'Death Stranding' Plot: Kojima Doesn't Get It, but We'll Learn More Soon

What do Norman Reedus and a multi-dimensional baby have in common? Absolutely nothing, but Hideo Kojima will change that with the November 8 launch of Death Stranding.

The open-world action title will be Kojima Production’s first big release since the famous developer parted ways with Konami in 2015. But with only two months left before Death Stranding’s release, gamers and even Kojima himself, aren’t quite sure what Death Stranding is about.

“Death Stranding… even now, I don’t understand the game,” he Kojima told the Financial Times “Its world view, gameplay, they are all new. My mission is to create a genre that does not currently exist, and which takes everyone by surprise.”

Even after multiple trailers and a glimpse at its gameplay, the overarching story is unclear. We know it’ll include political commentary, obscure metaphysical concepts, a slew of science-fiction tropes, and a remarkably realistic urination mechanic. But all of that could finally be tied together on September 12 at the Tokyo Game Show.

Kojima Productions announced that it would be debuting 80 minutes of Death Stranding gameplay at the Japanese gaming convention.

The demo will be split into two days, 50 minutes on Sept. 12 and 30 minutes on Sept. 14, plus the game’s Japanese voice actors and Kojima will make appearances on Sept. 15. The presentations will all begin at around 3 a.m. Eastern and video will be posted to the PlayStation YouTube channel afterwards. It’s unclear if you’ll be able to livestream these presentations, but you may be able to find live footage on Kojima’s website closer to the actual event.

These sessions are expected to provide some much needed clarity two months before Kojima Productions’ first solo release. For now, the through line that seems to tie all of Death Stranding’s head-scratching themes together is human connection.

Players will need to reconnect a fractured civilization. Sam’s mission is to track from the East to the West cost of the United States to reestablish communication networks. The end goal is to bring together a splintered nation by delivering a message of hope from the President of the United Cities of America, Bridget, who is on her deathbed.

This week should provide evidence as to how accurate Death Stranding first-impressions truly were.

Death Stranding will be released November 8 exclusively on PlayStation 4.