Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater is a fairly straightforward one-to-one remake. It follows all the same beats of the PS2 original verbatim, an inevitability since it uses the same voice tracks from that base game. While Delta contains more than a few quality-of-life changes not present in the initial release, there aren’t new areas or otherwise bold changes. However, Delta does make some big changes to one small segment, one that has been somewhat overlooked and cut out of later releases of the game.
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The Guy Savage mini-game is the section in question that Metal Gear Solid Delta has breathed new life into. This strange level of the game has players controlling a mysterious figure wielding two blades while hordes of undead beasts pour in. It then plays out like a character action game reminiscent of Devil May Cry, albeit with less of a focus on juggles and extended combo sequences. Players have access to a few different attacks, some sort of “rage mode,” and a flurry of attacks that come after a last-second dodge à la Bayonetta, but none of this is directly explained.
This description is mostly accurate for both versions — Delta has more available attacks — but Delta swerves and offers a different look at this long-dead hero. Delta’s version of Guy Savage is a hooded figure that wouldn’t look too out of place in any one of the handful of games inspired by Bloodborne (like Thymesia, for example). Guy Savage’s face in the original was fully visible and had a more boyish appearance, a stark difference from the more mature-looking Guy in the remake.
The settings are also quite different. The original takes place in an abandoned warehouse where not much happens. Humanoid enemies pour in and players wander about and slice until the demo ends after hitting one of its various triggers. However, Delta, more fittingly, takes place in a graveyard. Enemies still flood the world, but they look more monstrous and come out of the ground. There’s also a brand-new type of demon that somewhat resembles a vampire, making it even easier to compare Guy Savage to Castlevania. The two have always been spiritually linked and compared to each other, given the tones and direct connections to Konami.
Delta even goes the extra mile by giving Guy Savage a more polished presentation. Delta has its own share of short cutscenes introducing the various beasts and also has a more appropriate ending. The original just randomly stops before Snake jolts awake, whereas Delta gives Guy Savage a more fitting finale that explains why Snake wakes up in a panic. Delta‘s version also starts out with an old-timey filter before shifting into full color, whereas the original perpetually had a filter on it that sucked out most of the colors (although emulators have figured out how to remove the filter).
How to Unlock Guy Savage in Metal Gear Delta
Triggering the mini-game remains the exact same, though. When Snake is brought to the jail cell after being tortured in Groznyj Grad, players have to call Para-Medic, save, exit, and then relaunch the game. The bar with the date and time around the save in the menu will be red, signaling to players that something is not normal. Loading that crimson save after exiting will start Guy Savage.
Players don’t get anything for completing Guy Savage, but those who trigger the scene in Delta will be able to play it whenever they want after they beat the game. It will be on the main menu as “Guy Savage Δ.” Playing it this way is slightly different from the mini-game seen in the main campaign, as this version is longer, doesn’t end with a cutscene, and doesn’t start with a filter.
History of Guy Savage at Konami
Guy Savage is a rare mini-game because it has been stripped out of many versions of Metal Gear Solid 3. It is not present in the HD Collection or Master Collection Vol. 1 ports, nor is it in the 3DS remake. It is unclear why.
Not much is known about Guy Savage. It was revealed at Tokyo Game Show 2011 that Guy Savage was initially lifted from scraps from a canned Zone of the Enders project, something also supported by alleged datamined files in MGS3’s code named “ZOE3.” Designer and writer Hideo Kojima also later said he initially wanted to include a Gradius-like mini-game during that scene. Guy Savage even has its own spot in the original MGS3 credits, too, and lists Shuyo Murata as the game designer and director. Murata is known for his work on the Metal Gear Solid games, as he contributed to every entry from Metal Gear Solid 2 on. He also served as a writer on both Death Stranding games.
Guy Savage has its own spot in Delta‘s credits, as well. And, surprisingly, PlatinumGames is cited as the developer behind it. Kentaro Den is listed as its director, who served as a game designer on Bayonetta Origins: Cereza and the Lost Demon (as well as seemingly providing a “burp” sound effect). PlatinumGames has previously worked on the Metal Gear series with its revered Raiden-led spin-off Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance. It has also developed other action game hits like Bayonetta and Vanquish. The studio is also currently co-developing Ninja Gaiden 4 alongside Team Ninja.
Did you expect to see Guy Savage come back? Let us know in the comments below!
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