Hideo Kojima Reveals a Surprising Origin Story for His Strangest Game

Hideo Kojima might be one of the most unique voices in gaming. For decades, Kojima has delivered some of the most memorable experiences in the industry, and many of his best games have featured bizarre concepts or strange hardware implementation. Every person that played the original Metal Gear Solid remembers Psycho Mantis reading the system’s memory card, and Death Stranding‘s whole concept alone makes it stand out. However, there’s one game that might be stranger than anything else that Kojima has ever been involved with, and that’s Boktai: The Sun is in Your Hand.

Released in 2003 for the Game Boy Advance, Boktai‘s plot centered around a vampire hunter. Rather than using stakes, the game’s protagonist used the Gun Del Sol, which basically fired concentrated sunlight at his foes. The hook of Boktai is that it featured a unique cartridge that included a light sensor. Playing the game during the daytime helped to charge the Gun Del Sol. More than two decades after the game’s release, Kojima has talked about Boktai‘s origin, and just how the light sensor ended up incorporated into the game.

Speaking to GamesRadar+ (via Nintendo Life), Kojima noted that “UV sensors were so expensive at the time.” However, Konami had a unique situation on its hands, as the company’s toy division had come up with a teddy bear with a UV sensor gimmick. The toy failed to find an audience, leaving Konami with a unique piece of technology on its hands without a use. Kojima was able to negotiate a cheaper deal as a result, and the sensors ended up in Game Boy Advance cartridges instead of plush toys. Kojima recalled that “you have to select the ideas at the best time.”

As strange as the UV sensor was in Boktai, Kojima apparently had ideas to take the concept even further. Years ago, the producer and designer revealed that he had considered adding a breath sensor to the game, as well. Since vampires have a weakness to garlic, the logic was that a player could eat certain foods to have an impact on their in-game enemies. It’s difficult to say if there was technology that could even match Kojima’s ambitions, but it was a moot point; apparently everyone else on the team hated the concept!

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Boktai certainly isn’t Kojima’s most well-known game, but it might be the best example of the unique ideas he brings to gaming. More than 20 years after the game’s release, Kojima is still looking for unique ways to push gaming concepts. Since its announcement, there has been a lot of speculation about his Xbox game OD. Trademarks registered for the game in 2023 suggested that the game will incorporate something called “social scream” and “social stealth.” No one knows what that means just yet, but knowing Kojima, it could be something very weird, and very memorable.

Did you ever play Boktai on the Game Boy Advance? Do you like it when Kojima tries weird new ideas? Share your thoughts with me directly on Bluesky at @Marcdachamp, or on Instagram at @Dachampgaming!