The excitement around the new trailer for Death Stranding 2: On the Beach has been palpable, especially with the reveal of a release date, collector's edition, and box art. Released over the weekend, the trailer has sent fans into a frenzy, and one particular detail has caught their attention: a nostalgic nod to Hideo Kojima's past work, Metal Gear Solid 2.

The box art for Death Stranding 2: On the Beach features Sam "Porter" Bridges, played by Norman Reedus, cradling the child "Lou," a character familiar to players of the original game. This image was highlighted by Reddit user ReverseTheFlash, who posted a comparison captioned "He did it again," alongside the box art of Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty. The latter depicts Japanese singer Gackt holding a child in a strikingly similar composition, sparking discussions about Kojima's recurring motifs.

While the images aren't identical, the parallels are undeniable and serve as a fun callback to the promotional materials for Metal Gear Solid 2. This game's marketing campaign prominently featured Gackt, including special slip-covers in certain regions, which have since become curious artifacts in the Metal Gear lore.

Kojima himself explained the choice of Gackt for Metal Gear Solid 2's campaign in 2013, stating that it was due to the themes of the games. He noted that while Metal Gear Solid 1 was about DNA, Metal Gear Solid 2 focused on memes. The DNA base pairs 'AGTC,' when combined with 'K' for Kojima, spell out 'GACKT.'

Given the new trailer's evident Metal Gear influences, it's no wonder fans are drawing connections. Personally, I see these similarities as a reflection of Kojima's consistent creative themes across his projects. Nevertheless, it's always enjoyable to speculate and reminisce, especially with iconic promotional imagery like Gackt's.

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is set to launch on June 26, 2025, exclusively on PlayStation 5.