The remake’s visuals were a huge part of making it very immersive indeed, and playing the game over the past few months has made us realize just how much they improve it over the original experience, which was limited by what gaming hardware was capable of back when it was first released.

A full, fun-filled playthrough later, and we had a few scenes that serve as great examples of how Delta: Snake Eater’s improved visuals had an effect on the scene in which they were in effect. This is going to be a fun one, so put on your thinking caps and let’s get started.

An Opening That Shines Bright Like the Sun

We thought it prudent to get the obvious one out of the way first. It’s no surprise that the game’s opening cutscene benefits from ray-traced reflections, and a general layer of polish across the board. Every shot here is already framed quite well thanks to Kojima’s excellent use of the screen space available to him.

The clouds below Naked Snake’s jet are almost as if there’s a curtain over the explosive story that awaits him below, a clever inclusion that makes it quite obvious that there’s going to be a jump involved. It does well to set up the scene that follows, where Naked Snake and his iconic cigar take the stage, showcasing his solitary nature and the clinical manner in which he approaches his orders.

Snake is set up to be quite the protagonist, the elements of the scene leaving no doubt as to his role in the game. However, it’s when he approaches the jet’s open doors, preparing for his leap into Soviet territory that had us smiling from ear to ear, the sunlight gently glancing off his uniform while streams of wind flapped his collar, his goggles reflecting the open sky in front of him.

It’s a shot that was already memorable considering how Naked Snake would go on to build a reputation for himself as Big Boss. But it’s now brought into the future with so much loving attention to detail that this is how we’re always going to remember the first time we met the character whose life was already a crucial part of the franchise’s meta narrative.

It did well to showcase just how far the remake was taking its quest to modernize the game’s visuals, immediately giving players a reason to wonder at how the Camo system would work in such detailed environments, building up the anticipation for Naked Snake’s leap until he hit the ground, and the story began in earnest.

Of course, there are several great moments all through it, but the next one really stood out for us as a showcase of how the remake improved action sequences.

A Battle of Brains, Brawn, and Luck

Snake’s final showdown with Ocelot is our next stop, and this one’s a really good example of how improved facial animations and detailed character models added a lot of cinematic flair to an already great cutscene. From the moment Ocelot forces his entry onto Snake and Eva’s aircraft, things get very intense, and the game’s new visuals keep up with the action in a way that’s both respectful to the original title while building on it.

Most important is in how you get to see the grudging respect that the two men have for each other, moments of respite between intense CQC sequences focusing on their expressions, their eyes narrowed but lacking the malice that comes when there is history between two combatants. Their menacing glares are brought out in glorious detail, reflections and shadows moving naturally with them as they attack, weave, and generally try a myriad of ways to get the upper hand.

It was a pleasure to watch, and is among our top picks for scenes that allowed the remake to transcend the original release’s limitations and present a cinematic version of MGS3 that has made it a newly minted modern classic. Snake and Ocelot’s showdown was lent a lot of weight thanks to how the remake let the world around them shine through, using all the great angles and framing from the original and bringing a level of realism to it that made this one stand out.

But while the camera was relatively stable on the plane that Snake and Ocelot fought in, there’s one sequence where it’s quite wild thanks to how chaotic things get for Snake and Eva.

The Insane Chase Sequence

We’re talking, of course, about the Shagohod and the thrilling chase sequence where Snake and Eva take it on while Ocelot attempts to run interference. We’ve already talked about how the improved character models bring a lot of life to the faces of our cast. But this entire sequence is a great display of how the remaster has managed to bring cinematic touches to the game.

With your camera having to constantly switch points of view in order to keep your enemies off your back, things could have gotten quite heavy for the remake. But this is where its performance comes into play, with the entire sequence maintaining an excellent framerate while the fortress and its surrounding mountains served as an excellent backdrop for the action.

The improved draw distance and the manner in which the mountains are contrasted against Snake and Eva do a great job of communicating the Shagohod’s imposing size, and the threat it poses to our protagonists, who must rely on speed and skill to bring it down. With Ocelot entering the fray, we expected things to get a little bogged down but the remake powered through it all, its particle physics sending sparks flying between vehicles while ricochets of bullets were presented with pinpoint precision.

It’s probably a good idea to consider that the remake also makes use of controller haptics and other modern touches that do add to the immersion, although players without compatible controllers might not experience those additions which led us to leave that part of it out of our analysis.

With its ray-traced visuals, excellent character models, level of detail, and ability to bring a new level of performance to the game’s most intense sequences, this remake is one that has made Snake Eater feel like a modern, well-produced experience that can surpass even some of the best films. But there is one scene where all of it comes to a head, and elevates the remake above even the original experience in our eyes.

The Concluding Conflict

You were probably expecting that encounter between Snake and The Boss to be the one that we picked. Well, you’re right. There are just so many things about this entire scene and showdown that the remake does so well to bring to life in a way that had us riveted despite knowing every word that was about to be uttered by heart.

From the somber expressions of Snake and Boss, as she ruminates on the futility of conflict across the globe, and the blurred line between soldiers and friends, to the way in which the wind gently carries white rose petals into the air, allowing them to fall in a cascade around the arena, and how the ray-traced reflections allow rays of light to gently illuminate character profiles in important frames, the remake makes this entire encounter all the more emotionally charged.

It’s a list of improvements over the original experience that shows just how clever Konami has been in making good use of modern hardware to add touches to the original experience that preserved its narrative aplomb while building on its dated looks. In doing so, it has found a balance between the old and the new that has made Delta: Snake Eater a modern version of a timeless classic.

And for that, the Metal Gear Solid fan in every one of us is filled with joy, and with the hope of seeing more titles from the franchise come back as cinematically immersive experiences over the next few years.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

Bringing adventure and action-packed combat in equal measures, and with a map size of 20 square kilometers, this could be one for the ages and is likely to be a world that keeps you coming back for more. If that sounds like your cup of tea, here are a few things you need to know before you dive in. Let’s begin!

1. An Intriguing Action Adventure RPG

Bringing an open world that boasts of a massive playable map, and an interesting Wuxia-based combat loop to the table, Where Winds Meet is an action adventure RPG that could have you exploring an intriguing series of events which we’re coming to, improving your character over the course of your travels, and of course, dispatching any one who gets in your way with ruthless efficiency.

2. The Setting

The story takes you back to China in the 10th century, where you play a young swordsman navigating the chaos of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms era. The Tang Dynasty has fallen, and everyone is vying for power and influence, yourself included.

Your destiny is in your hands, as are the choices you get to make as you shape the world around you based on the moral code you choose. Are you loyal to the land or only to yourself? Or does protecting those who cannot protect themselves guide you along your way? Whatever you decide, your path to greatness is going to be a bloody one.

3. Excellent Visuals

Early previews of the game at Gamecom 2025 showcase a stunning world that takes advantage of Unreal Engine 5 to present visuals and animations that complement the game’s traversal and combat mechanics.

With your character being able to take to the skies, expect a few stunning moments where you’re more focused on the vista before you rather than your next objective.

4. What Does it Cost?

While you might have been expecting the game to come with a hefty price tag considering its visuals and premise, it’s actually free to play with support for in-game purchases. However, most items can be purchased using the in-game currency if you choose not to spend any real money. Furthermore, all items in the game’s store are optional purchases and are not required for progression since they include cosmetics.

You can also use in-game currency (Echo Jade) to purchase either cosmetic gear or upgrade materials. They are also optional purchases, and none of them contain any items required for progression.

5. Your Choices Affect Your Journey

From your weapons to the ones whom you use them on, and the factions you choose to align yourself with, the gameplay loop in Where Winds Meet is slated to encourage player freedom while ensuring you have a meaningful impact on its world through your actions.

There are always different paths to similar objectives, and you’re going to want to think carefully about who you choose to support in your travels and consider the impact of your decisions at every turn.

6. A Deep Character Creation System

Considering how important your character is to the experience, Everstone has included a robust character creation system that’s going to provide you with a lot of options for you to create the perfect look and feel for your protagonist.

Aside from looks, there are a lot of other traits that dictate your character arc, allowing you to truly create a character that reflects your personality and preferred origin stories. For instance, playing as a Doctor lets you heal other characters when you’re starting out, while being a Ferryman or Inkeeper all give you the tools you need to begin playing the game according to your style.

7. Switch Up Your Fighting Style

Combat in the game is real-time and designed to complement a variety of playstyles. Everstone has accounted for weapon preferences, integrated a dodge and parry system, and opted for flexible loadouts so you can switch things up on the fly.

Being able to respond to varying enemy attacks and strategies is going to be an important part of racking up the victories you need to fulfil your destiny, after all. And with multiple weapon types such as swords, dual blades, spears, fans, rope darts, and combat umbrellas, it looks like we’re all going to be very spoiled for choice when we finally get started with the game.

8. Different Skill Trees for Different Weapons

Each of your melee weapons comes with Martial Arts that you can unlock, alongside Internal Arts that are combat passives for your character, and Mystic Arts that let you have more options during fights while also letting you solve puzzles you may find out in the world.

Mixing and matching between different weapons and arts could be a way for your builds to truly match the way you like to approach combat in action-adventure titles.

9. Combat Stances

Several Internal Arts unlock special stances for specific weapon types, allowing you to expand their movesets and the options for damage that they grant you. While some of them, like the Steadfast Stance, are universal to all weapons, others, like the Thunderous Bloo,m require the use of specific fans or umbrellas as your weapon of choice.

It’s a system that could see a lot of build variety and ways to approach combat in the game. Considering that each stance could potentially open up different attacks and perhaps even ways to turn parries and dodges to your advantage, it looks like Where Winds Meet is making the most of its martial arts styles and Kung-fu inspirations in the combat department.

10. Hunt Down Upgrades

Any gear, weapons, and other items in your position are upgradeable via materials you gather during your travels. To that end, you might want to keep your eyes peeled as you explore the world, making your journey easier by keeping all of your gear as upgraded as possible to take on increasingly dangerous threats.

Aside from coins and Echo Jade, an in-game currency you use to purchase in-game loot boxes, there are a host of materials you will need to pick up in order to keep those upgrades coming. That sounds like a dream for players who like to procure anything that isn’t nailed down in their games.

11. Take A Stealthy Approach If You Like

If approaching a dangerous situation with your swords out and a battle cry on your lips isn’t your style, you could always stay on the down low, and pick at your enemies from the shadows. There’s even an option to start the game as an Assassin who prefers to make their presence felt only when the time is right.

You can crawl, sneak, and use the environment to hide your approach, striking at your targets only when it’s already too late for them to mount a counterattack. We suspect some stealth builds in the game might even let you hide yourself more easily, and navigate hostile territory without enemies even knowing you’re there.

12. Traverse the World In Style

The game’s Wuxia-based inspirations are not restricted to just its combat, but also in the way you navigate its world as well. You’ve got a parkour system that lets you run, jump,wall-run, vault, and mantle over environmental elements with style. There are also Mystic Arts that can let you launch your character into the air and glide over large distances.

There’s also a horse for those of you who’d like a more traditional way to travel around.

13. A Variety of Ways to Play

You can certainly enjoy Where Winds Meet as a solo adventure, but the option to bring up to three of your buddies along for some co-op action is always available to you. Its massive world and free-to-play mechanics let the game double up as an MMO of sorts via its Jianghu mode, which allows for seamless multiplayer connectivity that’s helped along by the presence of various options for PvE or PvP gameplay.

14. Release Platforms

Where Winds Meet is releasing for PC and PS5 on November 14, 2025, and will be available on Steam, Epic Store, and Microsoft Store for PC players. PS5 players can purchase a Pre-Order Bundle to gain access to some exclusive cosmetic items that include a choice between three outfits, a name card, some much-needed coins, and the Lingering Melody item, exclusive to the PS5 edition.

15. PC Requirements And PS5 Features

The minimum specs you’re going to need on your setup include a 64-bit processor, Windows 10/11 64-bit, an Intel Core i7-7700K/AMD Ryzen 5 1600, 16GB of RAM, an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060(6GB) or RX 480(8GB), DirectX 12, and 100GB of SSD storage.

The recommended specs include a Core i7-10700 or a Ryzen 7 3700X, 32GB of RAM, an RTX 2070 SUPER / RX 6700 XT / ARC A750, while other parameters remain the same. Considering the game’s massive world, you might want to see if your PC can run it well enough before you dive in.

The PS5 version brings 3D audio and some excellent use of the DualSense’s haptics and adaptive triggers to make the experience more immersive.

And that’s a wrap on everything you need to know before diving into Where Winds Meet, and embarking on a journey into the unknown in order to meet your destiny. We hope to see you in its expansive world this November. Will you be diving in? We’re looking forward to seeing a bunch of excellent builds from the game’s fans once it’s out there!

With multiple endings, new cinematics, bosses, weapons, and collectibles to find in Ebisugaoka, calling it a day and moving on to your next game is arguably the worst way to experience the game’s story. But why is that so? That’s what we’re here to show you.

Let’s dive right in.

Every End Is A New Beginning

The different endings you can achieve are probably the most important aspects that justify playing through Silent Hill f more than once, twice, or even thrice, based on just how much you would like to learn about Hinako, Fox Mask, her parents, and even Shu in one of the endings we found quite memorable. Of course, each one is bittersweet with one notable exception, and really subjective.

Each of these conclusions to the tale gives you a lot to think about, and you really must unlock them all to figure out which one of them actually fits your interpretations of the story you experienced. It all comes down to how you want to see Hinako rebel against her family and society’s wishes, and see her take control over her own agency.

It’s brilliant that Konami and NeoBards found different ways to bring haunting themes and twists to each one. We already know that rolling the credits for the first time paints her as the most dangerous monster of the story. She was her own worst enemy all along, her substance abuse leading to her falling to the darkest corners of her personality. She came to see even her own friends, once an outlet for her anger and frustration, as threats to be callously removed from the board.

Her suspicions extended to Fox Mask, implied to be a future husband from an arranged marriage she may have been forced into by her parents. But would Hinako, whose kindness and concern for the people around her, resort to such violent means? It was seriously clever of Konami to make the Red Pills the cause of her violent tendencies, bringing substance abuse into the chaos of a rebellious teenager’s mind. Having players locked away from other potential endings was a great way to make them have a red pill moment of their own, after all.

But of course, the first ending you get is probably the worst one of the lot. It’s typical Silent Hill, and the fact that New Game Plus is your ticket to more nuanced, complex ones is kind of par for the course at this point. With new cutscenes giving you new perspectives, new items that unlock new possibilities, and new quests that can help unlock different story beats, you’re certainly going to want to take a few more runs through Ebisugaoka.

There are three other endings to Hinako’s adventure, each bringing opportunities to further reflect on Hinako and her troubled family dynamic. Does she relent and give in to her parents’ wishes, leaving her old life and friends behind for a new one with Fox Mask? Does she reject her marriage and take control of her destiny? Does she manage to reconcile her good and bad sides and come out stronger for it?

At its heart, Hinako’s story is one about having control over your own life and choices. Extending that choice to its players is an absolutely fascinating attempt from Konami to break the fourth wall in a manner that’s both subtle and so well-integrated into the story it’s trying to tell. It’s up to you to take control and decide what you want to do with what the game gives you.

Choosing not to engage further with the story is also an option, by that logic. But doing so locks you away from experiencing the true potential of what Silent Hill f brings to the table. And like Hinako, it would be a shame for you to make choices that lock you away from better things to come. Despite your own agency, not choosing to have another go at the story isn’t really an option.

But the story and endings are not the only reason you should dive back into Silent Hill f.

Armed With Knowledge

It’s brilliant that in a story about agency and an individual having the power to shape their own destiny, going back to it with the knowledge and tools to actualize that control becomes an option. New Game Plus lets you retain your Faith levels, stats, your Omamori, and a few key items. That lets you take on the adventure armed with all the knowledge you’ve accrued, along with a better grasp of its combat and your own build.

But it doesn’t stop there. There are new items to discover, and new collectibles which could potentially lead you towards one of the aforementioned endings. There’s also the “Lost in the Fog” difficulty option, along with altered enemy difficulties and even a few new bosses that are tied to individual ending routes.

You’re not going to derive all the value you can get from Silent Hill f’s price tag if you choose not to go past the first ending, as only subsequent playthroughs let you explore and engage with all of this additional content. It’s also quite a challenge to avoid using Red Pills since it is a requirement on one or two endings, ensuring that Hinako doesn’t fall prey to her more violent tendencies, thanks to her substance abuse.

With new areas to explore, new questlines and lore drops, and an increased level cap, New Game Plus and maybe even another run or two are exactly what you need to get the most out of your time in Ebisugaoka. I’m particularly impressed by how Konami and NeoBards encourage players to engage with a combat system that many thought would take away from the Silent Hill experience.

You’re going to have to use its mechanics quite well, and perhaps stock up on valuable healing items in your inventory, if you want to avoid using Red Capsules in a run. That means a solid grasp of the combat system’s foundations and a willingness to dive deeper into enemy animations, attack timings, parry windows, and the optimal use of Focus and Sanity to come out on top. It’s a clever way to stay true to the franchise’s traditions while also putting the spotlight on its new mechanics.

Revisiting the story with all of these intelligent tweaks means that your second time with Hinako could look, feel, and play out like a different game altogether. There’s also the detail that more endings unlock as you complete them, leading you to dive right back in for another run.

Like the Dark World that Hinako visits at crucial moments, Silent Hill f is designed to reel you into Ebisugaoka’s twisted world, and keep you there for as long as it can. You might argue that designing the game this way takes control away from the player, forcing them to experience the game a certain way when they first take it on, and I’d agree. But it’s a minor loss of agency at the outset in exchange for a much better payoff in the grand scale of things.

That trade-off is what makes each playthrough of Silent Hill f special. Knowing that Hinako could be her own worst enemy if you don’t take the time to nudge her along a better path makes the experience more immersive and engaging the next time you play it. It’s an excellent intersection of everything that makes the franchise as popular as it is, and it’s done so effortlessly that you don’t see its beauty until you roll the credits for the first time.

Stepping Stones to Success

Konami must be commended for achieving such a fine balance between the many elements that build a survival horror experience. The adventure is baked into the game’s environments, mechanics, and story in a way that stays with its players long after they witness each of its endings, even the returning UFO gag one.

It’s a haunting examination of how one’s mental health relies on one’s own determination and the discipline to pursue what they hold most dear. For Hinako and the ones guiding her through the darkest corners of her psyche, it’s about pushing past fear and becoming better as a result.

Silent Hill f is not just an examination of Hinako’s crumbling mental state. It’s about how one can overcome their own insecurities and rise above them as a result. As anyone who has faced such struggles can attest, it’s about trying and failing, only to come back stronger and more self-aware as a result. Konami has cleverly captured that loop, and its latest addition to a beloved franchise takes things up a notch as a result.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

But how does The Beast set up a sequel that could be the epitome of everything good about the franchise’s unique parkour-based survival horror formula? How could Kyle and his new allies begin to act on their vow to take on the root cause of all their current problems? Could his time as The Baron’s prized lab rat have further effects on his body and mind? That’s what we’re here to discuss.

Let’s take a look at what the future has in store for Kyle and crew in what’s going to be quite an explosive adventure in Dying Light 3.

Revenge and Redemption

Before we get started, we’re going to warn you that this next bit contains massive spoilers for The Beast. You might want to come back once you’ve rolled the credits on the new game because it’s a story that’s definitely worth the suspense.

For those among you who don’t mind spoilers, know that Kyle does get to the Baron, who is prepared to face him thanks to an enhanced version of the THV virus that grants him his own Beast Mode, It’s the kind of weaponized version that the GRE always wanted, and it’s no surprise that Kyle’s old GRE handler contacts him after he defeats The Baron’s Chimera form, offering him his freedom in exchange for his cooperation.

The Baron had become a liability to the organization, implying that he had ties to them, and the GRE is grateful to Kyle for taking him out of the equation. However, Kyle doesn’t reciprocate the sentiment, vowing to take the GRE down in a cliffhanger that’s our favorite in a franchise that has featured many such endings. With that out of the way, let’s look at the major story beats that could have an effect on the franchise’s overall narrative.

Of course, Aiden Caldwell’s return to the fold, complete with his own Beast mode, is certainly a factor that needs to be explored further. His choice to continue as a pilgrim at the end of Stay Human, and his subsequent attempt to rescue Crane, which led to his own capture by The Baron, still has a few mysteries that could be potential narrative threads in the sequel.

How did he come into contact with Spike, a friend of Crane’s? What did The Baron do that made him lose control of himself and turn into the Beast that Crane had to hunt in the game’s opening hours? Is he going to look up to Crane as a mentor or see him as an equal, considering their shared trauma and experiences? Aiden’s presence in Dying Light 3 is sure to bring more than a few interesting story beats to the table.

And then there’s Lydia. As one of The Baron’s former test subjects and an Infected capable of sentient thought along with the ability to telepathically communicate with other carriers of the THV virus, her role in The Beast was quite noteworthy and brings up several potential narrative threads for Techland to make use of in its sequel.

For starters, the similarities to The Mother from Dying Light: The Following cannot be ignored. Could she be a way for Kyle to assemble an Infected army of his own in his next adventure? Will she be the one to help both him and Aiden manage their more feral instincts if either one of them takes things too far in their next fight? She’s a character with a lot of potential, and Techland is sure to bring her over to the fight against the GRE.

Speaking of the GRE, it was a very well-planned surprise to hear from Kyle’s former handler, who hoped to get him over to his former employer’s side at the end of the game. It’s obvious they were invested in The Baron’s efforts to create a perfect strain of the virus and were the ones funding his research in the first place. It didn’t make sense for The Beast’s antagonist to know of Crane and also have the resources to fund all of his research on his own, after all.

As an organization that’s been quite interested in weaponizing the virus, their role in Kyle’s 13-year-long predicament could see him more determined to take them down than he was with The Baron. He’s already on a warpath with them, and that conflict could play out in a myriad of interesting ways.

The rest of The Beast’s cast could also manage to make their way to Dying Light 3, considering how Olivia, the Sheriff, Lydia’s exiles, and the survivors of New Town did play a role in the game. Olivia’s father could be an interesting addition to the cast of a new adventure, thanks to his history as a former citizen of Harran and a scientist who was looking into the virus that started it all. Could he be the one who finally manages to craft a cure, using the Chimeras’ GSB in the process?

But all of these factors are based on the story we witnessed from Techland. It’s time to look at all of the stuff that the studio left unsaid.

The Path to a Grand Finale

Aiden’s return to the franchise’s meta-narrative had us wondering about how The Baron made him so feral while Kyle managed to retain a hold on his own Beast powers. What could have made Aiden respond so badly to what looked like similar experiments? If things turn out like we suspect, the GRE had a hand in what happened to our two protagonists.

If they did, it would only make sense for them to have a few superpowered individuals of their own, thanks to their access to The Baron’s research. It’s an opportunity for Techland to bring more familiar faces and even new ones to its story. For instance, we know that Rais, the antagonist of the first Dying Light game, fell to his presumed death after Kyle stabbed him during their confrontation. But could he have been rescued and turned into one of the GRE’s first virus-powered soldiers? He would be a solid choice for a returning character, after all!

Speaking of returning characters, Lawan and Hakon were conspicuous only by their absence in The Beast. We know that at least one of them was accompanying Aiden on his travels as an Infected Pilgrim, after all. Why didn’t they attempt to rescue him after his failed attempt to rescue Kyle? Were they a part of the reason he came to the Castor Woods in the first place? Did Aiden’s transformation cause them to hesitate to reach out to him?

Could they perhaps have learned of the GRE’s motives and also resolved to attempt to put a stop to the organization? Considering that the GRE has remained aloof from events up until this point while continuing to pull the strings from far away, having the organisation take a more active role in the franchise’s narrative, and a more antagonistic one at that, could mean that Techland already has a perfect villain at its disposal for Dying Light 3. Making the root cause of the world’s troubles take a more active role in the story that’s yet to come makes sense for both the narrative and gameplay of the sequel for the reasons we’ve outlined above.

That’s because it’s quite possible that, like The Baron, the GRE could also have been behind Waltz’s own work with the X3 base, giving Aiden a potential reason for wanting to bring the fight to the ones who took so much away from him. The GRE’s kind of a perfect catalyst that could see Crane and Aiden work together to take it down, after all.

From a gameplay perspective, that could be a dream come true for Dying Light fans as it could mean that the game’s third mainline installment could have them switching between Crane and Aiden either at will or via parallelly running storylines as they both pursue different ways to carve a path to the organization’s leadership. Maybe we’d even get to see two Beasts tearing through its ranks if things go the way we’d like?

Perhaps Aiden’s Beast abilities are a way for him to circumvent his constant need for exposure to UV rays to retain his humanity, allowing him a lot more freedom in how he goes about his objectives in the new game? Crane could also learn to harness his own Beat abilities better, either with Lydia’s help or by defeating some of the GRE’s superpowered forces.

On the narrative front, Dying Light 3 is an opportunity for Techland to go even darker and more personal than it did in The Beast, considering the fact that the GRE is currently the most hated organization on the planet, thanks to its role in unleashing the THV virus on it. Crane and Co. could all come with a very big chip on their shoulder, and that could very well see them take on the fight of their lives in a sequel that could take things up a notch just as The Beast has managed to do.

At this point, we know that Dying Light 3 is definitely on the cards for Techland. The Beast, despite originally being intended as a DLC expansion for Stay Human, has snowballed into a standalone adventure that has been an absolute delight.

If Techland continues to cook, Dying Light 3 could be the staging ground for some very explosive action and a fitting end to the franchise’s story so far. Now all that’s left is to wait on Techland to bring us more news on when that new chapter’s going to find its way to us.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

But what sets the Castor Woods apart from Harran or Villedor, the two previous locations in the Dying Light franchise? How does a map that’s smaller in size manage to somehow feel larger in scope than the ones that came before it? Why did it feel like the Castor Woods called to me at nearly every turn as I went about my grim business in The Beast?

I’m here to answer those questions and more as I dive into why the open world in Dying Light: The Beast is my favorite one in the franchise, and perhaps among my favorite ones of all time. Let’s get started!

Miles To Go Before I Sleep

From the moment Kyle stepped out of The Baron’s lab and began his latest adventure, I was stunned by how visually appealing the Castor Woods were. Colors popped out from my screen, underlining a level of visual detail and a draw distance that showcased just how well Techland has been able to utilize the power of current-gen platforms to deliver a very immersive experience.

But it isn’t the visuals alone that made the Castor Woods as great as they are in my book. There’s also the fact that nearly every square inch of them felt like it had something worthwhile to do, or find, as I raced through them on the way to find more supplies for upgrades, or perhaps pick up a new piece of gear that would make taking on the Infected a tad easier.

It’s quite easy for open worlds to feel repetitive after the awe and wonder of the initial few hours wears off. Techland ensured that such feelings of fatigue had no place in the Castor Woods by creating an exploration loop that felt rewarding not because of size, but because of the variety that simmered under the surface of a narrative that sought every excuse to have me out in the field.

It felt like I was running into a new town or a point of interest every few miles, with each step of the way punctuated by the danger of being torn to shreds by a group of Infected, or perhaps finding a useful way to take a bunch of them down and net some valuable materials in the process. That varied district identity is a huge part of making the Castor Woods feel bigger than they actually are.

Aside from that illusion of a larger map, Techland’s world was a labor of love, packing a lot of environmental storytelling into the exploration loop. Having a world that was built off of a location that many of its developers had actually grown up in allowed the team to pepper signs of life within the game’s borders, a somber reflection of a world that had existed prior to the THV virus’ rampage, and one that would continue to endure long after its now mutated denizens meet a rather grizzly end. It felt handcrafted and personal, a showcase of how Techland aimed to build a world that players would get lost in and find themselves unable to resist exploring, no matter how riveting the story missions they were on their way to were.

Finding those signs of former lives made the entire experience feel meaningful in ways that other open worlds often fail to capture. The Castor Woods were alive, teeming with potential discoveries that allowed Techland to navigate away from any danger of repetition in its open world.

But it doesn’t matter how visually stunning or engagingly explorable a video game’s open world is if getting around in it is tedious. But Techland’s take on parkour in the Dying Light franchise scaled new heights in the Castor Woods, allowing Crane to make excellent use of all the skills he picked up back when his story began while building on them in many ways.

How, you ask? I’m happy to answer!

Peak Parkour Performance

Momentum-driven movement was the name of the game in The Beast, and well-optimized performance worked very well with the first-person point of view to make parkour in the game feel fresh yet familiar, a balance that made getting from point A to point B both stylish and just plain old fun!

Every route that I had to craft on the fly as I was on the run from Infected, and god forbid a Volatile, made me feel like I was in absolute control of the chase. There was also a sort of verticality to the game that made it feel like escape was always an option, even when I was surrounded by a horde I had no hope of beating, while the knowledge that I might be leaving something valuable behind by not scaling that ledge in front of me was often reason enough for me to pause and give Kyle a breath.

New animations and well-placed rooftops, ledges, cranes, poles, and interior cut-throughs made certain that any city environment in the Castor Woods was not only easy to traverse but also quite a lot of fun. There was always more than one way to get to a location I wanted to visit, and having that sense of freedom was incredibly liberating in comparison to other open-world titles where fast-travel would often take the driver’s seat once I unlocked a few convenient locations.

The omission of a fast-travel system in The Beast is not only a clever move from Techland but also a showcase of its confidence in the traversal mechanics it implemented in the game. It allowed the open world to just draw me in and keep me invested in finding everything it had to offer without even breaking a sweat.

It also helped that there were a few vehicles to step into from time to time when exploring the woods, where handholds for Kyle might have been a little hard to find, although I must say I rarely found that to be the case. Tight driving controls meant that I was plowing through groups of Infected, stopping only to pick up crafting materials and supplies before hopping back into the driver’s seat and speeding away. Not only was that a welcome break from leaping and swinging across ledges, but it did help feel like I always had another way to get to a far-off location, making the need for a fast-travel system in The Beast almost redundant.

The Castor Woods were an absolute pleasure to explore, and not just for the reasons I’ve discussed above. There’s one other facet of the experience I’m yet to touch upon.

A Completionist’s Dream

The Traversal skill tree is the final piece of a very satisfying puzzle. Unlocking the ability to use even the Infected as platforms for my next parkour trick, or one where I could just barrel through a group without having to slow down, opened up so many creative ways to get ahead or start fights in the game.

Each skill was well-implemented, giving a new twist to an already perfect parkour system while making the Castor Woods a map that just had to be explored in all its entirety. And with all of the side missions, challenges, collectibles, and useful gear strewn about its many locales, exploring every nook and cranny certainly took me a while, even at the expense of delaying a story mission on many occasions.

The world was also the perfect stage for the franchise’s day-night cycle to create some very unpredictable hours of exploration, often leaving me far from where I’d originally intended to go, which I took in my stride by choosing to look around wherever I landed up, considering that there was sure to be something of value or interest to find.

It’s rare that exploring a new world takes precedence over blazing through the main story in a game for me. And when you consider that Dying Light: The Beast also takes things up a notch on the narrative front, that’s really saying something. The Castor Woods are so deliciously enticing, encouraging organic exploration by invoking the natural curiosity of anyone who finds themselves exploring them.

I’ve been very impressed by how Dying Light: The Beast balances the survival and horror aspects of the experience, and it does that really well. The Castor Woods are very much a part of that balance, and Techland’s take on an open world is one that I hope inspires other studios in the future and beyond.

Now, excuse me while I go check out yet another dark zone for what I believe is a new set of bracers that I’ve had my eye on for a while!

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

However, it’s still a good idea to compare The Beast to the game that came before it, and to analyze how Techland managed to up the ante this time around, as it brought Kyle Crane back to the spotlight for what was a very interesting story indeed.

Without further ado, it’s time to look into the many mechanics that made both games as popular as they are, and to put them in a conversation with one another to see which one comes out on top.

The Franchise’s Formula

Dying Light’s emphasis on parkour-based traversal is the stuff of legends by now. It’s been so ever since Rahim trained Kyle to use Harran’s environmental setting to his advantage as he scoured the city for a cure against the Harran virus. Aiden seemed to have a similar skill set in Dying Light 2, but was it objectively better than The Beast?

Well, that’s a tricky one to answer. Both titles have environments designed to support a traversal loop that’s both satisfying and nearly effortless to pull off for players. Dying Light 2 (hereafter called DL2) was certainly an improvement over the first game, and The Beast brings in new animations and overall refinements to the experience. We’d say that Beast’s coyote time felt a tad more forgiving than DL2 with better vault chains and tighter mantles.

However, the difference is so close that you’d be forgiven for calling it negligible. Their parkour systems were designed to be a core pillar of the gameplay loop and, as such, present a very smooth and seamless way for their protagonists to get around the worlds they found themselves in. We’d say it’s a tie between both titles as far as parkour is concerned.

But parkour is only one part of the equation when the manner in which Dying Light’s protagonists traverse varying environments is considered. In this regard, DL2’s grappling hook, paraglider, and UV tools were all very important parts of its gameplay loop, with enough narrative grounding to justify their existence in the game.

While only the grappling hook makes a comeback in The Beast, it wouldn’t have made sense to have the paraglider for Kyle to use around the Castor Woods, considering its varied environments in comparison to Villedor’s more urban landscape. Moreover, the existence of driveable vehicles in The Beast allowed for a fast, efficient way to get around the open world, and those 4x4s even serve as potent killing machines if you happen to come across a group of Infected during your travels.

But in terms of variety, Dying Light 2’s traversal tools take the win by a mile, considering how well they worked together in the game while also making sense from a narrative standpoint. While The Beast’s new map and story do not have the scope for more tools, their absence gives the edge to its predecessor in this area of the gameplay loop.

While we’re on the subject of exploration and traversal, it’s a good idea to get both titles’ level design out of the way. On this front, we’d have to give the win to The Beast, considering how each level and environment is not only as well-crafted as in DL2, but its successor takes things up a notch, cleverly placing valuable materials, lore drops, weapons, and secrets in every nook and cranny of its world.

Levels during missions are built to create tension in ways that DL2 does come close to, but cannot quite keep up with, thanks to the intervening years between the two titles. The Beast’s rooftop biome density, interior routing, lack of dead-ends for the most part, and parkour language simply takes the cake with style.

A Night That’s Dark and Full Of Terrors

With one half of Techland’s unique formula covered, it’s now time to dive into the combat and the franchise’s infamous day/night cycle that has terrified players in the many years since the original game was released.

Let’s begin with the distinct look and feel of Villedor and the Castor Woods, looking at them from a horror perspective. The night is simply terrifying in The Beast thanks to an improved enemy AI and the Volatiles that hunt you almost relentlessly in the latest title. While that may be a valid reason for handing the win to the new title, an area that DL2 certainly overtakes it is in the use of UV light as a safety language.

While you’re given a UV flashlight for Crane to use as a sort of stun against the Infected in The Beast, Aiden’s tryst with the THV virus requires that he constantly find shelter under UV rays to preserve his humanity enough for him to carry out his mission and save his sister. That mechanic added a layer of desperation to each mission and even exploration that upped the ante and tilted our opinion in DL2’s favor.

However, the use of clever references in The Beast and the overall sense of desolation that the Castor Woods convey must be considered. It’s a world that presents a stark contrast between its vibrancy and the effects of THV, presenting players with the sense that this was a place that once thrived with life and joy, now serving as a grim stage for Crane’s vengeful rampage against The Baron. As far as the atmosphere and horror elements of the franchise go, it’s a very close tie between both titles.

It’s a fairly similar story when you consider how the world reacts to your presence. It’s important to consider the narrative context of The Beast at this point. Crane’s latest adventure is one in which humanity barely exists, thanks to the effects of the THV virus, much more so than in Villedor, which was sort of protected from its devastation.

Villedor had multiple factions in play, allowing Techland to implement population shifts, patrols, ambient events that shifted from time to time, and a lot of agency with regard to the choices players could make in regard to the story. However, The Beast is a more straightforward story, and is one that did not require any of the above elements in its core gameplay loop as a result. DL2 does get a win on that front.

But it gets really interesting when things get dark. DL2 did see a lot of complaints about the Infected and even Volatiles not really concerned with Aiden’s presence, even at night, a factor that many considered was a step down from the original game, where nightfall meant that Crane was in serious trouble if he was far away from a safe point.

That tradition continues in The Beast and builds on the sheer panic that a player is likely to experience thanks to an enemy AI that absolutely fuels it. The Volatiles do not give up the hunt once they spot you, while the darkness around you is so suffocating that it becomes the greatest threat to the excellent traversal mechanics you have at your disposal.

The Beast’s night gameplay loop is designed to force errors on your part and is simply the superior experience when it is held against DL2. But what about combat and the various enemies you face? Things do get quite close on those fronts.

Both titles featured excellent combat systems and a variety of different Infected that sought to tear their respective protagonists to shreds. Although the distinct lack of firearms in DL2 does hold it back a little, it was still a solid experience and was very satisfying in terms of how you could deal with any threats you chose to take on mano a mano.

However, The Beast brings so many new combat animations, a very nifty Drop Kick skill, vehicles that can ram the Infected, a very responsive (and more aggressive) enemy AI, Beast Mode, and, of course, the Chimeras to the table. While we’d have been happy to call it a tie between the two games, these Chimeras let The Beast take the win outright thanks to their narrative significance and the challenge they present from a gameplay perspective.

As a crucial part of the story, they are unique and formidable, presenting Crane with very good reasons to unleash his own Beast Skills in order to gain an advantage. Their presence in The Beast allows it to surge ahead of DL2 as far as combat is concerned and take the win with style.

A Close Call But An Easy One

Given our love for Techland’s excellent take on the survival horror genre, we’re quite hard-pressed to pick a winner between two very solid games, each having something special to its name. But Dying Light: The Beast does just enough to build on everything good about Dying Light 2, and even throws in a few special additions of its own.

It’s a logical extension of the franchise’s formula, its mechanics and story allowing it to be the winner of this particular contest, although its predecessor does make that battle quite interesting.

It’s always great when a sequel manages to be better than the game that came before it. Here’s to us hoping that Techland can repeat that feat when it brings the franchise’s next, and potentially final, instalment to the table in the future!

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

Everything that’s good about the franchise is on proud display, with the parkour being better than ever and the day-to-night cycle bringing a very engaging survival horror gameplay loop to the table. But all of that has already been a mainstay in past Dying Light titles. So what makes this one different?

Turns out, there’s quite a lot to set it apart. And I’m happy to elaborate on a well-implemented set of creative flourishes from Techland that make this one a title that I’m going to keep coming back to whenever I have an hour or two to spend on taking down zombies.

The Beast takes the best of Dying Light and blends it into an experience that brings bold new elements to its formula that have made it my favorite one on both the narrative and gameplay fronts.

What’s New With Kyle Crane?

I think it’s best to address the elephant or, uh, beast in the room. Kyle Crane’s return as the frontman of the game’s cast was bound to be a draw for many players, considering his ambiguous fate at the end of The Following. But things went from bad to worse for him in the intervening years.

However, he does have a cool new ability in his Beast Mode that lets him unleash some of the raw strength and brute force of a Volatile on any Infected in his way. While that might not be much of a win-win for him, it’s an amazing power trip for us, the players. Tearing through hordes of the Infected in what I can only describe as a Hulk-esque rampage was just sublime. I haven’t felt as powerful in a video game in a while.

But things get very interesting when your Beast meter runs out. The Beast brings a balance between its survival and horror elements that could have you spending a lot of time farming the Castor Woods for supplies, organically levelling up as you go about exploring every corner of the world for useful materials and perhaps a secret or two.

Doing so runs the risk of Kyle’s wristwatch sending out a chilling reminder that night is falling, and it’s then that the horror component of the game’s experience comes fully into play. The Volatiles are just terrifying. They hunt you with antagonizing accuracy, never giving up on the hope of making a snack out of you unless you’re quite handy with your parkour skills.

Speaking of parkour, Techland’s labors of love are so evident when you’re leaping between ledges and swinging off conveniently placed branches or poles as you race away to your next objective. I found myself glad that there was no fast-travel system in place, a rarity considering that I do like the convenience of quickly getting to locations I’ve already visited. It’s the first time I’ve felt this way since Marvel’s Spider-Man, another title in which traversing the world is so much fun that I completely forgot about the option to take the subway.

Moving On From Harran

Of course, it isn’t just Kyle’s refined parkour abilities and semi-Volatile moveset that make The Beast the game it is. Its combat system is brilliant once you find a weapon that fits your playstyle, while the Infected pose enough of a threat to warrant a bit of practice and grinding for skill points on my part.

But it’s the Chimeras that really brought the game’s combat experience together for me. They are vicious and unhinged, victims of The Baron’s machinations that made me work very hard for the valuable Beast Skills they rewarded me for defeating them. The other enemy types were also quite solid, with the Goons being particularly bothersome as it took me a while to fall into the pattern of dodging to the side when they attacked. It certainly didn’t help that they did quite a bit of damage on each hit.

The Castor Woods are an excellent staging ground for Techland’s ambitious attempt at a new Dying Light game that felt familiar yet fresh at every turn. It’s quite unusual for me to find myself staring at a game’s map, wondering what I would like to do next, as I’m usually quite decisive in the actions I’d like to take and the content I’m going to tackle.

For instance, I explored a dark zone, a region of the map infested with enemies, hoping to get my hands on the supplies I needed to craft a bow early on in the game. I’d originally planned to grab those supplies and make my way to a convoy that would hopefully yield some ammo for my guns. However, clearing the dark zone out took longer than I’d thought, and night soon fell as I was on my way to the convoy.

A Volatile happened to spot me, and with no ammo for my guns and my Beast meter running on fumes, I had to leg it and get the hell out of there. When the dawn eventually came, I was far away from both my next story objective and the convoy I’d planned to raid. I ended up spending the next couple of hours tackling an entirely new batch of content, a testament to how Techland has structured its world to encourage players to visit as much of it as they can during their time with The Beast.

At this point, I’ve only talked about the stuff we knew before the game was released, and there’s a reason for that. But it’s what I found post-release that truly sums up why The Beast is right up at the top of the Dying Light franchise, and among the genre’s finest titles. Let’s take a look at why I believe the Castor Woods will continue to be a brilliant tourist spot for players curious to see what they have to offer.

If you’re still playing through the game and don’t want to have its story spoiled for you, I’d suggest coming back to this next section once you’ve rolled the credits on it. There are major spoilers ahead!

Making Things Personal

We knew that Kyle was making a comeback to the game. But I’d also guessed that Aiden would be a part of it in some form, and man, it felt good to be right!

It isn’t ironic in the slightest that it was The Baron who brought the two protagonists together, and is the reason that they’re probably going to work together in the next title. The story is Dying Light at its finest, full of twists and turns while making things so much darker and personal for Kyle this time around.

It also works as the perfect vehicle for Techland’s new additions like Beast Mode, giving each mechanic a narrative framework that makes developing Crane’s newfound abilities make sense. The Baron served as the perfect antagonist, calm and collected in the face of a very vehement group opposed to him, always convinced he had the upper hand, and even choosing to take all the power he was harnessing for himself when Kyle finally confronts him.

Bringing Aiden back into the fold is a creative choice that works really well, considering just how enticing the road to discovering his identity was. I won’t forget tracking him in the dead of night, carefully retracing his path over the rooftops in a hurry after all. But memorable reveals aside, Kyle did need a kindred spirit, someone who suffered the same pain he did at the hands of The Baron. And Aiden’s own journey to get to the Castor Woods is something that could be further touched upon in the inevitable sequel.

If you noticed I said “inevitable” and wondered why I did so, you probably haven’t reached the game’s ending yet. I’d ask you to come back once you have! Kyle’s decision to finally turn his attention to the root cause of the THV catastrophe is nothing short of a masterstroke, and has me quite impatient for news of what Techland is planning next for the franchise!

Overall, the story in The Beast ties in very well with other elements to present players with an experience that makes a very compelling survival horror experience. It’s deliciously immersive, and despite the bleakness of the world, it’s a game that can be very hard to put down. It’s no wonder that The Beast has drawn so many gamers to the Castor Woods when you consider just how solid the experience it offers really is.

A Worthy Addition

While the third time’s the charm in the real world on many occasions, third instalments in the gaming world can be quite tricky to pull off, thanks to soaring expectations in successful franchises. But Techland has nailed its unique take on the genre, and I’m excited to see where the franchise goes next.

I will definitely be along for the ride as Crane finally takes on the GRE, and I’m certain that the studio is going to surpass itself once again. Maybe I’ll finally get to see both Crane and Aiden unleash their Volatile powers on an antagonist who’s going to deserve everything that’s coming to them.

But for now, the Castor Woods call to me, and I’m going to answer with a guttural roar.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

With the updated “Out of Bounds” MyCareer mode and some significant gameplay improvements, 2K26 has made some great steps forward and streamlined many of its systems, though it’s hard to ignore the pervasive microtransactions that feel built into every mode.

"Rival players in particular frequently appear right before the game in which you face them, forcing you to frequently prioritize outplaying them over winning the game."

2K’s MyCareer always holds the bulk of new content, and it returns this time to having a scripted narrative in the “Out of Bounds” mode. 2K has always had beautiful visuals and high production value stories being told, and this is no different, taking the player-character, who you can name but is always referred to as “MP,” through a season of high school club basketball and a season of European league basketball.

MP is an outspoken content creator documenting his path toward his dream of playing in the NBA, and the short-form videos he creates throughout the story give a surprisingly well-written snapshot of his psyche along the way, especially as he makes a few key decisions, including where to play club ball and which European team to sign with. Aside from those choices, though, the narrative is a linear sequence of a handful of games in each season, attempting to outplay your competition to show that you belong at the next level.

Where Out of Bounds excels, though, is in how it tries to weave the narrative and gameplay together between games with fully written and voiced cutscenes that show MP’s life off the court in ways that make 2K26’s MyCareer feel special and uniquely memorable for the first time in years. The narrative isn’t groundbreaking, especially for a 2K story, but it more than ever links what happens in the cutscenes to your goals, outcomes, and restrictions for each game.

MP spends most of his time with his parents or agent trying to navigate life as an up-and-coming basketball and social media star, but it’s a memorable larger set of characters that includes rival players, coaches, and media figures that make this story click. Rival players in particular frequently appear right before the game in which you face them, forcing you to frequently prioritize outplaying them over winning the game, and it culminates in surprisingly genuine scenes when you see each of your rivals at the European league All-Star Game.

"There’s virtually every type of basketball you could hope to play here, whether it’s pickup, competitive, or professional, and I appreciate how much there is to offer across each type of playstyle."

At the same time, Out of Bounds often gets more right in theory than in execution. It frequently falls into the classic 2K trap of rushing the story to get to the next game as quickly as possible, which amplifies the inevitable narrative tension in MP chasing his dream that we all know he’s going to achieve at the end.

When he does achieve that, though, it feels like he’s earned it, and as I’ve continued to play into his NBA career with the Wizards, it’s very rewarding to see occasional follow-up cutscenes with his parents, agent, or documentary crew as he looks to become the GOAT. Plus, I’m looking forward to replaying the story with a new player build and a new MP to make different choices.

NBA 2K26 cleverly builds its MyCareer into its online social platform with The Park. If you exit the arena for the MyCareer mode, you can take your MP and enter this year’s version of The Park, which is more efficiently laid out than ever, giving you access to the casual courts, competitive online play, and a litany of branded cosmetics shops.

There’s virtually every type of basketball you could hope to play here, whether it’s pickup, competitive, or professional, and I appreciate how much there is to offer across each type of playstyle. It further embraces the mindset of giving you as many modes and opportunities to play as possible and allowing you to pick which ones you prefer, and it’s often fun enough to just skateboard around The Park for some idle people watching.

"Every player, whether in MyCareer, MyTeam, MyNBA, or The W, can be customized with individual cosmetic items, badges, and perks, and these can all make the possession-to-possession gameplay of 2K diversified and enjoyable, depending on their performance."

Of course, the other major mode 2K has to offer each year is MyTeam, the card collecting team builder, though the biggest change this year is the inclusion of current and former WNBA players. As with past years, the main appeal of MyTeam is to collect cards and build your team, and there are dozens of different modes through which to play with your team, from individual games and missions to season-long challenges.

While that remains true, there’s very little here that caters to anyone who isn’t already interested in MyTeam from past years. While 2K is known for its litany of modes, from the more specialized MyCareer and MyTeam to traditional MyGM and MyNBA modes, it’s disappointing that these two modes hold the vast majority of this year’s updates, as the only notable update elsewhere is the limited “Offseason Scenarios” MyGM option.

Regardless of mode, the on-the-court gameplay feels like it’s taken a step forward in 2K26, whether you’re a 60-something-overall benchwarmer or a 90-something-overall superstar. First and foremost is the improved shot timing, which goes back to basics with a universal “Green or Miss” meter to more accurately mimic the actual act of shooting with consistent timing and a green zone that grows and shrinks with how open and balanced you are.

Combined with tangibly smoother shooting and dribbling animations, playmaking and scoring are as rewarding as they’ve been in recent years. Each play has an added weight that I haven’t felt in 2K in years, further improved by the GOAT mode abilities and other in-game changes that integrate a player’s streakiness and confidence. Every player, whether in MyCareer, MyTeam, MyNBA, or The W, can be customized with individual cosmetic items, badges, and perks, and these can all make the possession-to-possession gameplay of 2K diversified and enjoyable, depending on their performance.

What’s apparent with NBA 2K26, though, is how all of these cosmetics and micro-upgrades feed a system of microtransactions that actively detract from the gameplay. With 2K’s VC currency, you can purchase stat upgrades, new card packs in MyTeam, or cosmetics for your MP, and it’s approaching a stereotypical free-to-play pace with how comically slowly you gain VC compared to how quickly you can purchase it.

"However, as has become routine with each 2K game, the entire package, as polished and expansive as it is, requires a significant investment of either time or money in the form of microtransactions."

Of course, you are technically able to progress without purchasing any VC, but alongside the barrage of advertisements that continues to increase year over year, it begs the question whether 2K26 is worth the $70 entry fee on top of the financial or time investment needed to get to a competitive place with your players or teams.

The NBA 2K franchise is an unstoppable force in the sports gaming world, and each year’s entry seems to only move the needle up or down a few degrees. From a gameplay perspective, NBA 2K26 is a significant step forward with its smooth and simplistic style that feels as good as ever, and the attempts to streamline and expand MyCareer with the Out of Bounds mode are a major step forward and a great sign of things to come for the mode.

However, as has become routine with each 2K game, the entire package, as polished and expansive as it is, requires a significant investment of either time or money in the form of microtransactions; if you can overlook that, though that may be a tall task, this is 2K at its smoothest and most streamlined in years.

This game was reviewed on the PlayStatiom 5.

As a franchise that has pioneered the rise of the stealth action genre, and one whose meta-narrative could be quite overwhelming to anyone who hasn’t been paying attention to its many twists and turns, it features great titles that have each brought something brilliant to the table.

While the task of ranking each instalment in the title could be quite daunting, that’s exactly what we’ve set out to do! Without further ado, here’s our take on the Metal Gear titles that have caught our attention – and kept it – over the years.

13. Metal Gear (1987)

The title that started it all features everything the franchise has come to be known for. There’s the stealth-action gameplay loop, a main narrative that features Solid Snake and Big Boss, and Kojima’s penchant for examining the world around him through the eyes of his characters, and a couple of fourth-wall breaks.

But given its age, it does rank lower on this list simply because its successors have overtaken it in terms of both their gameplay and presentation, despite the game being good enough to make it to the PS3’s Metal Gear Solid: The Legacy Collection. If you have one of those lying around, this one is well worth a visit and could have you quite invested in its story!

12. Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops (2006)

This PlayStation Portable title, which features Naked Snake in the lead a few years after his time in Russia, brought several noteworthy additions to the table. The Comrade System, for example, allowed Naked Snake to recruit fallen foes and other soldiers to his cause in various inventive ways that stayed true to the franchise’s stealth-action roots while giving players a unique mechanic that would later make its way to other titles in the franchise.

Its story is nothing to be scoffed at either, bringing Naked Snake in conflict with the FOX Unit while other important characters like Campbell are also in play. Although Kojima was only a producer on this one, it’s still quite a solid addition to the franchise. However, like Metal Gear, its relative inaccessibility, thanks to it being PSP-exclusive, does not let it rank higher on this list.

11. Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes (2004)

Although an effort to blend the story and locations of Metal Gear Solid with the gameplay and graphics of Sons of Liberty sounds like a very ambitious and bold move on paper, The Twin Snakes both succeeded and failed to fully recapture the magic of the game it was supposed to emulate.

While the new graphics, improved enemy AI, and of course, the story were well-received by critics and players alike, the GameCubie seemed unable to handle the load that the game’s systems placed on it. Moreover, the gameplay loop from Metal Gear Solid was marred by the addition of new mechanics from Sons of Liberty, making several parts of the original game feel too easy by comparison.

The Twin Snakes’ ambitious effort does earn it a place on this list, albeit a low one owing to its flawed take on a great title.

10. Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes (2014)

As a bridge between the events of Peace Walker and The Phantom Pain, Ground Zeroes brings an excellent story to the table, continuing the adventures of Big Boss while setting up the events of its sequel with aplomb.

Despite its relatively short runtime, the gameplay loop was, and perhaps still is, a very good representation of the franchise’s biggest strengths, made even better by its companion app, excellent stealth animations and mechanics, and what Kojima saw as a stepping stone to Metal Gear being a “true open-world experience”.

However, its place in the franchise’s canon as a prologue to The Phantom Pain does not let it rank very high on our list, owing to other titles proving far more expansive in their stories or simply more memorable as a whole.

9. Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake (1990)

As the sequel to the original Metal Gear Solid, Solid Snake builds on its mechanics while continuing the adventures of its titular character in a story that sees him face off against Big Boss once again.

The expanded enemy AI, along with matching expansions to Solid Snake’s skill set, makes this a title that enthralled many fans of the original game while also being a very attractive option for newcomers to the franchise. Its very positive reception earns it a place among the franchise’s greats, and its influence on the later titles cannot be overlooked, too.

8. Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D (2012)

As a 3DS port of one of the franchise’s greatest titles, Snake Eater 3D made good use of the console’s features to recreate the magic of Naked Snake’s battles against The Boss and Colonel Volgin, a narrative that set events of the entire franchise in motion.

As such, bringing that adventure into the hands of players who may not have experienced it was a clever move from Kojima and Konami, who did a great job working around the console’s limitations while making good use of its unique strengths. For instance, the third-person camera view and crouch-walking added new layers of nuance to the gameplay loop, while the innovative use of the 3DS’s gyroscope to make balancing on bridges and tree branches more immersive was a welcome touch alongside a camouflage system that made excellent use of the console’s camera.

Snake Eater 3D deserves its place among the franchise’s best games and does a great job of bringing the title that inspired it to life on a new platform.

7. Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (2013)

Bringing Raiden back into the fold after the events of Guns of the Patriots while straying away from the franchise’s usual stealth-action formula? Revengeance is a spin-off that shouldn’t have worked, but did.

The sword-wielding combat was a whole lot of fun, while Raiden’s story was poignant and philosophical, his inner conflict arising from his conditioning forming a meaningful part of both the narrative and gameplay.

Kojima Productions’ story worked very well with PlatinumGames’ gameplay ideas to present a novel approach to Metal Gear in which combat was the only option, and a very entertaining one to boot!

6. Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker (2010)

We’re now diving into the meat of this list, with Peace Walker being a great vehicle to take us toward the best of the Metal Gear franchise. After making its debut on PSP, it was eventually ported to the PS3 and Xbox 360. Big Boss’s time with the MSF was an excellent look into the character’s past with The Boss while also taking his story forward.

Its examinations of nuclear deterrence are another great addition to the title, giving Hot Coldman a lot of credence as the main antagonist, while Zero’s motivations with Cipher were quite the thrill when we first played the game. It’s perfect as a bridge between Big Boss’ past, present, and future, and handles its complex themes with style and substance.

Peace Walker is a Metal Gear title that we would dive back into with glee.

5. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain (2015)

Although The Phantom Pain suffered from being bang in the center of Kojima and Konami’s well-documented fallout, it does rank high on our list of the best Metal Gear titles nonetheless.

Its place in the franchise’s meta-narrative makes it an important part of its lore, connecting Big Boss to events in the original games in a way that makes sense, while indirectly setting him as an antagonist to Solid Snake.

Its gameplay and stealth mechanics are another highlight, bringing new twists and turns to the franchise’s formula. While we can’t help but wonder about what it could have been if Kojima had achieved his vision for it, The Phantom Pain is still Metal Gear at its finest.

4. Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (2008)

As the title that brought an end to Solid Snake’s adventures, Guns of the Patriots was a rollercoaster from start to finish.

Story beats aside, its gameplay was another feather in its cap, with the Octo Camo and Solid Snake’s advanced ageing being integrated quite well into the game’s mechanics. These additions made for an experience that felt authentic in its presentation and very immersive in the way players had to account for Solid Snake’s limitations.

Challenging and riveting, Guns of the Patriots continues to be a story that haunts us from time to time.

3. Metal Gear Solid (1998)

As the adventure that brought Solid Snake to his iconic showdown with Liquid Snake, this one was sure to rank high on our list of the best Metal Gear titles. However, its story is not the only factor that makes it special; its gameplay for its time manages to thrill many players despite the years since its release.

It brings in some insane twists and chills that would define the franchise’s future entries, and is a very interesting peek at the early years of its stealth-action trappings. Its influence on the genre as well as on the cinematics and presentation of other popular franchises makes its high place on this list a no-brainer, honestly.

2. Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater/Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (2025/2004)

It’s no surprise that Snake Eater, in both of its iterations, ranks very high on this list of the best of Metal Gear. Its story, gameplay, bosses, and unique mechanics have made it the ideal choice for Konami’s attempt to introduce the franchise to a new generation of gamers.

Kojima’s storytelling chops are nearly in overdrive in this title, as is his ability to create characters that have withstood the test of time. The members of the Cobra Unit continue to be among our favorite bosses in the franchise, while Naked Snake’s poignant battle with his former mentor and his learning the truth about her actions is right up there with some of modern gaming’s best moments.

Snake Eater is a Metal Gear title that will rank high on any list of our favorite games, and the remake just makes its strengths all the more obvious while making useful tweaks that elevate the amazing experience it presents.

1. Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty (2001)

There’s a reason that Sons of Liberty earns the throne of the best mainline Metal Gear title. Raiden’s adventure, and his partnership with Solid Snake in his quest to bring down Solidus Snake, is now the stuff of legends.

It’s a narrative that solidified Kojima’s reputation as a man ahead of his time, considering how the themes he attempted to tackle via the game’s narrative are now a part of modern discourse surrounding social media and the adverse effects of misinformation and a shorter attention span.

Its gameplay was nothing to scoff at either, presenting an enemy AI that was able to work in groups to attempt to capture the player, while a dearth of stealth options made it stay very true to the franchise’s roots. It’s a solid game all around and is one that reflects the best of what the franchise has to offer with ease.

What do you think about these rankings? Is there a title that you feel should have ranked higher, or perhaps taken the top spot? We’d love to hear what you think in the comments!

But on rare occasions, a title comes along that has it all. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater is one of those games in my book, with a story that set an entire franchise in motion, while its gameplay had me hooked right from the minute I took control of Big Boss, or Naked Snake as he was called then.

Konami’s recent remake of that classic has kind of helped make the game feel like a new one despite all of the familiar trappings that made it so special to me being there, just like they’ve always been every time I revisited the title. Delta: Snake Eater is fresh enough to feel brand new, and familiar enough to invoke that sense of nostalgia that feels so good when it comes to a game you love.

But why is Snake Eater as addictive as it is? Why has the remake done as well as it has, with a million units being sold on the day of its release? The answer is more than just nostalgia from older players and perhaps curiosity from younger gamers who want to see what the fuss is all about. Let’s dive in!

Old Habits Die Hard

It can be useful to examine the context of the original title’s release to better understand why it has evoked the response that it has in 2025, more than two decades after its release. It can be easy for any game to fade into the past, after all. But the origin story of Big Boss is not one that can be easily forgotten, considering that the character has been a franchise mainstay, appearing in Snake Eater and in several games after it.

Knowing more about the man who “birthed” Solid Snake, Liquid Snake, and Solidus Snake was quite the draw for Metal Gear fans, and Hideo Kojima used that excitement very well. While many players came to Russia for the plot, myself included, we ended up staying for the gameplay long after we rolled the credits on the masterpiece that was Snake Eater’s narrative.

The “addiction” here is born of a plethora of emotions that blend well into the ritual of replaying those iconic missions and perhaps diving into lore that makes more sense with each successive instalment of the game. It was the birth of a legend that has continued to enthrall fans for many years, despite The Phantom Pain being around a decade old at this point. As far as Big Boss is concerned, legends aren’t born. They are made.

But one iconic character isn’t enough to carry an entire game on his or her shoulders, no matter how skilled or charismatic he or she is. And that’s where the rest of the cast comes in.

Friends and Foes

Big Boss’s rise to prominence in the Metal Gear franchise is certainly not a solitary venture. The ones who he encountered and perhaps drew inspiration from are also key parts of why Delta: Snake Eater has managed to achieve such a strong response from the gaming community.

The Boss stands out as a character whose relationship with Snake, and the tragic turn it takes therein, is among the most formative pillars of the latter’s rise (or fall, depending on how you see it) to Big Boss. Their iconic final encounter, set in a beautiful field of white flowers, is a boss fight for the ages, and is one that I’ve certainly seen a few more times in other iconic titles (more on that in a bit).

As the second antagonist of the story, Colonel Volgin does deserve to be mentioned, considering the character’s ideology and its contribution to the themes that Kojima aimed to tackle in the game. The same goes for Ocelot, whose presence in the franchise is perhaps as regular as Big Boss, his tragic origins being a particularly fascinating part of the franchise’s meta-narrative.

Zero also comes to mind thanks to the diverging interpretations of The Boss’s ultimate vision, which set him and Snake on an almost inevitable path to conflict. By choosing MGS3 for what seems like the first remake in an attempt to bring Metal Gear to the current generation of gamers, Konami has cleverly brought all of these characters and stories back into play, and they continue to be as relevant today as they were in the past.

And when you consider the game’s thematic undertones, they are perhaps more nuanced than they used to be.

Legends Never Die

In many ways, Metal Gear was a great stage for Kojima’s examinations of the world around him through his art in a world way before Death Stranding. Despite Sam Porter’s presence in the modern gaming landscape, the themes that Delta: Snake Eater revisits continue to be a part of modern discourse surrounding personal identities, a soldier’s duty to the nation they serve, the concept of loyalty itself, and so much more.

For instance, The Boss’s loyalty to her country’s cause in the story, and the manner in which it disgruntled Snake and put him on the path to becoming Big Boss, continues to be a haunting reminder that even the most trusted of confidantes can become bitter foes if the circumstances make that so.

Naked Snake’s unwillingness to place faith in the institutions he once held in high regard, a consequence of the emotional conflict he felt after The Boss’s death, is another showcase of how Kojima remains ahead of his time even 21 years after he originally took on those complex themes with his unique brand of storytelling. It’s certainly a factor in Metal Gear’s enduring influence as a franchise that takes a bold approach to its themes, interweaving them into its gameplay and world-building so intricately that even Big Boss would have trouble sneaking his way out of them.

Snake Eater’s characters, iconic as they are, are archetypes that hold a mirror to people in the real world, reaching out through the remake’s improved graphics and visuals to touch the hearts and minds of their players, and make them question the world around them. They encourage discourse, their moral ambiguity, and the melancholy of their stories needing discussion with a community at large to provide varying perspectives.

Just as Naked Snake and Zero were deeply influenced by The Boss’ ideals, Kojima’s players continue to be enthralled by the moral and ethical dilemmas he presented them with, and flock to a new and improved version of a legendary story to try and make sense of it all, two decades of their own experiences now influencing their opinions.

From One Legend to Another

Another reason for Delta: Snake Eater being as addictive as it is could be attributed to its cinematic presentation and visual flair, made even better by the remake thanks to its effective use of current-gen systems. It’s made the original all the more immersive, especially in iconic moments like the ladder you climb after your fight with the End.

The theme song playing out as Naked Snake takes on that long climb is the perfect representation of his own loyalty to The Boss, made tragic and morbid thanks to his battle against another fellow soldier with a similar loyalty to the very same person. Both men simply found themselves on the opposite sides of a conflict beyond their control.

For players who gave The End a premature, well, end, in an earlier story section, Naked Snake’s disgust at his treatment of a soldier who deserved his respect makes that juxtaposition even more tragic. Snake Eater has many moments like this, and its influence on the entire stealth-action genre cannot be overstated.

What’s more, Kojima’s iconic scene construction does not just end with his own titles. Like I said before, I know of three distinct fights between a protagonist and their narrative mentor in at least three other games, two of which are from another legendary Japanese director in his own right.

I’m talking about the fight between the Hunter and Gehrman in Bloodborne, and Sekiro’s battle with Isshin Ashina at the end of Shadows Die Twice. Both battles hit hard thanks to their narrative significance and take place in a field of white flowers. Perhaps that was Miyazaki’s way of tipping his hat to a fellow artist?

And let’s not forget the fight between Jin Sakai and his uncle Shimura at the end of Ghost of Tsushima. Once again, a tragic tale of a student forced to take on his master, a man whom he continued to respect and adore, blends a tragic narrative thread with the scenic beauty of an arena that holds a lot of significance for both parties. Kojima’s influence on the use of cinematic techniques in modern gaming is one that Snake Eater is a huge part of.

It was part of the beginning of his own legend, and has perhaps made him a “Big Boss” in modern gaming.

An Enduring Legacy

With everything I’ve said above, it’s quite evident why Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater has managed to steal the spotlight away from other great titles in 2025. It would have been easy to write off the remake as an old game with a fresh coat of paint.

But titles like Snake Eater never get old. They simply evolve, their players finding new ways to think about the complex themes they undertake, and perhaps new ways to play them thanks to the vast amount of references and fourth-wall breaks that Kojima is known for.

The millions who are currently playing Snake Eater aren’t hooked on pressing buttons to guide Naked Snake to his next objective. They’re hooked on the journey and the personal feelings that it brings to the surface, waiting to be shared with others who tread those same paths, hidden away in the foliage.

It’s the title that painted the tapestry of an entire franchise. And for that, it will always be as legendary as Big Boss seemingly is to the people around him.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.