Highlights

  • Hideo Kojima's upcoming horror game, OD, may blur the lines between film and video games with a heavy emphasis on cinematic cutscenes.
  • The cinematic approach in OD could enhance the horror elements, making the experience more immersive for players.
  • While OD's uniqueness could work in its favor, Kojima must be cautious not to overemphasize cinematics at the expense of gameplay.

Death Stranding developer Hideo Kojima has proven to be one of the gaming industry's most creative developers, as he persistently strives to push the boundaries of storytelling and gameplay with his unorthodox and eccentric concepts. It seems that this very defining characteristic of his will continue to reveal itself in his upcoming horror experience, OD, which is already showing signs of being one of his most unusual creations yet. Judging by its first trailer, it may very well set itself far apart, not just from Kojima's other games, but also from video games in general.

OD is an upcoming horror game developed by Kojima Productions, with the minds of writers Hideo Kojima and Jordan Peele at the helm of what will likely be a stand-out experience in one way or another. Kojima has made some promises about OD ahead of its release that could be either a blessing or a curse. Specifically, although his most recent title, Death Stranding, already has roughly seven hours of cinematic cutscenes, he has all but confirmed that OD will have even more. This could end up working in its favor, or it could accomplish the complete opposite.

Kojima OD Game Divisive Death Stranding
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Why Kojima's OD Game May Be Less Divisive Than Death Stranding

Kojima's upcoming horror game OD may be more accommodating of the divisive weirdness that came with his unique action title Death Stranding.

OD's Emphasis on Cinematic Cutscenes Could Help or Hurt It

OD May Be More Like a Horror Film Than a Horror Game

Ahead of the release of Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, Kojima has confirmed that OD will "transcend the barriers between film and video games." This is rather evident already, considering the first trailer for OD is entirely live-action, featuring the likes of Sophia Lillis, Hunter Schafer, and Udo Kier reciting a strange bit of cryptic dialogue. If Kojima remains consistent with this imagery, it could very well play out more like a horror film than a horror game, which would come with an unfortunate downside.

Although Kojima's intentions are honorably ambitious, if OD is more of a game that players witness rather than actively participate in, it could receive even more criticism than Death Stranding. While Death Stranding has become a successful cult hit, it has been labeled by some little more than a "walking simulator" due to the gameplay loop primarily revolving around players traveling from one destination to another. If he's not careful, Kojima could fall into the same trap with an overly cinematic OD, especially if most of its gameplay consists of players watching it rather than playing it. Still, this approach to storytelling could also work in OD's favor.

OD's Cinematic Emphasis Could Make Its Horror Elements More Immersive

The upside to OD being more akin to a horror film than a horror game is that its cinematics could make its darker sequences all the more frightening. Seeing a real person experience horrific events on screen, as opposed to a digital character, could potentially add to the game's immersion and thereby reinforce OD's horror side. It's unclear what type of horror Kojima is going for in OD, however, whether it be in mere jump-scares or simply the unsettling and often spine-tingling undertones of genuine horror experiences. Knowing Kojima and Peele, it's more likely to be the latter, so a more cinematic-driven game could be the optimum way to go.

There hasn't been any confirmation yet about how many hours worth of cinematic cutscenes OD will have, only that it could verge on being more like a film than a video game. That being said, if Kojima plans to "transcend the barriers between film and video games" as he says, that could result in a healthy balance between the two genres of entertainment. Nevertheless, gamers are likely in for a bizarre ride once OD releases.