Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater brings back popular Snake vs. Monkey mode but Xbox players will be in for a different surprise 

While the majority of the Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater release date trailer shown during the recent PlayStation State of Play showed footage from the main campaign, the very end revealed a cartoonish Pipo Monkey from Ape Escape hiding in a realistic-looking jungle. This confirms the return of the fan-beloved Snake vs. Monkey minigame, which was first included in the original Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater on PS2. But what exactly is Snake vs. Monkey, and what about the “And more…” statement at the end of the release trailer? Also, what will Xbox players get instead of Sony’s Ape Escape monkeys? Read on to find out. 

Snake takes a break from catching bad guys to catch monkeys 

A crossover between Metal Gear Solid and Ape Escape, Snake vs. Monkey takes the sneaking expertise of Solid Snake and puts him in the classic monkey-catching game loop of Ape Escape. Levels take place in enclosed maps based on Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater’s environments. These levels are filled with Pipo Monkeys, which Snake must walk over to capture. Most Pipo Monkeys won’t make it easy for Snake, however, and will either retaliate or run away depending on their unique personalities. Instead of using classic Ape Escape gadgets like the Stun Club and Time Net, Snake brought his own EZ Gun and stun grenades to get the upper hand on the Pipo Monkeys.  

Two items can be unlocked in Snake vs. Monkey and carried into the main Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater campaign. Completing all of the Snake vs. Monkey levels awards you with the Monkey Mask – a unique item that severely limits your vision in first-person mode when worn. While it mainly serves as a joke item, the Monkey Mask can be used to momentarily confuse The Boss during her final battle. 

Getting the high score in every Snake vs. Monkey level will net you the Banana Camouflage, which makes every edible item taste good to Snake (that includes rotten food and the infamous Rations). While wearing the Banana Camouflage broadens your food options, its bright yellow color makes you stand out in almost any environment. 

Snake vs. Monkey takes the generally serious tone of Metal Gear Solid and flips it on its head. As the minigame was meant for all ages, lethal weaponry and adult themes are nowhere to be found in Snake vs. Monkey. The plot is also tied to the Ape Escape franchise, as Roy Campbell calls Solid Snake to assist with The Professor’s request of capturing the Pipo Monkeys that have escaped. Spike and Jimmy, the protagonists of Ape Escape and Ape Escape 2 respectively, are out daydreaming on summer vacation, leaving Snake to clean up the monkey mess. Snake vs. Monkey has a convoluted plot, but it helps explain why Solid Snake is capturing Pipo Monkeys. 

Snake will be fighting Bomberman in the Xbox version of Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater

As Ape Escape is a Sony IP, Snake vs. Monkey might only be available on the PlayStation 5 and Windows versions of Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater. The Xbox version of the release trailer revealed a different crossover at the end, one between Metal Gear and Bomberman, another IP now owned by Konami. While there is not much to go on regarding the crossover other than Bomberman’s silhouette against the classic Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater main menu backdrop, expect the game mode to have more explosions than bananas.   

What about the “And more…”? 

Considering Snake vs. Monkey is a minigame brought back from the original title, there could be a chance that the other features from Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater might return in the remake. One fan favorite extra is the Secret Theater, a mode featuring amusing spoof videos that were shown on the Konami website. The mode could make a return with the videos remade using Unreal Engine 5.  

While there has yet to be confirmation of all the content in Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater, Konami has a wealth of extras it can add to the remake so it can stay true to the original Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater.  

Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater is set to release for PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X|S on August 28, 2025.