Details surrounding Death Stranding 2 have been hard to come by since the game was announced last December, but Hideo Kojima revealed some new information in an interview with the Japanese outlet Natalie (translated by Video Games Chronicle). In the interview, Kojima elaborated on some of his past comments about the game, notably the fact that he decided to rewrite the script following the coronavirus pandemic. The pandemic's impact on things like remote work and human connections were deeply felt by Kojima, and he wanted to address these elements in Death Stranding 2.

"...when the pandemic did strike, it led us to restructure the entire script. In Death Stranding we championed the act of connection. But, as the pandemic took hold, digital connections like remote work gained prominence," Kojima told the outlet. "I also realized that digital connections alone couldn't satisfy human needs. We are inherently explorers."

It will be interesting to see how these concepts apply to the overall story, and how we see this aspect of our world reflected in Death Stranding 2. The coronavirus pandemic had a massive impact on everyone, and a lot of storytellers have seen their perspectives about the world shift as a result. That doesn't mean that the virus itself will play into the narrative, of course. Instead, we'll get a glimpse into how Kojima's world perspective has changed over the last few years. While viewers didn't know it at the time, it seems that the teaser trailer for Death Stranding 2 offered a hint at just that.

"In Death Stranding 2, the interpretation of 'strand' evolves. You'll notice, at the end of the teaser trailer, a message that says 'Should We Have Connected?' That's the crux of what we're trying to articulate in the sequel."

It remains to be seen whether Kojima's decision to rewrite the script will be for the better, but clearly it's the story he wants to tell! Hopefully the finished product will reflect his vision while building on the foundations from the first game.



Posted: Aug 06, 2023 8:52 pm
Related Forum: PlayStation Forum

Source: https://comicbook.com/gaming/news/death-stranding-2-details-hideo-kojima-covid-pandemic/