A face reference, not a casting choice
Solid Snake’s early 3D design drew on Christopher Walken’s face as its primary reference, according to the artist who made the design. That kind of reference gives an artist a real set of features to interpret—rather than asking them to invent a face from scratch. It does not mean the character was meant to be Walken or that the game depicted him literally.
What survives the move into 3D
Turning a real face into a game character means selecting and simplifying. A model’s silhouette, proportions and expression have to read clearly within the technical limits of its era; fine likeness can disappear when a face is rendered with few polygons and small textures. The useful parts of a reference are therefore the features that still make the character recognizable after reduction.
That is why the detail is more than a casting curiosity: Snake’s face began with a specific human reference, then became a designed game character through selection and simplification.
