Death Stranding 2: On The Beachshould, by all accounts, be Hideo Kojima’s biggest and even potentially best game. It has more cameos, a bigger world, and even wackier things happening in the story. It’s everything I and all the otherDeath Strandingfans could have hoped for and, one can only imagine, even more. Of course, there will surely be some minor issues here and there. After all, few games are perfect. However, it really looks like Kojima is going all in onDeath Stranding 2, and that has me extremely excited.
Well, I was excited until recently, when I heard a worrisome comment from Kojima about the game. While thegame’s composer has praisedDS2to no end, and many previews have given it glowing feedback, Kojima doesn’t seem as enthused. In fact, it may be the opposite, and that could be a problem. Kojima has a certain way of approaching every game, and one should give him the benefit of the doubt, butmy love for the first game and my hope for the second to be as good, if not better, has me analyzing Kojima’s comments to no end.
Hideo Kojima Is Changing Death Stranding 2
The Fans Liked It Too Much
Hideo Kojima has apparently changed crucial parts ofDeath Stranding 2, according to one of the game’s composers, Woodkid. In an interview withRolling Stone, Woodkid was asked if there was anything essential he had learned from Kojima during their time together, to which he responded that there was a moment in which Kojima told him there was “a problem” withDeath Stranding 2. Specifically, Kojima thought thatplayers likedDS2too muchand that it meant “something is wrong.” Woodkid’s explained to Rolling Stone:
There’s a key moment where we had a discussion […] where he came to me and he said, “We have a problem.” Then he said, “I’m going to be very honest, we have been testing the game with players and the results are too good. They like it too much. That means something is wrong; we have to change something.” And he changed stuff in the script and the way some crucial stuff [happens] in the game because he thought his work was not polarizing and not triggering enough emotions. And he said, “If everyone likes it, it means it’s mainstream. It means it’s conventional. It means it’s already pre-digested for people to like it. And I don’t want that. I want people to end up liking things they didn’t like when they first encountered it, because that’s where you really end up loving something. And that was really a lesson for me; not doing stuff to please people, but to make them shift a little bit and move them.
The part of Woodkid’s quote that concerns me the most is where he discusses how the overwhelmingly positive feedback from players made Kojima “change stuff in the script and the way some crucial stuff [happens].” Now, there are plenty ofweird details inDS2that likely do need shuffling around or changing to be more palatable, and I’d understand Kojima toning down those elements. However,it sounds like fans were just enjoying the game and the story a lot, and Kojima changed that to get a better reaction later on, rather than immediately.
Kojima wantingDeath Stranding 2to be “polarizing” and to make us weep endlessly is fine, and, frankly, I and likely every other fan want that too. However,what I’m a bit worried about is the idea that people liking something makes it “mainstream"and that they need to be made to hate something, or dislike it, before they are then made to love it. There is definitely room for that, as controversial decisions or difficult choices can lead to more emotional and satisfying outcomes, but so too can enjoyable and “mainstream” ideas that everyone is telling you they love.
Death Stranding 2 Should Have Mass Appeal
It Should Draw In A Big Audience
I’m also of the firm opinion thatDeath Stranding 2should have mass appeal. The first game was made out to be a mess, at least to me, when it came out. It got a positive critical reception, but I’d always heard it referred to as a controversial game that’s hard to love. That put me off playing it for a while, which was a shame as it now sits comfortably in my second-favorite game of all-time spot.Death Strandingis a masterpiece, but I almost didn’t play it because of how controversial or disagreeable the mainstream audience found it.
There is absolutely a place for more experimental games that earn a cult-status but never hit the mainstream. However, these don’t do as well financially, and Kojima Productions, as well-funded as it likely is, can’t afford to take bold and experimental risks in an era of layoffs and studio closures.I don’t want to see Kojima Productions shut down because Kojima was worried people likedDeath Stranding 2too much, and so he made it worse, or at least more polarizing in response. There are alreadyissues withDeath Stranding 2, so Kojima doesn’t need to go around making more.
I still think, despite it all,Death Stranding 2will be an amazing game.
To be absolutely clear,I don’t thinkDeath Stranding 2will be a bad game as a result of these changes. I still think, despite it all,Death Stranding 2will be an amazing game. I am just worried that, after creating numerous successful games and being regarded as one of gaming’s greatest auteurs - or the closest one can get to being an auteur in the gaming industry - Kojima perhaps believes he knows better than everyone, and, in doing so, is tarnishing amazing experiences in favor of something less mainstream.
I Still Trust Kojima To Make A Great Game
He Hasn’t Let Us Down Yet
Of course, despite all of my complaints, worries, and anxieties surrounding this story from Woodkid,I also have complete faith in Hideo Kojima to know what is best forDeath Stranding 2. After all, while there were somequestionable decisions inDeath Stranding, it remains an utterly exceptional experience that no one has replicated since. Kojima’s brand of storytelling also never fails to disappoint, even if it can be awfully confusing at times. He creates amazing worlds unlike any other and delivers stories that no one else would dare make. Kojima really is special.
That’s why, even though I am genuinely a tad concerned, I’ll likely be picking upDeath Stranding 2almost immediately - not even Kojima can convince me to actually pre-order a game.I suspect whatever changes Kojima has made will appeal to a certain subset of gamers, myself included. While the mainstream may end up not loving them, or at least not immediately gelling with them, people like me, people who loved the originalDeath Strandingunconditionally, will almost certainly fall in love with whatever Kojima and the wonderfully talented people at Kojima Productions have cooked up.
For those who are worried about these potential changes and haven’t experiencedDeath Strandingbefore, I highly recommendplayingDS1beforeDS2. It’ll help prepare anyone who may think, like myself, that Kojima could be shooting himself in the foot, for the bafflingly brilliant experience in store.Death Stranding 2will, undoubtedly, surpass the original, but I hope whatever those players found so absolutely incredible about it the first time around still makes it into the game so that the mainstream audience who may have never played it otherwise will give it a try.
