Renowned video game developer Hideo Kojima sheds new light on his forthcoming game, Death Stranding, touching on gameplay, the title’s meaning, and more. It’s safe to say that ever since Death Stranding‘s trailer reveal at E3 2016, fans have been equally excited and flummoxed as to what the forthcoming release from Kojima Productions could be about. Many have incorrectly speculated that it details an allegorical dig at Konami, with others have going on to share potentially accurate theories about the possibility of the main character played by Norman Reedus surviving a trip through a black hole. While fans continue to pick apart the game’s mysterious trailer for even the slightest inkling as to what the title will eventually contain, Death Stranding‘s creator Hideo Kojima recently discussed his ideas for some of the game’s content with the technology news outlet Wired. According to the famed developer, his team at Kojima Productions hope to provide a familiar, yet fresh experience and “tie people together” with the game by incorporating one of humanity’s often overlooked technological tools, which are ropes and tethers. “What people are playing today in open-world action games, or linear action games, it will compare naturally to them. It will feel familiar. “But after an hour or two of playing, you will start to feel something different, something new that you haven’t played. The story is about connections, what you call ‘strands’ in psychology – how people are connected.” Although Kojima’s explanation for Death Stranding‘s content is still a bit cryptic, with the game only being in pre-production, it makes sense for the developer to not want to spoil the surprise too early. Even so, he at least has confirmed that the title will have multiplayer, but perhaps not in the traditional sense, as it will be a “new system.” Of course, all of these details might not be enough to satiate some fans looking for fulfillment in Death Stranding, as a lot of gamers are even poring over the name’s meaning. With that being the case, we may not get a full comprehension of the title until its launch, as Kojima’s description of the moniker is just as oblique as his other statements about the game’s contents. “In arcade games, you have this notion of dying, putting another quarter in, and coming back. That hasn’t changed in the 35 years that I’ve been making games. In this game, life and death will be part of that, but I want to give a different twist to that notion.” While it’s quite possible that Kojima is referencing the concept of introducing the challenge of permadeath into Death Stranding, it doesn’t exactly sound like that’s what he has in mind. When he alludes to “life and death” being a part of the game, perhaps he intends on incorporating elements similar to The Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver, in which the main character literally traverses both planes of existence after dying in the former and showing up in the latter. Really, though, with Kojima having announced that the mere reveal of the title has set the game into motion, it’s anyone’s guess at this point as to what Death Stranding will become. Death Stranding is currently without an official release date, but it is set to be a PlayStation 4 exclusive. (You can pre-order it via Amazon.com — price guaranteed). Sources: Gamerant, Wired, GamesRadar
