Often hailed as one of the most original video game auteurs of his generation, Hideo Kojima has created some of the most popular franchises in the industry. Largely known for his decades-long ties with Konami and the Metal Gear games, Kojima has also produced, written, designed, and directed some of the most influential action/adventure titles on the market, often using cinematic techniques to craft unforgettable worlds and characters.
As his latest endeavor Death Stranding continues to earn rave reviews for the way it recreates the COVID-19 pandemic, it's worth highlighting the lasting legacy of Hideo Kojima and his most beloved gaming franchises.
Silent Hills/P.T.
Directed and designed by Kojima in conjunction with Oscar-winning filmmaker Guillermo Del Toro, P.T. was a psychological horror game created in 2014. Meant to be Kojima's first foray into the mega-popular Silent Hill franchise, P.T. (Playable Trailer) drew praise for its visual style, complex plot, tricky puzzles, and sinister supernatural atmosphere.
Alas, the game's free download release on the PlayStation Network was canceled due to irreconcilable differences that took place behind the scenes, something fans of both Kojima and Silent Hill are still lamenting. This led to the cancellation of P.T.'s full version, Silent Hills, which partially led to Kojima Productions severing ties with Konami in 2015 and becoming its own entity. Since Kojima neither created the Silent Hill Franchise nor saw his version stay on the market, it has to be his least successful video game foray to date.
Policenauts
Written and directed by Kojima and published by Konami in 1994, Policenauts is a somewhat obscure point-and-click graphic adventure game that improved with each upgraded gaming console. Its best version came via Sega Saturn in 1996. Taking place in 2013, the game follows Jonathan Ingram, an astronaut who awakes from cryosleep in Los Angeles, only to return to his space colony to investigate his wife's murder, ultimately exposing an organ-trafficking ring.
While Policenauts never saw a sequel, it has been called the spiritual predecessor of Kojima's Snatcher series and a direct influence on the Metal Gear mythos Kojima would create soon after. Praised for playing more like a cinematic experience than a video game, Policenauts still boasts terrific animation, voice acting, and a captivating setting.
Boktai
Created by Kojima for Konami and Game Boy Advance in 2003, Boktai is an action-adventure RPG that follows Django, a vampire hunter who traverses the Age of Darkness and uses a Solar Gun to execute nocturnal ghouls. The portable game saw three sequels published between 2004 and 2006, including Boktai 2, Boktai 3, and Lunar Knights.
The Boktai games drew favorable reviews from critics and casual gamers alike, including the first game, Boktai: The Sun in Your Hand, which made use of a light sensor on the game cartridge that forced gamers to play in direct sunlight for optimum effect. Alas, being limited to handheld gaming consoles hampered its overall popularity and has largely made Boktai a relatively unknown Kojima franchise.
Zone Of The Enders
Kojima created an ensorcelling cyberpunk video game franchise in 2001 via Zone of the Enders, which allows players to battle mechas on Mars and Jupiter using techniques that paved the way for the best hack and slash video games around. With a side-story sequel released the same year for Game Boy Advance subtitled Fist of Mars and an official sequel entitled Zone of Enders: The 2nd Runner in 2003, both games were remastered in an HD Collection in 2012, alluding to its persistent fanbase.
With critics favoring the PS2 release of The 2nd Runner for its stellar story, eye-popping visuals, and focused linear direction, Zone of Enders made a vast improvement from Kojima's original vision. However, critics felt the voice acting, repetitive dialogue, and unappealing characterizations left a lot to be desired. With graphics created by Yoji Shinkawa, the head designer on Metal Gear, Zone of Enders has early hallmarks of Kojima's best work.
Death Stranding
The first game released following Kojima Productions' departure from Konami, Death Stranding is an action game written, directed, and designed by Hideo Kojima. Working closely with Guillermo Del Toro and actor Norman Reedus as well, the game follows Sam Porter Bridges, a courier tasked with providing supplies for people stranded following a catastrophic event known as "Death Stranding" that has left giant creatures roaming Earth.
With an excellent international movie cast that includes Mads Mikkelsen, Lea Seydoux, Margaret Qualley, and more, the game has earned high praise from most gamers and critics alike, with most favoring the PC version over the PS4 release. While some found the game frustrating, repetitive, and too crammed full of content, most others felt the game marked the perfect marriage of Kojima's unique imagination with engrossing storylines, top-tier graphics, and arguably the best walking simulator ever made.
Snatcher
Released one year after the first Metal Gear game in 1988, Snatcher is a cyberpunk graphic action-adventure game that is still hailed as one of the best of its ilk. Written, designed, and directed by Kojima for Konami, the trailblazing game follows Gillian Seed, a bounty hunter searching Neo Kobe City for "Snatchers," deadly humanoid robots in disguise, drawing major cinematic inspiration from such classic 80s franchises as Akira, Blade Runner, and The Terminator. Despite its age, it remains one of Kojima's best video games.
Aside from being ported to various consoles over time, Snatcher was also remade as SD Snatcher for the MSX2 in 1990, turning the gameplay into an RPG. While Snatcher may not be as popular as some of Kojima's other franchises, few cyberpunk adventure games feature as engrossing a storyline, gorgeous graphics, cinematic sweep, and startling sense of atmosphere.
Metal Gear
As he should be, Hideo Kojima will always be synonymous with the Metal Gear franchise, clearly his most lasting legacy within the video game industry that will withstand the test of time. With 11 main games and countless spinoffs, Metal Gear is not only one of the bestselling video game series, but its groundbreaking gameplay mechanics and conventions have influenced and inspired innumerable offshoots and imitators. With full authorial control as a writer, producer, designer, and director of most Metal Gear games, few video game creators have been able to put their personal stamp on a high-quality product for such a long time.
Helping to define and popularize the tropes and tenets of stealth action-adventure games, Metal Gear introduced the world to Solid Snake, an iconic video game character that has remained in the public consciousness from 1987 to 2022.