Summary
As the latest new IP from the studio led by the prolific game director Hideo Kojima following his departure from Konami,ODis seemingly set to follow in the footsteps of Death Stranding as a release that pushes the boundaries of the medium and takes risks with its gameplay formula. While there is little known aboutODapart from its cryptic announcement trailer and the fact it’s a collaboration with Jordan Peele, the circumstances of its development and the inspirations behind it indicate that this game has the potential to subvert typical tropes of the survival horror genre.
A demo that became a phenomenon that had players decoding its hidden messages for months,P.T.was the “playable teaser” for the canceled projectSilent Hills, which achieved high praise as a masterpiece despite its brevity. This is largely due to the genuine sense of fear the demo was able to create in many, as it built up a creeping feeling of dread and atmosphere as opposed to simply relying on jump-scares alone. There have been severalhints associatingODwithP.T.andSilent Hillssince its reveal, with Kojima possibly intending to evoke his past work for the sake of emphasizing the direction this horror project is taking.
Kojima’s Comparisons to The Exorcist Highlight OD’s Vision
Kojima and the Exorcist’s Impact on his Horror Tastes
While it’s already clear fromOD’s reveal footagealone that the game is likely to be unconventional by the standards of a horror title, there are already clues as to how this could manifest in a practical sense. During an interview with the Japanese magazineAn An, Kojima revealed the 1973 filmThe Exorcistto be one of the primary inspirations behindOD:
When I rewatched “The Exorcist'' after being over 60 years old, I found it to be far from scary, it was a very well-made movie. Friedkin’s direction, special effects, sound, camera, actors' performances, and details. Every scene was amazing and perfect. It was a high-quality drama depicting human courage and love in the face of evil. The reason it was a huge hit around the world and is still talked about today was not because it was an occult film…
The sentiment that Kojima seems to express regarding visual quality seems to have translated into projects likeMGS5andDeath Stranding, and it’s likely to continue informing the photorealistic motion capture style ofOD’s celebrity cameos. The formula of survival horror has remained mostly unchanged since their rise in the 90s, but hits likeSilent Hill 2have been notable due to strong character writing. In a genre known for inconsistent quality outside the impact of scares, Kojima Productions may have chosen to focus on the high-quality cinematic elements that its director found appealing inThe Exorcist.
Why OD is Likely to Subvert the Meaning of Horror Games
The Bold Examples Set by Death Stranding and P.T.
When considering the multiple visual parallels seen between the imagery inOD’s reveal andP.T., it seems that the project could essentially serve as a continuation of the canceled vision Kojima had forSilent Hills. It’s recognized for its terrifying design and the haunting presence of Lisa, butP.T.also became popular due to the demo’s obfuscated story hints which had to be pieced together by players cooperating together online. Between the mysterious nature ofOD’s announcement trailerdepicting its characters stating phonetic pangrams, the symbols hidden within their faces, the involvement of “elevated horror” auteur Jordan Peele, and the possible validity of leaked gameplay that shows “Overdose” to use a fear meter, there’s genuine potential for this to be an experience which sets itself apart from any other contemporary in the genre.
Death Strandingproved Kojima’s commitment to absurdityand following through on unique ideas, regardless of the risk associated with them, butODoffers his studio a special opportunity to create a new level of fear in the audience. Whether the game delves into a meta-commentary on motion capture or a story of psychological experiments and emergency alerts gone wrong, the unnerving nature of its initial reveal is a taste of the uncanny tone that fans can expect whenODeventually arrives.
Death Stranding
WHERE TO PLAY
From legendary game creator Hideo Kojima comes a genre-defying experience, now expanded in this definitive DIRECTOR’S CUT.In the future, a mysterious event known as the Death Stranding has opened a doorway between the living and the dead, leading to grotesque creatures from the afterlife roaming the fallen world marred by a desolate society.As Sam Bridges, your mission is to deliver hope to humanity by connecting the last survivors of a decimated America.Can you reunite the shattered world, one step at a time?DEATH STRANDING DIRECTOR’S CUT on PC includes HIGH FRAME RATE, PHOTO MODE and ULTRA-WIDE MONITOR SUPPORT. Also includes cross-over content from Valve Corporation’s HALF-LIFE series and CD Projekt Red’s Cyberpunk 2077. Stay connected with players around the globe with the Social Strand System™.
