I beat Death Stranding on PS4 the other week in order to review it. It’s not very outwardly politically. That said, that doesn’t mean it’s not inspired by political topics. For example, it’s — at least partially — inspired by Trump and the wall he wants to build between the United States of America and Mexico. It’s also inspired by Brexit. It’s also inspired by how mean people are to each other online. It’s even inspired by loneliness. In short, it’s inspired by a lot of things, and recently creator Hideo Kojima talked about some of these inspirations.
“Trump is building a wall and the UK is leaving the EU,” said while speaking Kojima to BBC’s Steffan Powell. “In the game, we use bridges to connect things. But destroying those bridges can instantly turn them into walls. So bridges and walls are almost synonymous. That’s one of the things I’d like players to think about in the game.”
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Kojima further added:
“The attacks and violence seen online these days is out of control. So I designed this for people to take a step back and by connecting, relearn how to be kind to others,” Kojima said. “After spending dozens of hours in the game you will come back to reality in the end. When you do, I want you to use what you learned in the game. Connecting is one of those things.”
In addition to larger scale modern issues, Kojima also opened up some of the more personal inspirations for the game, including his battle with loneliness.
“I’m very prone to loneliness. I think there are similar people around the world, especially gamers. 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.”
Death Stranding will be available on PS4 starting November 8. Meanwhile, in 2020 it will hit PC. For more news, rumors, leaks, media, and information on the game, be sure to peep all of our previous and extensive coverage of it by clicking right here.
“The nucleus of Death Stranding is its slow burning story that brews classic sci-fi with old weird fiction on top of foundational ideas and perspectives redolent of writers and visionaries like Kobo Abe and Franz Kafka,” reads a snippet from our review of the game. “Similar to Metal Gear Solid, the story of Death Stranding is a complicated multi-layered narrative that will make you feel lost, but never loses you, and pays back your patience with mind-shattering revelations and remarkable interweaving of personal, intimate moments with an exploration of life’s biggest questions. And the vehicle to all of this is Kojima’s signature style of storytelling, which evokes his past work, but also evolves it.
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