Reworked image taken from GameZone

Every E3, there’ll be a trailer that will intensely hook me, and wildly increase my anticipation for a certain game, all while making the wait more unbearable. In 2014, it was Nintendo’s excellent Legend of Zelda: Breath of Wild teaser. in 2015, it was the elegantly and slickly designed reveal for HITMAN. And in 2016, there were a lot of contenders, but I think the one that struck everybody the most was the out of nowhere announcement of Death Stranding.

Now, there’s a lot of reasons why I think the Death Stranding reveal was so masterfully presented. From Kojima walking on stage to the Mad Max: Fury Road OST, to the exclamatory squealing of “I’m Back!” from the legend himself, all the way to the Norman Reedus pan, the ominous disappearing baby and the orchestral title reveal, it was truly a sight to behold. But far more innovative than what was stated before was the fact that the trailer gave little exposition, choosing us to rather bathe in speculation. It’s an unprecedented move from a company as big as Sony, which spoiled important plot points in The Last Guardian and Detroit: Become Human just moments before. But, better yet, it’s an unprecedented move for fans of Kojima. The trailer is his Metal Gear Solid 2 antics taken to the extreme. And with perplexing moves like that taken, it’s time to dissect some theories for their validity.

Norman Reedus’s character is actually a cyborg

Explanation: As the camera looms over the desolate setpiece in Death Stranding, we start to recognize that nearly everything is dead. Crabs, fish, and gargantuan whales, all bearing resemblance to the scientific phenomenon cetacean strandings (in which sea creatures commit suicidal acts and end up on beaches with no probable cause). Yet, some have taken to theorize this in a completely different direction. For example, Norman Reedus’s character caresses a baby emotionally, but no tears are shown. This has lead some to speculate that the game focuses on constant revitalization and consumption for survival. While it’s seems akin to an off-beat Kojima idea (as similar mechanics were seen in Metal Gear Solid 5) evidence like the scar on his belly and the glowing handcuffs, nearly prove a more augmented, but not completely robotic approach.

Chance of being real: 40/100

Credit: Redditor manoelpdb

The game has to do with Black Holes:

Explanation: This is the sort of idea that wouldn’t immediately come to players among watching the trailer, but as soon as the conference ended Kojima released two Death Stranding posters, one which showcases two theories that have been used with the studies of black holes. This wouldn’t automatically explain the weird occurrences Reedus sees (such as the five floating figures) but it does fit better with the game’s mysterious sci-fi nature. Better yet, it connects with another credible theory, that I’ll talk about a bit later.

Chance of being real: 80/100

Credit: Redditor SandovalCurse

The baby, handprints, are all symbols for Kojima and Konami’s relationship:

Explanation: One of the more popular pieces of speculation out of the Death Stranding hype machine, fans have seen this as a more symbolic approach to the horrors shown, partly because so little work on the game has been completed yet. (Last time, Kojima talked about his studio size, it was a mere four, and they still haven’t hired important offers according to their website) Yet, even if this does turn true in the final product, it’s unlikely it will actually be confirmed by Kojima. The same type of speculation rang about among Huey’s representation in Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain (notice the glasses!) but nothing was officially said due to the contracts signed between both parties. While the drama will have faded away in due time, these type of things are much longer in scale.

Chance of being real: 60/100

Credit: Redditor BlaqkHeart

Norman Reedus’s character has entered purgatory or the otherworld, resulting in constant death:

Explanation: A distant concept in sci-fi gems like The Quiet Earth, an otherworld is a hell-like imagination of where people are sent to die. Just like the cyborg theory, there isn’t concrete proof about this besides the dead things themselves, but the five figures at the end of the trailer certainly lends some hints that they could be the Five Reapers of Death, or some sort.

Chance of being real: 60/100

Credit: Redditor barbituricos, PushSquare’s Sammy Barker

The Kojima Productions Mascot is in the game:

Explanation: This is a theory I’m willing to bet some cold hard cash on, partly because Kojima has a history of tricking us, and the ones who have gotten this first hand can sometimes see through his bullshit. Metal Gear Solid analyzer YongYea expressed this best in an analysis for the trailer, showing how it fit well with the remarks of Kojima saying it was an action adventure game, but only for the first couple of hours. Maybe, Reedus is a space soldier and things go horribly awry? We can only guess, but at this point Kojima’s hinted at this far more than anything else.

Chance of being real: 80/100

Credit: YongYea, Redditor: BirdofHermess