The “Beyond the Strand” event has given us a glimpse into the future of Kojima Productions' next slew of titles. We've already covered OD: Knock in our previous piece, which is Kojima's experimental horror game starring Hunter Schafer, Udo Kier, and IT's Sophia Lillis.
Another major reveal from the event is none other than Kojima's attempt at a Metal Gear-like title, far removed from Konami's interventions. Here's everything we know about Hideo Kojima's PHYSINT so far and our thoughts on what to expect:
What is PHYSINT About?
Years before this major reveal, Hideo Kojima had been very vocal that his next game after OD: Knock would be an action-espionage game that harkens back to his Metal Gear Solid days. PHYSINT will serve as a spiritual successor to his beloved Metal Gear Solid series and will be Hideo Kojima's third major IP after Death Stranding and OD: Knock.
Unfortunately, the game is still in its conceptual phase right now, and we've only got a snippet of what it's about with its poster and cast reveal, which involves the iconic Don Lee (The Eternals, Train to Busan), Minami Hamabe (Godzilla Minus One), and Charlee Fraser (Mad Max: Furiosa).
Speculations on PHYSINT's Gameplay
As of now, there's zero information about what PHYSINT's gameplay would be. Given that it's an action-espionage game, it will likely take a few concepts and mechanics from Kojima's Metal Gear Solid series, where the protagonist can hide, lie prone, and perform stealth attacks.
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach already has the blueprint for a Metal Gear Solid-like successor in terms of tactical and stealth gameplay, minus the tar creatures and babies in a pod, of course. Personally, Hideo Kojima has slowly mastered his gameplay systems even further with Sam Porter's adventures, as per my review of On the Beach. It's much faster and more seamless, and enemy AI has greatly improved compared to The Phantom Pain, where movement can get a bit clunky. However, given that Death Stranding is running on the Decima Engine, no one knows what engine PHYSINT will run on, and Hideo Kojima has been pretty hush about it.
If it's a Decima Engine title, we should be expecting smooth action combat with emphasis on hand-to-hand and using a wide variety of guns. Besides, PHYSINT is coming out for the PlayStation 6, which is arguably a much more powerful console from the rumors we've been hearing. It might not use Decima or Unreal, but with PS6's potential, we could see it evolving gaming visuals in the near future.
PHYSINT doesn't have to be an open-world game, but it could work similarly to what IO Interactive does with their upcoming James Bond title or with Naughty Dog's Uncharted series, where linear levels and small open spaces are present.
Robert Pattinson as the Protagonist?
One of my biggest wishes for PHYSINT is who its protagonist is going to be. Knowing Hideo Kojima, he's not going to hire a no-name actor that he hasn't posted on his Instagram and X account. It has to be someone big, a trendsetter, and a major figure in Hollywood. No actor comes to mind other than Robert Pattinson.
Hideo Kojima has been a huge fan of the Batman star, and they've recently had a little chat during the Cannes Film Festival this year. As to what their conversation entails, we could only hope that Kojima is pitching for Pattinson to work with him on PHYSINT and be the leading man.
Robert Pattinson is also the perfect choice for a major protagonist, as he has been a known gamer ever since. He even weighed in on the classic Tifa vs. Aerith dilemma in the classic Final Fantasy VII during a Batman interview, hinting that his knowledge of gaming is far from limited.
Call me crazy, but I think the poster kind of resembles Robert Pattinson's face. Or maybe that's just me?
And that's about it. PHYSINT is still pretty early in development, and we might not hear more about it just yet, or at least until Kojima has finished developing OD: Knock. For now, all we can do is wait for the inevitable announcement that Robert Pattinson will take on the role. It's only a matter of time...I hope.
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