I have a confession to make. I’ve never played a Hideo Kojima game. There, I said it. Chastise me, oh internet, for I have sinned. How dare I, a gamer of 26 years, not to pick up a controller and play a game by the legendary Japanese developer, writer, and director. At this point, it feels like a misplaced sense of pride for being one of the few gamers around the world who hasn’t loaded up Metal Gear Solid, Snatcher, or P.T.
That could be about to change though. Death Stranding, Kojima’s latest offering, is just days away from release. Despite never playing his other titles, it would be remiss of me not to agree that Death Stranding is one of the most anticipated games of 2019.
With its launch imminent, I’m placed at a familiar gaming crossroads. Do I finally choose to bite the bullet, play Death Stranding, and become the newest member of the Kojima fan club? Or have I boarded the hype train without knowing my final destination?
Death Stranding is peak Hideo Kojima. Or so I’m told. Having never played one of his titles before, I wouldn’t know any different. Sure, I’m aware of the funny or cultural aspects of Kojima’s work. Metal Gear’s iconic cardboard box stealth mechanic – a meme in its own right and almost certainly part of any Solid Snake Halloween costume – is something I know about. The popularity of P.T – Kojima’s defunct first-person horror game – among YouTubers, the discussions it spawned, and its influential legacy on gaming’s horror genre aren’t new to me either. I’m even clued up on the basic plot of Metal Gear Solid thanks to Starbomb’s parodical song on the matter.
Ask me anything else about Kojima’s games, however, and I’ll draw a blank. Rather than it coming from a place of ignorance, my limited understanding of his titles is simply born out of missing on Metal Gear’s early years and failing to catch up. I wasn’t born when 1987’s Metal Gear was released and, upon the 1998 launch of Metal Gear Solid, I was engrossed with other franchises like FIFA and Final Fantasy.
Every subsequent entry in the Metal Gear series has simply made it harder for me to dive in. Of course, there’s an argument that I should’ve gotten my lazy butt into gear, play through them, and marvel at how amazing they are. With the series 10 games deep by now, though, it’s inevitable that I’ll forever miss out on what makes them so compelling.
Death Stranding, then, could be my entry point into the Kojima fandom. There are no previous installments to play beforehand. Its all-star cast is one that I’m already familiar with. And I’m at an age where I’ll have a vague idea of what’s going on and what’s required of me from a gameplay viewpoint. Those elements, coupled with the sheer mystery that surrounded Death Stranding before its marketing was ramped up in recent weeks, piqued my interest and had me entrenched in the “I’ll be buying this” camp.
There are other features present that intrigued me. As a gamer who loves to explore, combing Death Stranding’s world would have been massively appealing. Its different landscapes and biomes would surely hold secrets that intrepid travelers like me would love to discover.
The game’s overarching theme of reconnection is alluring too. Death Stranding’s themes and meanings will be analyzed for years to come, but its exploration of our humanity’s increasing isolation, despite being more connected than ever before in our history, is what stood out to me. As someone who has dealt with feelings of loneliness and seclusion throughout my life, Death Stranding’s core theme resonates strongly with me.
And, yet, I can’t help but feel that I’ve been drawn into the hype surrounding Death Stranding. Having watched its development over the past few years, it seems humorous, action-packed, surreal, and beautiful. It has a superb cast, intriguing plot, interesting gameplay mechanics, and a soundtrack that – with so many well-known collaborators – should win plenty of awards.
But the key aspect about Death Stranding for me – its mystery – has been somewhat removed. The spoiler-y eight-minute-long launch trailer, reviews that dropped on November 1, and online discussions have all put paid to me heading into Death Stranding with no idea of what’s in store. The game’s appeal came from its mysterious nature and, by showing more footage and talking about it in greater detail, Kojima and co. have dispensed with some of that aura.
Admittedly, I should’ve muted keywords and phrases on social media. I could’ve avoided internet chatter on Reddit. I would’ve avoided all aspects of the game if I hadn’t decided to research this piece before writing it. There will be plenty of in-game moments that haven’t been revealed too, so there’s still an air of mystery about the game. It would’ve been more fun to enter Death Stranding’s baffling world without any revelations and personally experience every moment though, and that causes me to reconsider my stance over it.
In tandem with that, I think my possible desire to buy Death Stranding comes from a place of fearing missing out. There’ll be few games that friends, colleagues, and other people will talk about at length for the foreseeable future. Not being part of those discussions could, ironically, make me feel lonely – something that Death Stranding thematically explores.
Death Stranding has all the hallmarks of games that I’ve loved in the past. Exploration, stunning music, a puzzling story, and an amalgamation of different genres. It’s a game I should enjoy.
But that’s the point. It’s one I could enjoy, but I fear that the high expectations placed on it mean that I couldn’t enjoy the journey that it might take me on. There’s always the chance that, months down the line, I’ll revisit my stance. The hype will have died down, I’ll be able to play it at my own pace, and I won’t worry about completing it as soon as possible to dissect it.
For now though, Death Stranding – just like Metal Gear and others before it – likely won’t bring my Kojima gaming drought to an end.