There are a lot of wild and wacky things in the PlayStation State of Play trailer for Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, but the one thing I can't get out of my head is just how much the ship looks like Metal Gear Rex.
The ship is called the DHV Magellan, and judging by how it's shown throughout the trailer it looks like it'll serve as a hub throughout the game. It also seems that it'll follow you around when you're not aboard. It flies out of a fetus's mouth early in the trailer, and makes a couple of other appearances throughout, appearing in the background as Sam explores various landscapes. In some shots, it's just floating around, while in another, it recedes into a pool of oil in an icy area. In yet another shot, it's hovering over a large fire, though it's unclear whether it caused the destruction or is just observing it.
Whatever the Magellan's role, the part that's struck me is just how much it looks like Metal Gear Rex. That triangular shape with the snub nose. The giant box where the radar dish would be. The crane where the Rex's rail gun would sit. It certainly looks like a very intentional effort to evoke the look of that iconic Metal Gear, just with hover… ball… things… attached where the legs should be.
It could just be a coincidence borne of a certain taste in mechanical designs persisting over the years. Kojima has worked with character and mechanical designer Yoji Shinkawa for decades, and the artist is credited in both the original Metal Gear Solid, where Rex first appeared, and in Death Stranding 2. I doubt there's any intent of an official crossover between Kojima's new and old IPs, but this certainly seems like a visual reference if nothing else.
Kojima is definitely going back to his roots with his new "action espionage" game.