A new Death Stranding trailer has been shown as TGS 2018. Featuring video game voice actor mainstay Troy Baker, the minute-long clip showcases the reveal of a brand-new character, the Man in the Golden Mask, as well as a look at a demonic new enemy type for Norman Reedus’ Sam Bridges to face down.
“I had a special surprise prepped and everything,” quips Baker’s gold-plated figure, as the trailer begins. Curiously, we are also given a shot at a young child strapped to the back of Sam, one that may hint at this section of the game arriving a little later than previous trailers, which saw Reedus cradling a baby.
This, in turn, forces the Man in the Golden Mask’s hand by unleashing an utterly absurd summon, even for Death Stranding. Final Fantasy, eat your heart out. Baker’s character begins to channel the underworld, a series of screaming souls reaching out from the ground beckon towards him, before unveiling the new beast: a golden-masked (he’s got a style, I’ll give him that) lion-type creature, a putrid black substance oozing from every pore. Like I said, utterly absurd.
Baker, who has worked with Hideo Kojima as recently as 2015 with his turn as Ocelot in Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain, is the latest in a long, long line of iconic names to make the jump into Kojima’s first solo project. He joins the aforementioned Reedus, Mads Mikkelsen, Guillermo del Toro, Lea Seydoux, and Lindsay Wagner on a who’s who list of talent from stage and screen.
You can watch the trailer down below, though we’d love to hear some of the more hare-brained theories you might have. Where are we? Who is the Man in the Golden Mask and, yes, when are we going to get a release date? Answers on the back of a postcard, people. Or the comments section. I’m not fussy.
