During Comic-Con 2019,Death Strandingdirector Hideo Kojima took part in a panel meant to focus on his role as a storyteller. But during the panel, the video game auteur also gave fans some more info about his upcoming game, including the inspiration for some of the traversal elements inDeath Stranding.
AlthoughDeath Strandinghas many iconic elements and imagery, one gameplay mechanic that has stood out to players is the collapsible ladder. During the latestDeath Strandingtrailer,protagonist Sam (Norman Reedus)can be seen taking the ladder and using it to ascend a rocky hill. It’s a very Kojima-esque mechanic but as it turns out, the developer conceived of it as an homage to the early days of gaming.
During the Hideo Kojima Comic-Con panel, theDeath Strandingdirector explained that the ladder and rope being used as traversal items pays homage to the early days of gaming, where titles likeSuper MarioandDonkey Kongruled. In these games, Kojima explained, players would ascend to new heights by ladder or rope and so he wanted to develop a game that had a similar approach, albeit with a futuristic slant.
Kojima doesn’t imagine that the bulk ofDeath Strandingis likeDonkey Kong, but that one mechanic is adapted to a 3D space and inspired by those older games. Obviously, there is much more to the ladder inDeath Strandingthan inSuper Mario, but it’s interesting to hear that Kojima took inspiration from those games when designing it. At a glance, the ladder seems like a classic Kojima mechanic, not unlike theFulton system in theMetal Gear Solidseries, which airlifted items away via a balloon system.
At the same time, there is always a deeper meaning behind almost every element in a Kojima game. As one of the few visionary creators in the game development industry, Kojima tries to design games with thought and care put into everything fromthe story to the charactersto the environment. So it only feels fitting that he would have a long explanation behind an expanding ladder beyond just that it looks cool.
