Death Stranding is easily one of the most hotly anticipated games of recent years. From the creative genius Hideo Kojima, this epic, world-traversing PS4 game is sure to push boundaries and impress in many ways.
What I discovered today, is that there could very well be a cameo by none other that Junji Ito himself. Ito had previously been working with Kojima on the now-cancelled Silent Hills project. (I still shed a tear at the mere thought of what that could have become). But it seems that they have remained in touch.
Here are the images I have found after somebody shared them on Facebook. I have yet to confirm these as being true, but I pray to the gods of horror that they are.
This picture is one of the most exciting pictures I’ve seen in a while. On the surface it is just three people looking at something on a computer monitor. However, for those who know and enjoy two of these people’s work, it is something to shout home about.
Junji Ito
The guy on the left is Junji Ito – horror manga legend and instrumental in bringing the genre to modern mainstream attention. I enjoy horror manga very much and Junji Ito is one of those authors whose work I actively search for. His art style is instantly recognisable and has created some of the most memorable and terror-inducing images and stories.
His most well known stories are probably Uzumaki, Tomie, and Gyo. Each masterpieces in their own right and serve to solidify Ito’s position at the very top of his game. His stories, especially those mentioned, work within the horror sub-genre of ‘Body Horror’.
Hideo Kojima
The guy on the right is Hideo Kojima. Kojima is a name well-known and highly respected within the gaming community, and indeed the wider community of action and story telling. He is the man responsible for the Metal Gear Solid series whose reputations really do precede them.
Each of the games of Kojima’s that I have played I have fallen in love with. The first two Metal Gear Solid games, the first on the Playstation and the second on the Playstation 2, were such important games to me growing up, with me being about fifteen years old and eighteen years old respectively when they were released.
These games were some of the most memorable gaming experiences that I have ever had and have definitely stayed with me to the present day.
Why this picture is exciting
To have both of these people present in the same photo, apparently reviewing something together in an office, s exciting. The had previously been working together on what was going to be a new Silent Hill game. The very thought of that even being a possibility is cause enough to lose your shit over. Junji Ito’s twisted and macabre creations within a world created and directed by Kojima…
…But it was never to be. Silent Hills, as it was called, was cancelled and they both went their separate ways. And that was that…
…Or was it?
Death Stranding is the game that Kojima and his team are currently working on, which is exciting in itself. However, when you take the recent image above and consider the very real possibility that the two masters themselves could in fact still be working together, whole new levels of awesome enter into the mix.
