Hype levels are sky-high for Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater. It’s not just a remake, it’s a revival of one of the most beloved stealth-action games ever made. The jungle’s back. The CQC is back. The ladder climb (you know the one)? Oh, it better be back.
But Konami, listen closely: you must get one thing right. The boss fight with The End. This ancient, photosynthesizing sniper isn’t just a boss, he’s THE boss. His fight isn’t about explosions and spectacle; it’s about choice, patience, and creativity. Miss this, and you’ve missed the soul of Snake Eater.
The End wasn’t just a sniper, he was a statement in Metal Gear‘s design
The End isn’t just a boss; he’s the boss that proves Metal Gear Solid 3 was light years ahead of its time. As the father of sniping in the game’s universe, The End awaits a worthy challenge, saving the last of his life force for one final duel.
If you choose to face him head-on, he delivers an unforgettable, slow-burn sniper battle across three vast forest areas. It’s a battle of patience, precision, strategy, and learning to hold your nerves. But here’s the genius part: you don’t have to fight him at all.
Kojima’s team gave players multiple ways to handle the fight. One of the most iconic? Save your game at the start of the boss fight, quit, then change your console’s clock a week or two into the future. Reload the game and… The legendary sniper has died of old age.
That’s right, he literally waited for Snake, and time caught up to him. No other game at the time (even now) would dare include such a mechanic. You could also kill him earlier during a cutscene, or sneak up and track him using environmental clues like footprints or the sound of his parrot.
Every method feels intentional and thought out completely. Every approach tells a different story. This wasn’t just a boss fight. It was a puzzle box full of possibilities.
This mechanic wasn’t a gimmick, it was a defining moment
Sure, other boss fights in Snake Eater are memorable: The Boss in the white flower field, or Volgin’s brutality, but The End’s battle is where Metal Gear Solid 3 showed its true genius and creativity. It wasn’t about stats or reflexes. It was about freedom.
Most games, even today, funnel you into one specific way to beat a boss. There’s always a “right way,” and you either do it or fail the fight. But MGS3 didn’t just break that mold, it obliterated it.
The sniper fight gave you the choice: battle, bypass, or outwit. It gave players tools, trust, and total freedom. And that’s precisely why Konami must retain this mechanic. Strip it out in the remake, and you’re not just removing a quirky moment, you’re erasing one of the most important pieces of gaming history.
Players deserve to experience that sense of discovery again. New players deserve to feel that awe. Veterans deserve the nostalgia of seeing the boss quietly pass away because they were clever enough to know how.
Make it happen. Don’t let this legendary mechanic fade into history, just like The End himself.
Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater is releasing on August 26 and will be available on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.
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