Death Stranding 2: On the Beach has an official June launch date locked in, and judging by the brand new trailer, a number of nods to the Steel Gear Solid sequence that Hideo Kojima labored on throughout his tenure at Konami. Throughout the brand new take a look at the sport, a personality by the identify of Neil–played by Italian actor Luca Marinelli–was launched. Whereas his darkish previous with the Bridges group was teased, it is the transient second the place Neil dons a bandana that had Steel Gear Solid followers pointing at their screens:
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As seen within the picture above, Neil seems remarkably just like Solid Snake as soon as he attire up for a combat. Again in a 2020 Instagram put up, Kojima mentioned that Marinelli could be the “spitting picture” of Snake if he ever determined to put on the character’s bandana, and it seems like that prediction has come true in Death Stranding 2.
What’s additionally fascinating to notice right here is that the character is flanked by a number of troopers, just like how Death Stranding’s antagonist Clifford Unger would encompass himself with troops each time he appeared within the sport. That implies that Neil has died and has develop into a post-death entity, somebody who finds himself pushed to finish his unfinished enterprise and might journey to battlefield seashores.
One other reference to Steel Gear Solid may be seen within the transient scene the place Heartman takes management of the DHV Magellan submersible, fusing it with a huge entity from the tar to tackle different titans. Yoji Shinkawa, who was the artwork director on 1998’s Steel Gear Solid, additionally labored on Death Stranding 2 so it is not too stunning to see a number of visible callbacks with the design of the Magellan.
There’s additionally a touch of Pacific Rim within the management interface right here for Magellan Man, which is a pleasant allusion to the movie’s director and Deadman’s visible inspiration, Guillermo del Toro.
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Death Stranding 2: On the Beach will launch for PS5 on June 26, and anybody who purchases the digital deluxe or collector’s version can begin taking part in two days early on June 24.