camera perspectives on the fly (similar to Subsistence). Its worth noting that specific sequences will retain the classic camera regardless of your choice, so be prepared.CompassOne of the most important features and initially a point of contention back in the day is the removal of the radar, a staple of other Metal Gear Solid titles. Of course, the rest is history and Metal Gear Solid 3 is hailed for this action, but Delta: Snake Eater ruffled more than a few feathers when it was first announced to have a compass. Konami telling me where to go in 2025? Inconceivable.The actual application, as it turns out, is a lot simpler than youd expect. Its actually an optional item which needs to be equipped, and rather than generating some ugly red arrow or line on the floor, it will place a small marker on the HUD, indicating the next objective. This essentially cuts down on calling Snakes allies and asking where to go next. Basic, sure, but also not egregiously helpful or prominent.Movement and StealthWelcome to the jungle, where crawling in tall grass and stalking enemies is paramount to your success (or at least not getting caught). Delta: Snake Eater introduces a few intriguing additions that werent present in the original, like moving in first-person. Prone on the ground, aiming at an enemy and wanting to quietly reposition without taking your eyes off them? Thats also possible, but even more intriguing is that you can now crouch-walk like in Snake Eater 3D.Contrary to what you would think, however, this doesnt completely trivialize stealth. At times, it feels like enemies have much better hearing, so having that additional mobility is a huge plus.Quick Dial and Quick-Change CamoSay what you will about the original, but having to open the menu every single time to change your camo or call someone on the codec becomes tedious after a point, especially when youre getting into the flow of things. To minimize those breaks in action, Konami added Quick Dial and Quick-Change Camo the former accessed by holding down on the directional pad and the latter by holding up. You wouldnt think the results would be so remarkable, but they work fantastically well and ensure that your focus is on the game rather than rifling through menus.Revamped Camo UIThat being said, there is some merit to diving into the camo interface and tweaking Snakes next fit. Camo Index is extremely important in both titles because it measures just how well youre camouflaged. The higher the number, the less likely enemies are to spot you, but its dependent on several factors, including the environment. Delta: Snake Eaters revamped camo UI makes it much easier to apply the best options with colored arrows and a new overlay. Its not quite OctoCamo, but being able to pop in and apply these changes quickly without thinking too hard is a plus.Faster Save LoadingIn a game like this, where a single mistake can ruin a no alert/no kill run or jeopardize unlocking certain camos and items, the ability to quickly reload a previous save is vital. The original Snake Eater made this a highly laborious process, and the loading times added insult to injury. In Delta: Snake Eater, you can now load the latest autosave at any moment to go back and effectively undo any mistakes or even try a different method. The near-instant loading times on PS5 and a shortcut for quick-save are just the cherry on top.Guy Savage ReturnsGuy Savage is a relatively unknown factor for many players, even those who played Snake Eater on the PlayStation 2. Thats because it isnt accessible unless you save at a specific point in the game, quit and reload. Removed from subsequent versions and ports, its fully implemented in Delta: Snake Eater, but also completely overhauled with Konami tapping PlatinumGames for development. Alongside improved visuals and new models, there are also more moves, smoother controls, and even a boss battle. And dont worry if you want to revisit it Guy Savage can be accessed from the main menu afterwards.Snake vs. BombermanSnake vs. Monkey, a crossover mini-game with Sonys Ape Escape franchise, returns but only for those on PS5 and PC. For those on Xbox Series X/S, Konami has substituted the iconic Bomberman. Your objective doesnt deviate much the elimination of all Bombermen in the jungle is still key, but this time, Snake has bombs. Not just any bombs either these pack the same stylings and animations as the Bomberman franchise and even explode in grid-based fashion. Perhaps the best part of all this is that Konami added new voice lines for Otacon and Mei Ling for the mode, alongside a new sprite for the latter.Secret Theater ReelsThe Secret Theater didnt have too much gameplay impact on the original. It essentially served as a collection of gags with various fictional scenarios. In Delta: Snake Eater, however, Konami has essentially gamified the unlocks for the different reels. Finishing the game will unlock the mode, but you need to collect the reels separately from specific enemies to watch them. These can be spotted in the wild and require holding up to drop said reel dealing damage, any kind at all, is enough to break the reel, thus necessitating a redo (which is where the quicker save loading comes in handy).