Skip to main content

Hideo Kojima confirms Very Easy Mode in Death Stranding for non-gamers

Hideo Kojima’s cryptic Death Stranding will offer a Very Easy Mode to allow anybody to finish the game and its story.

Some video games, such as Dark Souls and Bloodborne, intentionally ramp up the difficulty as their core experience, resulting in frustrating play sessions and, in extreme cases, smashed controllers. Kojima, however, will apparently head towards the other direction for Death Stranding.

Recommended Videos

Normally there’s only Easy Mode, but we added Very Easy Mode for movie fans since we have real actors like Norman, Mads, Lea starred in. Even Yano-san who never completed the 1st stage of PAC-MAN, was able to complete the game on Very Easy Mode 👍🌈🦀😅 https://t.co/fMZmuZltZw

— HIDEO_KOJIMA (@HIDEO_KOJIMA_EN) September 6, 2019

Please enable Javascript to view this content

The Very Easy Mode was first mentioned by the personal assistant of Kojima, who said that the difficulty level was for non-gamers, movie fans, and RPG fans, while Normal and Hard Mode are for action game fans. It is unclear why RPG fans are in the mix for Very Easy Mode, though it is probably because of the slower nature of RPGs compared to action games.

Kojima confirmed Very Easy Mode, which will be great for movie fans who will be playing the game for the story. Death Stranding features a star-studded cast that includes Norman Reedus from The Walking Dead, Mads Mikkelsen from Casino Royale, and Lea Seydoux from Spectre in the lead roles. Director Guillermo del Toro, a good friend of Kojima, is also attached to the project.

With names like that on board, it is easy to confuse Death Stranding with a Hollywood film. But then again, it is easy to confuse Death Stranding with anything, as despite the release of several trailers, the game’s story and mechanics remain mostly mysterious.

Death Stranding made its debut at E3 2016, and it has since piled up eccentric trailers that have masked the story while showing off its cast. Kojima previously said that the theme of the game is “connections,” and that it will take place in the near future when the extinction of humanity looms as a very real threat.

The Tokyo Game Show, which will run from September 12 to September 15, will reportedly show more Death Stranding footage in preparation for the game’s November 8 release date as a PlayStation 4 exclusive. Very Easy Mode will be readily available for non-gamers, as well as gamers who just want to find out what the story is all about, and at this point, that includes everyone.

Aaron Mamiit
Aaron received an NES and a copy of Super Mario Bros. for Christmas when he was four years old, and he has been fascinated…
A Death Stranding live action movie is on the way from A24
Sam Porter Bridges and Fragile holding their foreheads together.

Kojima Productions announced it is working with A24 to create a live-action movie based on Death Stranding.

A24 is the studio behind critically acclaimed films like Lady Bird and Everything Everywhere All at Once, but it has not stepped into the realm of video game adaptations until now. As for why Kojima chose to work with A24, he says in a press release that its "innovative approach to storytelling aligns with what Kojima Productions has been doing for the last eight years."

Read more
Hideo Kojima’s next game is a creepy collaboration with Jordan Peele
A woman's face looking concerned.

Legendary Japanese game developer Hideo Kojima has teased his next project, titled OD, and it's going to be horrifying. A collaboration with film director Jordan Peele — the creator of critically acclaimed films Get Out, Us, and Nope —  the project aims to be a hybrid video game and film project. It will feature actors Sophia Lillis, Hunter Schafer, and Udo Kier.

Onstage at the 2023 Game Awards, Kojima described the project as a "new form of media."

Read more
Resident Evil 4, Death Stranding barely miss a step on iPhone and iPad
El Gigante raises its foot over Leon in Resident Evil 4.

Just two months ago, I had my mind blown when I saw Resident Evil Village running on an iPad. While I expected a very compromised experience, I was shocked when I saw how the horror game barely lost a step on the device. I pushed its settings to their limits and still came out with a fairly smooth experience capable of hitting high frame rates. Suddenly, the idea of playing a console quality game entirely on a mobile device didn’t seem like a far-fetched idea.

That was an impressive feat, but Resident Evil Village was built for the PS4 generation. The bigger test would come from more technically ambitious games that are either exclusive to new consoles or rebuilt with them in mind. I wouldn’t have to wait long to see that in action. At a recent Apple gaming showcase, I went hands-on with both Death Stranding: Director’s Cut and Resident Evil 4 running on a bevy of Apple devices, from the iPhone 15 Pro to a Mac Mini.

Read more