The_Observer
Member
It's a bit hard to come up with a coherent post about this game but I'll try my best to convince you that it is one of the GOATs.
So I always felt that Kojima was a bit of an overhyped person in the gaming industry. I felt that while he was very good at what he was doing he was still just one person among a lot of others who develop these games and there are also different gaming directors who are also very good but they just avoid spotlight (or the spotlight avoids them). Now after finishing this game, which I consider his best work yet by far (and his other works are amazing as well), I feel like that he deserves the spotlight. I am still under the effects of this game and will be for a long time.
The basic themes of the game like life, death, love, hate, similiarities, differences, connections, understanding, our world, the other world(s), afterlife, ghosts etc. left such an impression on me that by the very end of the game, shame or no shame, I was crying like a little girl. And I can't even tell when was the last time I cried for anything. That the story itself is an emotional journey with a catharsis at the end is one thing, but it seems like a strange coincidence that this game was released at the time it was, just before all of this covid craze and the American election started. All the division among us, our detachment from each other, separation from society, etc. Perhaps Kojima knew something? It's like this game couldn't have been released at a better time.
Now on the one hand, I feel shame that I didn't buy this game on day one at full price, but I was not that hyped about it, had a lot of other things going on and felt like that the general consensus was that it was just a boring walking simulator, so I just decided that I will buy it later for a smaller price. On the other hand, this was the perfect time for me to play it. Since its release corona happened, the American elections happened and I grew A LOT spiritually in these 1,5 years and this was the perfect time for me to play this. I was not only crying because of the emotional story but the fact that this game and its content had a lot to say to me personally now. I know no one reading this will understand it but my current life, my current self had a strong connection to this game and its story.
And this is the most important aspect of this game IMO. Connections. What it teaches us. We have to come together, not looking at our differences, but our similarities. We should preach love instead of hate. Because if we don't correct our ways one by one the result will be similar to the Death Stranding. "Divide and conquer." This is how we are becoming more and more slaves to the 1%. We have to stop fighting each other and realize who is the common enemy. But no more politics. The point is to work on ourselves, be better in every sense.
The shared world aspect of the game is awesome as it helps forming these connections. It's quite genius that in a sense you build real connections with other players as you connect the game world with itself.
Now about the gameplay. You can call it a walking simulator, but that's a very disingenuous viewpoint. Yes, you walk a lot, but no other game treated walking and travelling the same way as this game (at least in the AAA space). I found its gameplay very unique and a breath of fresh air in industry standardized open worlds where traversal itself is always just a secondary aspect. Here you have to take into account everything. How much cargo you have, what kind of terrain you are moving on, slopeness, weather etc. Yes, it's a walking SIMULATOR. And I get it, it's not for the masses who only enjoy CoD and FIfa, but for those of us who enjoy unique things, the gameplay is awesome. And in addition there are always new things dripped slowly, just enough to always give you something fresh to avoid becoming boring. What is also genius is that despite it being an openworld game I always felt like (with a bit of an exaggaration, of course) every moment was handcrafted. Whether they were or not is not that important. The fact that the game achieves this is simply amazing. Amazing game design.
Well, I could go on and on about it but I think told my main points. I want more people to try this and realize what an amazing, unique game this is. I won't lie though, it's a total mindfuck and I admit I'm far from understanding everything that happens in it but if you are open to things like this, you will love it (Twin Peaks fans will certainly do). I'm afraid we will never get such a unique game that is so handcrafted as this in the AAA space. No publisher will finance such a game, and after the game's flop, corporate ass Jim Ryan and co won't either, unfortunately. So props again for the PS4 dreamteam (please come back) who were not afraid to throw money at Kojima and let the madman go wild. This is such a gem among Sony's awesome exclusives that it deserves much better treatment than it receveid. I heard rumours on GAF about some new edition I think. I will Day One it, just to show my support and thanks and to feel some redemption after skipping it at launch.
TLDR: IMO it's one of the most unique games ever created and proves that videogames can be art. If you had enough of standardized games, if you think AAA games are just copy-pasted nowadays then this is the game for you. Play it!
And to end, some screenshots I made to show that it's one of the most beatiful games ever created (and perhaps the most "realistic" looking):
So I always felt that Kojima was a bit of an overhyped person in the gaming industry. I felt that while he was very good at what he was doing he was still just one person among a lot of others who develop these games and there are also different gaming directors who are also very good but they just avoid spotlight (or the spotlight avoids them). Now after finishing this game, which I consider his best work yet by far (and his other works are amazing as well), I feel like that he deserves the spotlight. I am still under the effects of this game and will be for a long time.
The basic themes of the game like life, death, love, hate, similiarities, differences, connections, understanding, our world, the other world(s), afterlife, ghosts etc. left such an impression on me that by the very end of the game, shame or no shame, I was crying like a little girl. And I can't even tell when was the last time I cried for anything. That the story itself is an emotional journey with a catharsis at the end is one thing, but it seems like a strange coincidence that this game was released at the time it was, just before all of this covid craze and the American election started. All the division among us, our detachment from each other, separation from society, etc. Perhaps Kojima knew something? It's like this game couldn't have been released at a better time.
Now on the one hand, I feel shame that I didn't buy this game on day one at full price, but I was not that hyped about it, had a lot of other things going on and felt like that the general consensus was that it was just a boring walking simulator, so I just decided that I will buy it later for a smaller price. On the other hand, this was the perfect time for me to play it. Since its release corona happened, the American elections happened and I grew A LOT spiritually in these 1,5 years and this was the perfect time for me to play this. I was not only crying because of the emotional story but the fact that this game and its content had a lot to say to me personally now. I know no one reading this will understand it but my current life, my current self had a strong connection to this game and its story.
And this is the most important aspect of this game IMO. Connections. What it teaches us. We have to come together, not looking at our differences, but our similarities. We should preach love instead of hate. Because if we don't correct our ways one by one the result will be similar to the Death Stranding. "Divide and conquer." This is how we are becoming more and more slaves to the 1%. We have to stop fighting each other and realize who is the common enemy. But no more politics. The point is to work on ourselves, be better in every sense.
The shared world aspect of the game is awesome as it helps forming these connections. It's quite genius that in a sense you build real connections with other players as you connect the game world with itself.
Now about the gameplay. You can call it a walking simulator, but that's a very disingenuous viewpoint. Yes, you walk a lot, but no other game treated walking and travelling the same way as this game (at least in the AAA space). I found its gameplay very unique and a breath of fresh air in industry standardized open worlds where traversal itself is always just a secondary aspect. Here you have to take into account everything. How much cargo you have, what kind of terrain you are moving on, slopeness, weather etc. Yes, it's a walking SIMULATOR. And I get it, it's not for the masses who only enjoy CoD and FIfa, but for those of us who enjoy unique things, the gameplay is awesome. And in addition there are always new things dripped slowly, just enough to always give you something fresh to avoid becoming boring. What is also genius is that despite it being an openworld game I always felt like (with a bit of an exaggaration, of course) every moment was handcrafted. Whether they were or not is not that important. The fact that the game achieves this is simply amazing. Amazing game design.
Well, I could go on and on about it but I think told my main points. I want more people to try this and realize what an amazing, unique game this is. I won't lie though, it's a total mindfuck and I admit I'm far from understanding everything that happens in it but if you are open to things like this, you will love it (Twin Peaks fans will certainly do). I'm afraid we will never get such a unique game that is so handcrafted as this in the AAA space. No publisher will finance such a game, and after the game's flop, corporate ass Jim Ryan and co won't either, unfortunately. So props again for the PS4 dreamteam (please come back) who were not afraid to throw money at Kojima and let the madman go wild. This is such a gem among Sony's awesome exclusives that it deserves much better treatment than it receveid. I heard rumours on GAF about some new edition I think. I will Day One it, just to show my support and thanks and to feel some redemption after skipping it at launch.
TLDR: IMO it's one of the most unique games ever created and proves that videogames can be art. If you had enough of standardized games, if you think AAA games are just copy-pasted nowadays then this is the game for you. Play it!
And to end, some screenshots I made to show that it's one of the most beatiful games ever created (and perhaps the most "realistic" looking):
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