“Fantastic and bat s**t crazy”: fans worship the new Death Stranding 2 trailer

The highly anticipated trailer for Death Stranding 2: On the Beach just dropped, and to say that fans are excited is an understatement. The 10-minute-long trailer is a joyride through the game's immersive environments, giving us a sneak peek at the action-packed plot, new characters, and even an unexpected cameo from what appears to be Metal Gear's Solid Snake.

Death Stranding 2 was announced way back in 2016, so it's safe to say Hideo Kajima left us waiting long enough – but he didn't disappoint. The drool-worthy graphics alone (made in Decima – one of the best game development software options out there) are enough to convert even the strictest of critics. Equal parts badass and bizarre, I'd expect nothing less from one of the game industry's most iconic designers.

DEATH STRANDING 2: ON THE BEACH | Pre-Order Trailer - YouTube

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Taking us through walls of fire, icy tundras and barren wastelands, the game's intense and diverse world-building shines through the trailer. While the plot outlining is still fairly spoiler-free, we're introduced to a host of new characters, but there's one moment that fans can't stop talking about – the Snake bandana transition. Whether or not it's just a playful reference to his earlier games, it's no coincidence that Kojima included this sneaky gesture, after commenting in an Instagram post that actor Luca Marinelli was the "spitting image of Solid Snake."

Over on Reddit the praise for the new trailer poured in, with one fan writing on the r/PS5 subreddit "The Decima Engine is just too beautiful. The collaboration between Guerilla, Kojima and I believe a lot of Sony's own hardware is used for the body capture is a thing of absolute artistic beauty." Another commented "The more I see about Death Standing 2, the less I understand it. And I love that," while one fan added that the game looks "looks fantastic and bat s**t crazy."

Thankfully we won't have to wait long to get our hands on the new release. Pre-orders start on 17 March at 10 am (local time), while the game officially releases on 26 June. In the meantime, check out our collection of the best video games for architecture and design fans that you can play right now. For more gaming news take a look at the stunning Intergalactic trailer packed with retro logos that feels like stepping into the 80s.