It’s official:Death Strandingis being developed into a feature film byA24. It has a confirmed director now too, withA Quiet Place: Day One’s Michael Sarnoski taking up the helm.
Hideo Kojima has always been obsessed with cinema, so I have to imagine he is doing backflips right now in response to the news. Many would even argue that his games are essentially films already with the length of their cutscenes and an unhealthy obsession with bulky exposition.
But despite the reputationKojima Productionshas carried for decades now, I’m not sure if it is necessarily fair when player interactivity is so integral to each of the games it’s created. I have issues with how it handles narrative and the sheer relentlessness of the cutscenes piled on the audience, but these excesses are worth forgiving in the grand scheme of things.
Few Video Games Do Interactivity Quite Like Metal Gear Solid
Metal Gear Solidhas always pushed boundaries, right up until Hideo Kojima bid the series farewell withThe Phantom Pain. Putting aside how the original game ushered in the era of cinematic video game blockbusters, its sequel,Sons of Liberty,would introduce interactions across its mechanics and environments that are still impressive to this day. When aboard a cargo ship in the opening mission, you can shoot bottles on a random bar and make them splinter into individual shards of glass, or watch as ice melts in real time on a metal surface.
Objects in the environment move and change in response to optional player interaction, while the same can be said of how enemies in the world react to the actions you take. It’s stunning, and speaks to how many things the development team conjured up and considered. There is so much fun to be had just experimenting with the things put in front of you, and while you also have to sit through several hours of cutscenes in each playthrough, by that point you’ve already bought into the entire experience.Snake Eaterwould build on this, butGuns of the Patriotson PlayStation 3 took things to a whole other level.
This extended videodoes a great job of showcasing everything the PS3 exclusive explores so well, and despite working away on infamously irksome hardware for the first time, Kojima and company were still able to work their magic.
One of the opening cutscenes can play out a total of four different ways, depending on whether you pick up certain weapons or not, and turning the camera in certain directions during cutscenes or pressing buttons at the right time will unveil secrets that only a small fraction of players will ever see.
Codec calls, completing sequences in specific ways, or simply taking enough time to experiment with the levels that you are placed in will naturally reward you with cool oddities and wonderful Easter Eggs. It is what makes video games as a medium so special, and how they can express immersion in a way no other medium can.
Note: My personal favourite feature is the cargo plane you are free to explore during the mission briefings before each chapter. you may take control of a robot and explore a tight space that is packed with unique character interactions and worthwhile secrets.
And That Philosophy Carries Over To The Strange Brilliance Of Death Stranding
Kojima Productions’ love of both incredibly extensive cutscenes and constant interactivity is a design philosophy that carries over to Death Stranding in full effect. While there are plenty of preambles setting up the narrative and explaining the gameplay mechanics, once you’re free to do whatever you like, the freedom is downright liberating.
Every little thing you do in Death Stranding hinges on an intimate sense of interactivity. The sheer act of moving around the post-apocalyptic environment requires you to hold down two shoulder buttons whenever possible, an anchor that keeps you centered in the world and aware of the environment you call home. Every rock, incline, and drop of rainfall must be considered to succeed.
While vehicles can help you navigate the wasteland at a faster pace, they still operate according to the same awkward whims and necessity of management, and failing to work within those parameters will see you assaulted and overwhelmed by enemies in mere moments. You might view this as frustrating, but any game that is willing to consider the minutiae of a player’s place within it is worth celebrating.
What makes this easier to parse are the constant useful items and signs left behind by other players that encourage you to keep moving forward, reminding players that they aren’t alone on this journey. You can choose to contribute to their efforts, leave a handful of likes, or walk on by like nothing happened. Every single thing you do or item you use in Death Stranding has an impact on the wider world and experience, taking the brilliance of Metal Gear Solid as it translates it into something more modern, online, and unpredictable.
Much like the cargo ship in Metal Gear Solid 4, Sam’s private room in Death Stranding is a constantly evolving homestead that invites you to poke and prod at everything to exciting results.
News of Death Stranding’s film adaptation might have people making jokes about the game already being a movie because of its excessive use of cutscenes, but this discounts exactly how brilliant its moment-to-moment gameplay can be, and how so many factors combine to immerse you in a world where consistent interactivity is king. I can’t help feeling that a passive film experience won’t capture the same magic, and might even help highlight just how crucial the gameplay always was.
