Most of the time, I’m pretty oblivious to game name trends. It’s normally only when someone points out to me that all AAA games have names like ‘Chronicle of Shadows: Rebirth’, that I start to see that formula used everywhere — like when you find a trendy new pair of shoes that you swear you’ve never seen before, only to wear them out of the shop and see every other person styling them.
The way it’s usually pointed out to me is when Nintendo releases a game that rehashes a title format we’ve seen hundreds of times before. Most recently, it was the rise of the unnecessary exclamation mark, when Princess Peach: Showtime! and WarioWare: Move It! made me question whether I should be shouting their final word each time I said them. This year, it’s X games.
Metal Gear Solid: Delta is not the first remake of Metal Gear Solid 3.
In the two decades since Metal Gear Solid 3 first HALO-dropped into our hearts, Konami has reissued, remastered, and remade Hideo Kojima’s tactical espionage opus more than a few times– adding to, subtracting from, and significantly changing Snake’s adventure in the nonexistent jungles of the Soviet Union.
You can dig up the raw PS2 original that hit 2004 like a tactical nuke, or feast on the more refined and rounded Subsistence. You can enjoy it on the go, or accept some sacrifices to play it on the newest tech. And if none of those get you charged up, perhaps Delta will deliver the Snake Eater of your dreams.
There are plenty of ways to enjoy one of the greatest games ever made– but what’s the correct way to experience MGS3? Is authenticity the aim, or even achievable? Are we willing to lose some of its original truth in the name of enjoyability and accessibility? In short: what’s the real Metal Gear Solid 3?
Your mission, Jack, is to infiltrate the various versions of this virtuous masterpiece and explore the changes it’s accumulated throughout the years, for better and for worse, beginning with…
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
Try to remember some of the basics of life in 2004: You’re wearing your “Vote for Pedro” shirt, rocking a Livestrong bracelet, and T9 texting your MySpace top 8 on the brand-new Moto Razr. Spider-Man 2 is at the movie theater, on your iPod Mini, and inside your sixth-generation console. Other games vying for your attention in this absolutely stacked year include a squad of S-tier sequels like Half-Life 2, Halo 2, and GTA: San Andreas. MGS3 hangs with them all.
Etched on this PS2-exclusive disc is an all-time classic. Hot on the heels of the mind-shattering Metal Gear Solid 2, Snake Eater is the platonic ideal of a prequel– an approachable action epic, with excellent voice-acting, and intricate, quirky game systems. It’s the perfect on-ramp to the Kojima experience and it easily deserves our contemporary score of 9.6.
But the game is about all you get.
The first release of Snake Eater had no VR missions, no multiplayer, and no bonus features beyond Snake vs. Monkey, a charming hide-and-seek minigame starring the titular simians of Sony’s Ape Escape series. Since the campaign itself is more than a hearty meal, no one much complained at the time, though there was some grumbling about the fixed, overhead camera carried over from MGS2.
A top-down view worked great for the bases, tankers, and… struts of past Metal Gear games, but a lot had changed since the heyday of 8-bit Japanese PCs. The first release of Snake Eater can be aggravating at times, and the cramped perspective doesn’t take full advantage of the wide-open jungles of Tselinoyarsk.
Still, the PS2 original is the rare, unseasoned Snake Eater experience– and there’s nothing quite like sinking your teeth into the earliest draft of a masterpiece. It doesn’t get more authentic than this flawed but foundational text from which all MGS3 is derived.
It only took a few months for Kojima and Konami to start tinkering with the game. Like MGS2 before it, the PAL version of Snake Eater includes a boss rush mode, cutscene theater, and the “European Extreme” difficulty level– perhaps one of the highest honors ever bestowed upon a continent.
The game itself was substantially unaltered, but it would see subSISTantial changes in MGS3: Subsistence.
Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence
The new-and-improved version of Snake Eater didn’t come as a surprise, since both prior MGS titles were followed by revised expansions. Metal Gear Solid: Integral included an entire disk of VR missions, a playable first-person view, and a bizarre photoshoot mode that has since been reborn in Death Stranding 2.
MGS2: Substance was flush with bonus content, including non-canon, largely silly Snake Tales to appease the angry anti-Raiden army. The game itself received lots of subtle refinements, though nothing near the extent of MGS3.
With MGS3: Subsistence, the Snake Eater experience is now composed of double disks, with a second DVD bursting with bonus material, as well as new ports of the original MSX games– including the first official localization of the magnificent Metal Gear 2.
And if that wasn’t enough bang for your buck, the so-called “Persistence” disc also includes a full-fledged online multiplayer mode: Metal Gear Online. Other MGS games, including Delta, would offer their own spin on the PvP formula, but this is the only release of MGS3 that includes it– though the servers have been dark since 2007.
Goodies aside, it’s the massive change to gameplay that makes Subsistence such a big deal. It’s why the rerelease has been the blueprint for all future iterations of the title, and it’s a big enough deal that one could plausibly argue that Subsistence is a remake unto itself.
The new camera makes Subsistence a strong candidate for the definitive version of MGS3.
Subsistence incorporates a brand-new, player-controlled, third-person camera system– essentially a prototype borrowed from the then in-development Metal Gear Solid 4, and a huge improvement in terms of user experience. The game now allows you to peek around corners and scope out your surroundings, without the tedium of popping into first-person. The old way is still available as an option, though not a very appetizing one– even if some of the experience is lost in the transition:
The new POV makes the game slightly easier, though nowhere near the extent to which Twin Snakes trivialized the halls of Shadow Moses.
Some cinematic setpieces originally contained bespoke camera shots and movements that go unseen with the new system. They’re still there, but you’d have to know about them to switch over beforehand.
Finally, the wide-open Soviet jungle loses just a little magic when the camera is unshackled. Without the curated, limited angles of vanilla Snake Eater, it’s easier to see past the illusion of a sprawling wilderness and recognise the region for what it actually is: a series of surprisingly small rooms connected by loading screens.
Issues aside, the new camera makes Subsistence a strong candidate for the definitive version of MGS3. It’s almost purely additive and, unlike future releases, it’s content-complete. Our more granular review scale of the era deemed the upgrade worth two whole tenths of a point, and many others would agree that it’s the better game over the original… But is it the same game?
The enhanced rerelease is a Kojima tradition at this point. Even Death Stranding has a “Director’s Cut,” although Kojima himself disagrees with that label– he prefers the term “Director’s Plus.” His expansions exist to supplement the original, not cast shade on or replace them– even though in several cases, the vanilla versions are no longer commercially available.
Subsistence is the smoothest way to play MGS3, and it’s probably the camera the game should have shipped with. The thing is… it didn’t. The first release of Snake Eater remains Kojima’s uncompromised vision– and so does Subsistence. It’s up to you if you want to endure an aggravating camera in the pursuit of historicity, sans the temptation to switch to the better system.
Subsistence remained the final word on MGS3 for five years, until another version brought Snake Eater into a new generation. Most of it, anyway.
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater HD
Metal Gear Solid: HD Collection was released in November of 2011, the same day as Modern Warfare 3, making for one interesting midnight at Gamestop. The Collection contains updated ports of MGS 2 and 3, plus a brand-new big screen version of the PSP-exclusive Peace Walker, all in glorious 720p.
Snake Eater HD is based on Subsistence, incorporating the free camera while offering higher resolution, native 16:9 widescreen support, and 60 frames per second performance. The HD collection was also the first opportunity for XBox owners to experience MGS3, although that came with a massive caveat.
Back in the optimistic early years of the millennium, console manufacturers went kind of crazy with controllers. It was a big period of innovation, leading to the abandonment of wires, built-in rumble, buttons shaped like beans, and controllers modelled after TV remotes and chainsaws. Pressure sensitive buttons were an evolutionary dead end of this era.
In addition to analog sticks and triggers, the DualShock 2, 3, and original XBox controllers all utilized analog face buttons that responded to pressure, meaning instead of a simple on/off state, they can report how hard they’re pushed. Not many games took advantage of this feature, but Kojima, the man who turned the sun itself into a game peripheral, gleefully stitched pressure-sensitivity into the very fabric of MGS2 and 3.
To raise your weapon, lightly press the designated Weapon Button. Let go to lower your gun without raising the alarm or spending silencer health. Push it all the way in to pull the trigger. With today’s muscle memory, it’s kind of jarring to not touch the shoulder buttons while handling an in-game firearm, but it works.
The HD Collection is the first release of MGS3 to remove content from the game.
MGS3’s focus on close-quarters combat adds the wrinkle of questioning enemies at the end of Snake’s blade, where one slip of the thumb can turn interrogation into exsanguination. The slightest difference of pressure is all that stands between snagging some shiny new dogtags or splattering GRU guts on your camo and losing the precious Pigeon rank.
The pressure-sensitive controls can be inelegant at times, but they’re how the game was meant to be played– a uniquely tactile, immersive mechanic that might be forever lost to history.
The PS3 version of MGS3 HD is the last release of the game to support pressure sensitivity. Starting with the XBox 360 release of the HD Collection, Snake Eater has replaced it with a clumsy but functional scheme that involves clicking sticks, because today’s controllers are no longer capable of this level of input.
Analog face buttons are expensive, and the general apathy toward them led console manufacturers to dump them like a sack of spoiled tree frogs with the seventh generation. Today’s controllers are in their haptics and internal microphone eras, and no one has shown much interest in reviving pressure controls.
Not a lot can be done about an industry-wide decision to drop a feature, but it does mean we might never get a chance to experience the game like this again. Even emulation requires original, aging analog hardware to enjoy Snake Eater as it was intended. You really can’t know what it’s like unless you’ve actually felt it
The HD Collection is also the first release of MGS3 to remove content from the game. Every single bonus feature from Subsistence is absent save for the 8-bit Metal Gears. Metal Gear Online is gone, and so is Snake vs. Monkey– a component of Snake Eater since its first printing in 2004. Sony didn’t want their Ape Escape on other platforms, and as of Delta they still don’t. We’ll get to Konami’s clever compromise soon.
The HD Collection replaced the lethargic framerate and hazy PS2 sheen of Subsistence with smooth performance and HD clarity. Some cutscenes don’t play super well with widescreen, and some visual effects are lost in translation, but it suits its purpose as a solid, adaptable, almost archival edition of MGS3.
It’s just a shame Guy Savage didn’t make the cut.
In previous releases, after Snake is captured and imprisoned deep within the fortress Groznyj Grad, our now-cyclopic hero has the option to call Para-Medic and save his game. This, naturally, sparks a discussion about Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Snake falls asleep, and when the player loads the save again, they find themselves in a completely different video game.
Without any explanation we are tossed into a barebones, black-and-white hack-and-slash sequence in control of a hook-sword wielding anime hunk. There’s a textured warehouse environment, a horde of zombies with rudimentary AI, and even a basic “heating up” mechanic, but the action ends after just a few minutes of mayhem and Snake Eater returns to your regularly-scheduled adventure.
Snake’s nightmare, known as the “Guy Savage” sequence, is Kojima’s trademark fourth-wall trolling at its finest. It was intended as a teaser for another game the team had been kicking around at the time, using a battle system borrowed from the never-released Zone of the Enders 3.
But, beginning with the HD Collection, Guy Savage has been M.I.A. from MGS3.
We don’t really know why. Maybe the separate game engine proved too laborious to port. Perhaps Konami doesn’t want the hassle of licensing old concepts for a cancelled game. For whatever reason, we must endure the seemingly-permanent loss of Guy Savage– along with the related codec banter from your kooky crew of future global authoritarian overlords.
Cutting an entirely missable non-sequitur fantasy sequence isn’t the end of the world, but Snake Eater is less complete without it.
Imagine if Psycho Mantis no longer talked your ear off about Suikoden, or MGS4 didn’t open with surreal live-action in-universe TV shows. It’s these playful, winking moments of weirdness that make Kojima games so special, and it would sincerely be a shame if Guy Savage has joined the likes of P.T., skateboarding Snake, and Sam Bridges slamming Monsties in the catalog of Kojima content that we may never see again.
The MGS3 HD port was carried forward into the currently-available Master Collection, meaning it’s the only way to legally purchase and play the original Snake Eater on modern hardware. For that reason alone we would easily recommend it, especially since the game was actually delisted for a while over rights issues surrounding stock footage.
The best version of any game is the one you can actually play, after all, and unlike other Metal Gear titles stuck in limbo, you can own and run this extremely solid version of Snake Eater on pretty much anything. It’s not the same game that was released in 2004, but until Delta, it’s all we’ve got.
There’s one more iteration of Snake Eater to talk about before we reach the current day, though, and it’s one of the most interesting of all:
Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D
Until the Switch, there’s never been a straight-up port of the core MGS trilogy to a Nintendo platform. Metal Gear is no stranger to the company, but whenever the series appears on Nintendo hardware there’s usually some sort of twist.
The Game Boy Color received a meaty 2-D throwback title, the GameCube enjoyed the extremely extra Twin Snakes remake, and Snake himself dukes it out with the Super Smash Bros. on the regular. Even the NES port of the first Metal Gear game was a bespoke, albeit wildly inferior, version that spawned a Nintendo-exclusive sequel without Kojima’s blessing, prompting him to continue the series purely out of spite.
The Nintendo 3DS port of Snake Eater is no exception to this trend. Snake Eater 3D isn’t simply a portable port of the PS2 title– it’s more like a full-fledged remake. Rather than cram the HD edition onto a cartridge, Snake Eater 3D applies the art, sound, and content of MGS3 to the more modern, portable-first engine of Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker. The differences are subtle, but quite clear in your hands.
The color scheme and character models are slightly altered, and new button prompts demystify the confusing CQC mechanics. Collectible Kerotan dolls have been replaced by Yoshi. The game takes full advantage of the 3DS’s hardware, using the onboard camera to create your own PhotoCamo, while the secondary touch screen does wonders for MGS3’s notoriously convoluted menu system.
The real giveaway that Snake Eater 3D is built on the bones of Peace Walker is the new movement and aiming system. Like in Peace Walker and MGS4 before it, Snake can now quickly scamper across the jungle floor via crouch walking, eliminating the need for slow crawling and tedious tip-toeing in the original versions.
Gone are the thumb-twisting weapon controls, replaced by a conventional over-the-shoulder third-person aiming system, complete with modern “aim with the left trigger, shoot with the right” scheme. The easier ability to move while aiming gives Snake far more mobility options during combat.
That freedom combined with the rather exploitable create-your-own-camo feature, on top of the free camera from Subsistence, makes Snake Eater 3D the easiest iteration of MGS3– though it’s far from the most pleasant to play. The framerate is abysmal, the resolution is miniscule, and good luck stopping the Shagohod without a Circle Pad Pro.
The distinct gamefeel and quality of life improvements can’t really make up for these massive downsides. Still, Snake Eater 3D is sui generis. There’s no other version quite like it, and it’s worth experiencing– but mostly as a curiosity, provided you have access to a 3DS with two sticks.
Besides, most of its better features have been incorporated into our final and most recent incarnation of MGS3…
Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater
Delta actually has a lot in common with Snake Eater 3D. It too grafts the story and gameplay of MGS3 onto a brand new engine, in this case Unreal 5, with the aim of updating but strictly adhering to the classic content.
The Peace Walker-style controls carry over from the 3DS, including crouch-walking and third-person shooting. Delta also borrows from the godlike traversal of Metal Gear Solid V for some slick new additions to Snake’s moveset, although this time around, the developers are directly addressing the balance changes by tuning up the enemy difficulty in response.
Snake’s camouflage is now directly impacted by the environment around him, with a coat of mud or a refreshing bloodbath helping Snake stay hidden. The clunky healing system of the original is now enhanced by wounds and scarring that persist throughout the game, as does damage to Snake’s drip.
The UI has been streamlined and the graphics given a gorgeous, if somewhat expected, photorealistic shine– but if you’d prefer a more vintage experience, the original color filters and fixed-camera controls are available courtesy of a “Legacy” mode. Like Snake Eater 3D, Delta leaves the essential aspects of the game intact and brings the gameplay up to par with the series’ evolution.
While the original Snake Eater slithered into our hearts via a 4GB DVD, Delta weighs in at an eye-popping 100GB of Metal Gear greatness. Most of that can be attributed to high-resolution Unreal Engine assets, but Delta is also packed with bonus features both new and surprisingly old.
Can Delta become the definitive form of Snake Eater, or will there still be a place for the more awkward, idiosyncratic vintage versions?
Secret Theater has returned, while the multiplayer Fox Hunt mode serves as a spiritual successor to the dearly-missed Metal Gear Online. Even Snake vs. Monkey has reared its siren-toting head once more, though only on the PlayStation and Steam versions. Thankfully, XBox players won’t be left out this time: In place of Sony’s Ape IP, Konami is offering an exclusive Snake vs. Bomberman mode. We’re just one bad dream away from having quite possibly the most complete package of MGS3 ever.
Twenty years from now, when someone asks which version of MGS3 to play, will the overwhelming consensus be “just play Delta?”
Some fans are relieved that Delta’s ambitions are limited to a remaster, sticking to the original design, script, and hall-of-fame voice acting of a singular artistic achievement. Others are disappointed that it’s not a full-on reimagining of the scenario ala the Resident Evil remakes or Konami’s own Silent Hill 2, bemoaning the dated environments and annoying interstitial screens that come with such classic territory.
Can Delta become the definitive form of Snake Eater, or will there still be a place for the more awkward, idiosyncratic vintage versions? If the 2004 release will always be the purest incarnation, and Subsistence holds onto its title as the best, how will history look upon Delta?
Metal Gear Solid is famous for its complicated story, but ultimately it’s actually quite simple. The conflict at the heart of the series revolves around the will of the Boss– the greatest soldier in history who sacrificed everything for her country and left behind a vision of a better world. The warriors who came after her spent their lives fighting and killing each other over their own clashing interpretations of the Boss’s dream.
In the end, it’s the humble, doomed clone Solid Snake who finally unlocks the meaning of her will: Freedom. The freedom achieved by respecting the will of others. The freedom to fight for causes you believe in. The freedom not to fight at all.
There’s no “correct” way to play Metal Gear Solid 3, no “real” Snake Eater that obviates all the others. We have the liberty to choose the version that speaks to us the most, whether we desire a nostalgic trip to the days of Shrek 2 and The Simple Life, the jam-packed, fully-loaded final form of Hideo Kojima firing on all cylinders, or a fresh and gorgeous, fun and accessible new coat of paint that reminds us just how timeless this game truly is.
Everyone remembers the first animated movie that scared them. For me, it was The Fox and the Hound — probably not the first movie in Disney’s canon that anyone remembers, but it was one of my brother’s favourites, so it was on regular rotation. Which means that the bear attack towards the end of the movie has been etched into my memory. It’s a terrifying scene which probably explains why I haven’t rewatched it since childhood.
Chris Darril, director of the upcoming narrative horror-platformer Bye Sweet Carole, understands the impact of those animated movies and the effect they have on kids. It’s this, along with a healthy dose of nostalgia and passion for animation, that fuels the entire game.
It’s time to plug into another edition of Box Art Brawl!
Last time, we matched up a trio of covers for the SNES classic, Super Adventure Island, with the three regions opting for vastly different designs. The disparity wasn’t enough to drastically split the vote, mind you, as the golden Japanese variant walked away with a comfortable 76% of the votes, leaving North America with 16% and Europe with a diddly 9%.
The trench-ridden battlefields of Napoleonic Europe were never going to be a nice place to wake up in. Turns out they’re much worse when mutated mashups of former soldiers and gruesome, blistered horrors also trudge through its mud. Valor Mortis places you right in the thick of it, and trusts that your skill with a blade, pistol, and superpowered palm will ensure you make it through alive. Despite being rooted in the fundamentals of the Soulslike genre, it adopts a non-conventional first-person perspective, which not only fully immerses you in this horrifying world but also adds an additional layer of precision and satisfaction to its parrying, slashing, and sharp-shooting combat. And while I found that its battles can be tough, during my time playing it at gamescom 2025, I found several signs this won’t be as punishing an exercise as can be found elsewhere in the genre.
Face down in mud, Valor Mortis’ protagonist William hears the words of his general, Napoleon Bonaparte, echoing in his ears and telling him to get up. Dozens of corpses line the forest path ahead as a tattered French flag droops in presumed defeat. No other context is given as to how we’ve ended up here, but the infamous emperor is insisting that I get up, so I do exactly that and trudge on ahead. Initially armed with a sword and the ability to perform a block, parry, dodge, and both light and heavy attacks, there’s nothing initially revolutionary about developer One More Level’s new project, which has slowed its Ghostrunner melee action to a much more deliberate pace here.
The swordplay may not be too different, but it remains incredibly enjoyable to take part in. Blocking doesn’t completely negate damage, so the timings of your parries become your best bet for quickly dispatching your opponent. There’s a wonderful metallic clang that rings out when you get it just right, followed by a momentary shift into slow motion that reminds me of Dishonored’s equally gratifying maneuver. I later find a pistol nestled in an ornate trunk decorated with a portrait of Bonaparte himself. Further adding to the Dunwall of it all, this centuries-old sidearm hands me a ranged option, albeit one with a limited supply of bullets.
But then things get a bit weird as a dash of the supernatural is added to my arsenal in the form of a burst of flames I can project straight out of my palm. This flamethrower ability will look familiar to anyone who has guzzled a shot of one of Bioshock’s tonics. It’s a delightfully explosive skill that helped me deal with crowd control, and even inflict a burning state on the demo’s boss (much more on him later). There are definitely aspects of the two aforementioned immersive sims here, but I wouldn’t go in expecting anywhere near the flexibility in its combat system as you may find in one of Arkane’s or Irrational’s games. This is fundamentally still a Soulslike that relies heavily on one-to-one melee encounters while delicately managing your stamina gauge, so I wouldn’t expect to be mixing elemental effects and creating chaos of your own design here. Aside from the odd opportunity to sneak up on one of your opponents and skewer them deliciously from behind, the demo’s options when entering combat rarely stretched beyond toe-to-toe duels.
Fans of the genre’s traditional disgusting foes also appear to be well catered for.
The creatures I fought across this 45-minute sample can all, to varying degrees, be described as being rooted in some sort of humanity. What starts out as lowly infantry staggering around like the undead made way for more interesting enemies the deeper I pushed on. I found an optional area, unlocked via blasting a glowing structural weak point with the pistol, where I was greeted by a foreboding duelist who gracefully stepped towards, his haunted manner only emphasised by an emotionless metal mask. His attacks were fast and health bar-ravaging, and his parry windows tight – I quickly decided that he was a challenge for another day. I almost made it halfway through this preview without mentioning Bloodborne, but the speed and thrust of his blade did remind me of one of Yharnam’s Hunter threats. An elevated challenge, but not quite a true boss.
Fans of the genre’s traditional disgusting foes also appear to be well catered for, as there are also many more mutated, monster-like enemies. Though all still appear to be clinging onto their former selves — army uniforms hang off of them, or human heads (sometimes multiple) watch your movements closely — they are very much not of this world, or at least how early 19th century Europe is depicted in history books, at least. A mysterious plague has infected the battlefields, creating these aberrations that can pose quite a challenge. One such brute appeared to be two soldiers conjoined together, who also happened to have grown an extra arm and developed a massively oversized, meaty, clawed hand. He took swipes at me at close range, but enjoyed nothing more than throwing explosive cinders if I stepped too far back. Luckily, a big ol’ glowing red sack looked ready to pop where his elbow should be, so I aimed a few pistol rounds at it to take advantage of his weak point.
But he was outclassed by another, far more horrendous-looking entity. The demo’s final boss was General Lothaire, The Eagle Bearer, a man-mountain of a bastard with a comically normal-sized head that I would have laughed at more if it hadn’t been for the three guns pointing at me that emerged from his fleshy, contorted right shoulder. Dual-wielding a sweeping flagpole and slicing cutlass, his reach was vast and the hits heavy. I’ll freely admit it took me a fair few attempts to take him down, but after a few upgrades at a nearby rekindled Lantern (this universe’s version of the classic Dark Souls bonfire), I managed to take him down.
Well, his first form anyway. Yes, One More Level has decided to take the piss and give the very first boss of Valor Mortis a second phase. This version of Lothaire still has a deadly mix of ranged and close attacks that keep you on your toes, but also packs the ability to summon annoying minions and capture you in his clawed clutches. He’s tricky, but thankfully, nothing overly difficult for anyone trained in this genre of combat.
Crucially, upon dying your collected catalysts are dropped at the outside perimeter of boss arenas.
But to those who are relatively new to Soulslikes, or even find first-person combat a challenge, Valor Mortis is lenient… to a certain extent. Catalysts are your resource upgrade here, and you can use them to level up your stats at what seems to be a reasonably cheap cost. I pumped points into getting a bigger stamina bar, as a few quick stabs can quickly drain your initial meter, and it made overcoming the boss a much more manageable affair. Crucially, though, upon dying, your collected catalysts are dropped at the outside perimeter of boss arenas, not through the murky, smoky gate that precedes them. One More Level doesn’t want you to have to grind elsewhere in its world in order to progress, and this offer of saving you a little frustration, combined with special traits that can be unlocked through exploration that utilises a little of parkour design the studio perfected in Ghostrunner (you can swing from trees, for instance) all come together to help you feel more powerful more quickly.
My demo ended as I finally took down Lothaire, the words “Abomination Eradicated” filling the screen. I imagine there are many more abominations to be dealt with, though, if Valor Mortis’ reveal trailer is anything to go by. All in all, I had a very satisfying time with it, finding its blend of first-person swordplay and superpowered magic abilities an enjoyable power trip. I look forward to digging deeper into what secrets its combat suite may have in store and taking on more of those abominations with it when Valor Mortis arrives sometime in 2026.
Simon Cardy is a Senior Editor at IGN who can mainly be found skulking around open world games, indulging in Korean cinema, or despairing at the state of Tottenham Hotspur and the New York Jets. Follow him on Bluesky at @cardy.bsky.social.
Apart from the news Sonic is doing a collab with Pac-Man, Sega has also announced it’s running an ‘Open Network Test’ for Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds.
This test will take place later this month on 29th August 2025 and runs until 1st September 2025. This time, it invites Switch users as well as players on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC to participate. This will allow players to “race as Sonic and friends for free” ahead of the game’s launch next month.
Playtonic will share another “major update” next week.
Yooka-Replaylee is due out on the Switch 2 this year, and it appears it will be getting a proper physical release on Nintendo’s new hybrid platform.
A new listing has recently popped up on the Canadian website Video Games Plus, and according to the description, the “full game is on the cartridge”. Once again, this title is being distributed with the help of PM Studios.
High on Life 2 has more creative sci-fi guns, more wacky characters, and “more than five” playable games to find, including the infamous Bible Adventures.
Squanch Games chief creative officer/art director Mikey Spano and chief operating officer/executive producer Matty Studivan told IGN about how they’re raising the stakes for the sequel to the popular comedy shooter during a conversation at gamescom 2025. Although a bigger cast and new story might be the primary draw for fans, the studio says it made sure to tuck in more Easter Eggs to uncover, too.
The original High on Life famously included a few full-length movies for players to watch if they knew where to look, and it sounds like High on Life 2 will take things a step further. Spano tells us that, in addition to “some surprising B+ tier movies,” the sequel introduces fully-emulated, playable video games. When originally asked which titles to include, Spano says one game came up before any others: Bible Adventures.
“Yes, you can play the whole thing,” Spano said of the officially licensed version included in High on Life 2. “And it’s not the only emulated game that’s in there.”
We’ve actually already caught a glimpse of how Bible Adventures shows up in Squanch’s sequel. In a gameplay demo shown at gamescom 2025, it’s revealed that players will, at some point during High on Life 2, encounter Richard Kind’s Senator Muppy Doo. After he shrinks down to invade the player (and their in-game menu), players can find the only legal way to play Bible Adventures in the year 2025.
Spano stops short of telling us exactly how many games can be played or which other titles are included but does promise there are at least “more than five.” If Bible Adventures is the first we’re hearing about, then there’s no telling what else lies in store.
We’ll only have to wait a few more months to find out which movies and games wormed their way into High on Life 2. Squanch confirmed its sequel has a release date of February 13, 2026, for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X | S, as well as Game Pass, earlier this week.
Michael Cripe is a freelance writer with IGN. He’s best known for his work at sites like The Pitch, The Escapist, and OnlySP. Be sure to give him a follow on Bluesky (@mikecripe.bsky.social) and Twitter (@MikeCripe).
We’ve rounded up the best deals for Saturday, August 23, below, so don’t miss out on these limited-time offers.
Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater
Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater is set to finally release this week after years of anticipation. The remake of Metal Gear Solid 3 is $52.38 at Fanatical right now, so PC players can save almost $18 off ahead of launch. In our 8/10 review, we wrote, “Between its old-school stealth-action gameplay and engaging spy-thriller story, Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater largely succeeds as a faithful, visually impressive remake of the 2004 classic.”
Pre-Order Kirby Air Riders
A November launch date for Kirby Air Riders was revealed this week, and pre-orders have finally opened up at Amazon! A ton of exciting new details were shared, including an overview on modes, 12 different characters, and much more. Secure your pre-order now at Amazon and prepare for launch on November 20!
2TB Samsung 990 EVO Plus SSD for $129.99
Amazon has this 2TB Samsung 990 EVO Plus SSD listed for $119.99 this weekend, making it an excellent option for upgrading your PS5 or PC storage. Especially for PlayStation 5 owners, 2TB of extra storage is a godsend, as you no longer have to enter the cycle of uninstalling and reinstalling your favorite games to save space.
New Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 Edition Up for Pre-Order
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has been one of the most popular games of the year, with physical copies continuing to sell out from time to time at retailers like Amazon. This week, Amazon revealed a new exclusive Mirror Edition, which packs in three different art cards, a Steelbook, and a copy of the game. If you’ve yet to experience Sandfall Interactive’s hugely popular game, this is the perfect time to pick up a copy.
Lies of P for $29.99
Lies of P has continued to sit atop many favorite game lists over the last few years. A sequel is in development, with a major tease left for players at the end of the base game. The recently released Lies of P: Overture prequel gave yet another reason to re-enter this world, and for new players, there’s never been a better time to jump in.
Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition for $46.99
Xenoblade Chronicles X: Definitive Edition launched earlier this year, and it’s still one of the biggest RPGs you can jump into on any platform. The remaster introduced numerous quality-of-life updates that were much needed, in addition to a brand-new epilogue chapter. We gave the game a 9/10 in our review, stating, “Xenoblade Chronicles X was already one of the Wii U’s best games, and this Definitive Edition does more than enough to justify another trip to planet Mira.”
The First Berserker: Khazan for $49.99
The First Berserker: Khazan is available on sale this weekend at Amazon for $49.99. That’s a discount of $10, and while small, is still solid if you haven’t yet picked up the game. In our 8/10 review, we wrote, “The First Beserker: Khazan is a brutal but impressive soulslike that makes pushing through its devastating bosses worth the effort.”
I woke up far too early this morning, to stand in a queue for far too long, all to play fan-vexing (and newly release-dated) soulsvania Hollow Knight: Silksong on the Gamescom show floor. No pre-release review codes? Pah – I couldn’t even get a demo appointment at the most demo appointment-centric games event of the year. How’s that for rejection.
Anyway, Team Cherry might just not be that into me, but I might well be into Silksong. It’s a little quicker, a little more dynamic, and to these fingers, a little more difficult than the first Hollow Knight. But it entirely preserves that tight-as-a-drum feel of the original’s sword swishing, and deploys it against insectoid baddies that challenge and frustrate in practically identical ways.