Although the highly anticipated release ofHideo Kojima’s most recent venture,Death Stranding 2: On The Beach, is nearly here, and is being widely praised by critics for its quality and ingenuity, it’s likely that you haven’t played the game developer’s most creative game yet.Death Stranding 2is a direct sequel to the original game, released back in 2019, and continues to follow the story of Sam Porter Bridges alongside Lou. Therelease ofDeath Stranding 2will occur on June 26, though early access to the game has already been granted to players via the Digital Deluxe Edition.
Even with its promotional materials, the new title by Kojima Productions had already mustered up expectations from players who were eager to revisit the post-apocalyptic world of the franchise.The trailers showed great technical quality, with impressive graphics and stable FPS (frames per second) rates, something that has seemingly passed on to the final version of the title.Screen Rant’s review ofDeath Stranding 2praises it for its excellence, citing it as an improvement to the original game, which was already held in high regard.
Hideo Kojima’s Most Creative Game Is Boktai: The Sun Is In Your Hand
The Game Uses A Built-In Light Sensor To Charge The Character’s Weapon
Even thoughDeath Stranding 2has the potential to become one of the most emblematic releases under Hideo Kojima’s belt to date,the legendary game designer had already shown a lot of his creative potential back in 2003 with a little-known Game Boy Advance title calledBoktai: The Sun Is In Your Hand. The GBA game, which was produced and designed by Kojima (though he did not act as its game director), follows the story of a vampire hunter called Django as he fends off the undead with his Solar Gun weapon.
One of the key elements of gameplay inBoktaiis that the Game Boy Advance cartridge had a built-in light sensor that processed sunlight and used it to fuel Django’s Solar Gun. As such,you would directly benefit from playing during the day, in direct sunlight, since that would keep the Solar Gun charged. There were in-game methods of charging the Solar Gun when you didn’t have access to sunlight. However, the cartridge’s light sensor establishedBoktai: The Sun Is In Your HandasHideo Kojima’s most creative game, especially when considering the period in which it was developed.
Boktai: The Sun Is In Your Hand Was Groundbreaking At The Time Of Its Release
Few Games Used Unique Hardware Features To Push Gameplay Forward
Boktaiwas released back in 2003 for the handheld console, andthe way it used this special hardware feature to push gameplay and even narrative forward was unprecedented. Other GBA cartridges didn’t feature light sensors, so they were built specifically for this purpose. At the time of its release, hardware features such as these weren’t common at all, and started to become more used with the release of the Nintendo DS and some of its games. For reference, the DS featured a built-in microphone that could be interacted with for special gameplay features, and, of course, the iconic touch-screen.
Nintendo DS was released a year afterBoktai, in 2004, showing just how ahead of its time the game was.
Though hardware features that were interconnected to gameplay later became common, especially with Nintendo hardware, including the DS, Wii, Wii U, and Switch, the release ofBoktai: The Sun Is In Your Handwas innovative and shows just how creative Hideo Kojima can get, regardless of the platform he is working on. Aside from how astonishingly creative it was,Boktaiwas also a great game in and of itself and is considered one of thebest underrated Game Boy Advance RPGs.
Boktaiis an early and practical example of how differently the developer thinks, even if he had already showcased a large portion of that creativity with theMetal Gearfranchise releases so far, includingMetal Gear SolidandMetal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty. While the gaming world praisesHideo Kojimafor the release ofDeath Stranding 2, and rightfully so, I can’t help but look back at what I consider the peak of his early-2000s creativity.
