Hideo Kojima is willing to acknowledge that Death Stranding was rather “strange,” but perhaps that’s not shocking from a creator intent on crafting distinctive experiences.
In a conversation with Edge Magazine, Kojima was ready to recognize that the initial Death Stranding was “strange.” While this may not astonish you, I must confess I was somewhat taken aback to hear such an inventive developer describe his creation in that manner – especially since it was noted that Death Stranding doesn’t spend much time getting you to transport the body of the US president across the nation to a nearby incinerator.
However, considering Kojima’s creativity and ambition to design extraordinary games, “strange” might be merely the surface of something deeper. In another part of the interview, he remarked that he was “not keen on creating a game that is appealing to everyone,” and he declines to modify themes or narratives based on feedback.” He might tweak control schemes or camera aspects, but the essence of the story will remain precisely as it is. If you find it strange, that’s your issue, not Kojima’s.
It’s essential to remember, of course, that a certain degree of peculiarity has become an intrinsic part of Kojima’s developmental persona throughout his career. From his sunlight-driven vampire game to a concept he recently described where your character forgets everything if you take a break from playing, very little of his prior work is clearly ‘ordinary,’ and there’s no good reason to believe that will change with Death Stranding 2 – a title that notably features a talking puppet man and a guitar-playing antagonist. Honestly, if all that is simply “strange,” I would be curious to see what else he might bring to the table.
