Snake Eater is special. And as much as I love Cold War Metal Gear, I’m not talking about the game. I’m talking about the song. From the first drum hits and horn blasts, the Snake Eater theme, sung by vocalist Cynthia Harrell, is in perfect alignment with the game it’s introducing.
It’s bombastic; it’s espionage-smooth; it’s goofy when it tells you you’ll feed on a tree frog and it’s unflinchingly earnest when it gives its life—not for honor, but for you. Like Metal Gear itself, it manages to lean into the corniness so hard that it circles back around to being cool. And when Harrell hits you with the final “Snake Eater,” it can even make the world’s longest ladder climb feel like a moment of cinematic pathos.
So when I saw a Eurogamer headline saying Konami had re-recorded the Snake Eater theme for the upcoming Metal Gear Solid Delta remaster, I instinctively reached for my pitchfork. As a rule I try to avoid indulging in internet outrage, but if I’m going to bat for anything, it’s Cynthia Harrell singing about a hypercompetent weirdo’s tactical reptile lunch.
If seeing those words gave you the same spike of terror, don’t worry: They got Harrell back in the booth. Konami uploaded the remastered Metal Gear Solid Delta opening movie earlier today, featuring a new performance recording from Harrell and reworked visuals from title sequence designer Kyler Cooper.
And I’ll tell you: Even if I’m personally conflicted about remasters as a cultural project, it’s still good stuff. Harrell’s performance in the remaster is a bit more mournful than in the original recording in a way that feels fitting—both for MGS3 and the trajectory of the series storyline since Snake Eater’s original release. Big Boss’s legacy hasn’t gotten any more pleasant since 2004.
If you’d like to read more about the vocalist herself, let me point you at Ash Parrish’s excellent 2020 Kotaku interview with Harrell. Yes, she has played Snake Eater. And, interestingly, Sonic the Hedgehog.
Speaking of legacy, you might notice that—unlike the original title sequence—the remaster is missing production credits. Thankfully, Konami said “you can look forward to enjoying the staff credits and interactive elements from the original, included in the in-game version of the opening.” And yes, those credits will include Hideo Kojima and the rest of the original MGS3 development team, according to a June 2024 interview with MGS Delta producer Noriaki Okamura.
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