Hideo Kojima reveals there will be a gearing system for ‘Death Stranding’

In a recent interview, Hideo Kojima revealed what his plans are for 'Death Stranding' and why some of the teaser trailer's imagery was important.

There is so little known about the cryptically enticing project, 'Death Stranding', from the legendary creator of 'Metal Gear Solid', Hideo Kojima. Hot off the heels of his divorce from gaming studio, Konami, Kojima got to work on a secret project with Guillermo Del Toro (director, 'Pacific Rim', 'Hellboy') and Norman Reedus ('The Walking Dead', 'Boondock Saints'). Finally, for Sony's big finale at their E3 conference last year, Kojima drops the first official teaser trailer for the game.

The first trailer was vague, mysterious, and featured Reedus in all his naked glory. In a recent interview at the Tribeca Games Festival, Kojima discusses some of his past influences and his love of cinema that translates to his love of gaming.

On the subject of 'Death Stranding', he reveals why he chose the imagery that was in that trailer. It turns out, his primary reason for showing the naked Norman is much simpler than people were speculating:

[Translated] "For the teaser, we're using Norman naked. That's something very specific that I had in mind. I want people to see first a naked Norman, then from there, you'll be able to see him in different costumes, different hairstyles, different equipment…and that's as much as I should say today."

By presenting Norman's character as a "blank slate", he seems to be trying to avoid the association with a "main look", giving players the freedom to mix and match clothing and gear as they see fit. This does help us understand what he has in mind for the gameplay, but its still unclear as to how the gearing itself will work. From the sound of it, its entirely possible it might be strictly cosmetic, but keeping in mind how Kojima has been handling the information flow for the game, we might not know for sure for quite some time.

According to him, the production is still going smoothly and remains on schedule. So far, the studio is still test running some of the environments and characters. He plans to give the game an unparalleled level of detail before making the finishing touches on the script. With that kind of planning and testing, 'Death Stranding' is shaping up to be well worth the wait.

Death Stranding releases on the PS4…soon!