‘Connection’ Will Be Integral to Death Stranding, Reveals Kojima

The eager public has long awaited additional details about Death Stranding. Fortunately, the director just offered a few more bits of information during a panel at the Tribeca Film Festival. In true Hideo Kojima fashion, the new tidbits are incredibly vague, offering little in the way of anything concrete. Still, some of his comments are well worth noting. According to someone who attended the panel, one of the more intriguing aspects of the discussion was Kojima’s talk concerning a prevalent theme in Death Stranding—“connection.”

Resetera user Cerium sat in the audience for the panel, which also featured Norman Reedus. During the discussion, Kojima emphasized the significance of connection as a theme in Death Stranding, while employing the internet as a metaphor. This will become apparent in both the game’s story and gameplay; how exactly everything will come together remains unknown. However, the director did explain that though Death Stranding offers a single-player experience, everyone will be connected.

Kojima then went on to explore this idea further, questioning whether connecting and disconnecting are one and the same. Is it better to connect or disconnect? In broaching this topic, Kojima hopes players examine such themes in their own lives. European politics and dating are two of the examples he put forth.

The panel discussion veered into a few other directions, as well. For one, Kojima reaffirmed Death Stranding as an open-world game. In doing so, he briefly touched on challenges involved in developing such a project. He specifically identified the balancing act with regards to narrative and player freedom. While story beats will require players to follow a set path, Kojima still wants player choice to matter.

Unfortunately, Kojima could not divulge when Sony will show off more of the game. However, he did tease that new details may surface in the next month or so. Based on Cerium’s account, this particular tease seems to have come with a big “maybe” attached. But one surefire comment worthy of excitement is Norman Reedus’ claim that Death Stranding is a tear-jerking experience, one players should expect to become emotionally invested in.

The context is unclear, but, reportedly, Kojima also shared his desire to make games for the rest of his life. Dare we ask whether a Death Stranding 2 is already piercing his thoughts?

Death Stranding still lacks an official release date, but it seems clear the game won’t launch anytime soon. According to Kojima’s last word on the subject, development is “slightly behind” the studio’s initial release schedule.

[Source: ResetEra]