Just a week out from the game's release, Death Stranding star Norman Reedus has continued to praise game director Hideo Kojima's vision, stating that his mind is "on another level" while also referring to him as a genius. Death Stranding is set to launch soon after a lengthy period in development that has seen numerous celebrities come on board the project, alongside some lengthy trailers that, despite at least one of which being the length of a short film, have left fans with significantly more questions than answers.
The Death Stranding launch trailer that released earlier this week did seem to contain some spoilers for the game's narrative - but because fans are so unsure of what that narrative looks like, it's hard to say, making the marketing decision appear brilliant as a result. What consumers have learned so far is that Death Stranding is a game that aims to create a new genre in gaming and is very much a "Hideo Kojima game," as the director has stressed in interviews and explained on Twitter. That's only ramped up excitement for his first title since a messy break-up with Konami many years ago, and nearly everyone involved - including Mads Mikkelsen and Guillermo del Toro - has discussed Death Stranding as though it is wholly unique to the industry.
Perhaps no one has been as fond of heaping praise on Kojima during the build-up to launch than Norman Reedus, who will portray protagonist Sam Bridges in Death Stranding. During an interview with Hollywood Reporter, Reedus once again gushed about why he's happy to be involved in the project, shedding some light on the process. Reedus first got involved because Guillermo del Toro suggested he should, and apparently knew the project was going to be a "home-run" right from the start. He also praised Kojima's vision, giving an example of what working with him was like:
"You stand up and he goes, 'Imagine there's a thousand dead whales in front of you,' and you're like, 'What?!' His mind is on another level. He's a genius' genius...We sort of transcended the language barrier after a while."
Death Stranding is certainly a complex game, and it appears a lot of that will impress once fans get a chance to experience it themselves. Reedus also mentioned that a lot of the process was open for interpretation, suggesting that collaboration was key in filming scenes and that Kojima was very open to hearing feedback from those involved, making revisions wherever necessary. That's likely why so many of the people who have worked on Death Stranding feel such a strong attachment to it - if it's as collaborative as it sounds, there's likely a bit of everyone involved in it somewhere.
Obviously, Norman Reedus is directly involved in the project, so he's not going to do anything that would make it sound less exciting. Still, the enthusiasm from the crew involved in Death Stranding comes across as infectious in their media appearances, and it's hard to remember a game over the last few years that had this many people talking about, especially in this way. Consumers are just over a week away from finding out whether or not Death Stranding really does revolutionize gaming, but at the very least, the game has left a lasting impression on those involved with it.
Death Stranding releases on November 8, 2019 for PS4. A PC version is confirmed for summer 2020.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter