Death Strandingwas easily one of 2019’s most highly anticipated games. As the first post-Konami game fromMetal Gear Solidcreator Hideo Kojima, expectations were high forDeath Stranding, but it failed to resonate with some critics. Kojima has once again addressedDeath Stranding’s mixed reviews, offering a similar explanation as to why some critics gave the game a low review score.
Speaking to The New York Times Magazine, Kojima touched on how many of the negativeDeath Strandingreview scorescame from America. “In America, they’re used to shooters, so they don’t gulp it down. It’s OK; everyone can evaluate what they want.” Kojima also added that some of theMetal Gear Solidfans did not like the way thatDeath Strandinghandled stealth at first, but they eventually “came around.”
RELATED:Death Stranding PC Version Will Use Denuvo DRM
In that same spirit,Hideo Kojimathinks that there’s a chanceDeath Strandingwill be looked back on more fondly in the future compared to how it was received at launch. “In three to five years, we will see what people will say,” Kojima said to The New York Times.
This isn’t the first time that Kojima has blamed America’s love of shooter games for the lowDeath Strandingreview scores. Back in November, he said, “…in America there are a lot of FPS fans, maybe those fans are saying this is like a different game and are not rating it very high.” From these comments, Kojima clearly thinks that theDeath Strandinglow review scores are because Americans prefer shooter games, but the theory doesn’t necessarily hold up to scrutiny.
Kojima’s comments ignore the fact that there are a great deal of non-shooter games that score well with American reviewers. Games likeGone HomeandJourneyhave earned rave reviews from American critics despite not being shooters and having virtually no “action” to speak of. And when one looks atDeath Strandingreviews, the negative scores aren’t complaining about a lack of action. In fact, most of the negative reviews seem to be complaining about frustrating controls and the game’s bizarre narrative as opposed to a lack of shooting.
Regardless of why some critics gaveDeath Strandinglow review scores, it will be interesting to see if Kojima’s next game triggers a similar response. It’s been teased thatKojima is making a horror game, and considering how popularPTwas, it seems like a horror title will be a safer bet than the more experimentalDeath Stranding.
Death Strandingis out now on PS4, with a PC release coming on June 2.
MORE:Death Stranding Full Story Summary and Recap
