Death Stranding is apparently a reaction to world events, according to game director Hideo Kojima.
It’s not uncommon for games to try to make a political statement, either for better or for worse. Just look at the Call of Duty or Rainbow 6 series for some pretty good examples. However, we haven’t had a game that really looks at the era of Trump and Brexit with a critical eye.
It figures that Kojima will be the first to that scene.
According to a new interview between the BBC’s Radio 1 Newsbeat gaming reporter Steffan Powell and Death Stranding creator Hideo Kojima, the game about delivering packages to remote corners of a post-apocalyptic world is a direct response to current events.
"President Trump right now is building a wall,” Kojima said. “Then you have Brexit, where the UK is trying to leave, there are lots of walls and people thinking only about themselves in the world. The era of today is about individualism."
Kojima noted that the internet is at least partly to blame. The promise of the internet was to create a more connected and inclusive society, where we suddenly understand and accept other peoples’ points of view simply because they’re so easily accessible. Things didn’t really turn out that way.
"We may be connected through the internet more than ever, but what's happening is that people are attacking each other because we're so connected," remarked Kojima.
Death Stranding is a direct response to both these issues. The main character, Sam Porter Bridges, spends the entire game delivering packages, fending off bandits, and literally making connections with people in faraway places. The game is online, but there are no ways to interact negatively with other players. You can leave hints, clues, and even supplies for other couriers, but you can’t leave traps or try to slow them down.
Another big theme in Death Stranding? Loneliness. “Even though they're having fun with others outside when they are alone and playing video games in their living room they don't feel like they fit into society or their community. So when those people play this game they realize people like them exist all over the world. Knowing that even though I'm lonely, there are other people like me makes them feel at ease, that's what I would like for them to feel when playing the game.”
Death Stranding arrives on PS4 on November 8th, and then later on PC in the first half of 2020.
Source: BBC