The legendary creator of 'Metal Gear Solid' explains what his crazy new game is: 'It's really new, it's something new'
- A mysterious, highly-anticipated new game named "Death Stranding" is being created by legendary game developer Hideo Kojima.
- Despite showing the game in action several times with lengthy trailers, it remains unclear what the game is about.
- In a recent panel at the Tribeca Film Festival, Kojima outlined his vision for the game: "It's an action game - an open-world action game - but it's really new. It's something new."
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In the last major trailer for the highly-anticipated video game "Death Stranding," a baby shows the camera its butt before flipping around and giving viewers a thumbs up.
It begs the question: What in the world is this game?
That was the big question that the game's creator, Hideo Kojima, answered during a recent panel at the Tribeca Films Festival.
"It's an action game - an open-world action game - but it's really new, it's something new," Kojima said. "There's so many things happening in the real world: America, Europe. Everything is actually connected by the internet, but we're not really connected to the real world these days. I'm kind of putting that metaphor in a game."
It's an updated message for modern times. Kojima, a rare auteur in the video game industry, is notorious for using his video games as a means of conveying a bigger message.
In the case of the long-running, beloved "Metal Gear" franchise, he repeatedly expressed his feelings about nuclear weapons proliferation.
In the case of "Death Stranding," the message is a product of the modern world.
"The player will have to reconnect the world in the game," Kojima said. "You're very alone and [there's a] solitude feeling as well, but you're trying to connect. The story and the gameplay: The key word is connection. There are so many things in between of course, but the key is connection."
What we've seen of the game thus far depicts the game's main character Sam Bridges, played by "The Walking Dead" actor Norman Reedus, traversing a beautiful, sparse landscape.
Reedus' character appears to be carrying packages of varying sizes, with the occasional stop to carefully avoid semi-invisible monsters.
In one instance, he connects a living baby in a jar to his suit while a robotic arm warns of threats all around him. In another, he carefully crosses a gap between two ridges with a ladder.
In short, it's a mystery what you actually do in "Death Stranding." Reedus' character appears to be a courier of some form, traversing a dangerous, mysterious landscape.
Reedus, who sat on the Tribeca Film Festival panel with Kojima, offered a hint.
"I have a teenage son. I've played some games where you just kill everybody. It's not like that," Reedus said. "There are violent elements to it, but it's just a different thing. It's completely different."
Kojima offered another tease of what to expect from "Death Stranding" - a so-called "really new idea" that he described in characteristically abstract terms.
"You're connecting the game, and everyone's playing it together," he said. "And everyone will be connected together as well."
At that point he stopped himself and pointed to his business relationship with Sony - the company paying for "Death Stranding" in exchange for exclusivity to the PlayStation platform - as a limiting factor.
"I can't say anything," he said, "Because Sony will be very unhappy. And I don't want to be disconnected to Sony."
But don't worry: It won't be too long before we learn more. Kojima said more information is coming, "in a month or so" - right in time for the game industry's annual trade show, E3.
In the meantime, check out the latest trailer for "Death Stranding" right here: