Norman Reedus Praises ‘Mind Blowing’ Death Stranding Concept

Norman Reedus has praised the concept behind his forthcoming video game Death Stranding, dubbing it “mind-blowing.” Death Stranding is the new game from legendary creator Hideo Kojima, who is most famous for his Metal Gear Solid games. The Metal Gear series pioneered stealth-based gameplay, confusing plotlines and cinematic cutscenes, but while they’re often mocked for their ridiculous twists and campy humor, the series holds a special place in gaming history.

Kojima famously parted with longtime publisher Konami after finishing Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, which appears to have been a messy breakup. Konami also canceled Silent Hills around this time, a new installment in the famous survival horror franchise that would have been a collaboration between Kojima, Guillermo del Toro, and The Walking Dead star Norman Reedus. The cancellation of the promising looking sequel was a huge blow to fans of the series, but their heartache was eased a little when it was announced Death Stranding would reunite the three for a brand new title.

Death Stranding has been teased with striking teaser trailers that reveal little of the actual plot. However, while the story remains under wraps, Reedus has praised the concept in an interview with the B&H Podcast. It sounds like even he’s slightly befuddled by the story, saying at one point “… I kinda know what it’s about because I’ve asked him a zillion questions,” but it seems the core concept is about connection:

“The concept is so mind-blowing, because it’s not like, you know, ‘kill everybody and win the game’, it’s a connecting thing. It’s like the opposite. And, you know, it’s so ahead of its time. And there’s elements of social media in it, and the idea is that – you know, you have so many games, and so many parts of millennial culture I guess, is being alone in a room. And you lose physical contact with people. This is after that and the re-establishing of that physical contact.”

In addition to Reedus, Death Stranding also stars Mads Mikkelsen and Guillermo del Toro, and the trailers so far make it look like a mixture of action, horror, and sci-fi. Kojima is known for playing with gamers expectations – like when he infamously made series hero Solid Snake a supporting character in Metal Gear Solid 2 – so the game will likely feature many surprises when it finally launches exclusively on PlayStation 4.

In the meantime, Jordan Vogt-Roberts (Kong: Skull Island) is developing a live-action Metal Gear Solid movie. The filmmaker claims the movie won’t be based on any one title in the series, and it will likely fuse together a couple of different storylines from the franchise. Konami has also pressed ahead without Kojima on a spin-off game called Metal Gear Survive, featuring a story where soldiers are sucked into an alternate reality filled with bizarre, zombie-like creatures. Players have to craft weapons and build defences to survive the hordes; critical and fan reaction to the game hasn’t been kind thus far.

Death Stranding doesn’t currently have a release date, but we’ll update you as more information arrives.

Source: B&H Podcast (via Comic Book)