Judging by what we’ve seen so far, Death Stranding isn’t going to be a linear game. Kojima and the Death Stranding actors have poured their hearts into making a sprawling title, one where player agency and freedom is of utmost importance. And that open mentality has transferred to the game’s narrative. The Death Stranding cast is comprised of renowned Hollywood actors, with Norman Reedus and Mads Mikkelsen as top-billed stars, but this game required them to branch outside their linear homes in film or television. Mikkelsen, who plays the not-so-quite antagonist Cliff, recently shed some light on the process of recording with Kojima and how the shifting storyline affected their performances.
Speaking with Tass, Mikkelsen revealed that Death Stranding has a nonlinear story arch where the player’s decisions will alter how the plot pans out. To achieve this, he said that the actors had to record several short scenes without knowing exactly how it is going to unfold.
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“We were there in a room with green screens dressed in a suit that’s green and a helmet with a camera on – super weird,” Mikkelsen said. “We’re doing little scenes and we don’t know exactly what the story arch is because it’s going to be in a game and people can change that. But we act out every scene.”
Mikkelsen only had praise for Death Stranding and Kojima’s vision. After playing for a couple of hours, he said that it blew him away, adding that “it’s kind of out of the box, something we’ve never ever seen before.”
When inquired about the presence of Hollywood stars in video games, Mikkelsen mentioned that he knows about Keanu Reeves playing a role in Cyberpunk 2077, saying that “it is going to be the future.”
Norman Reedus, who plays the role of leading delivery man Sam Bridges, said that Death Stranding is a “playground of possibilities,” and he thinks that players will cry when they play it. In about a month, we shall see if the price of handkerchiefs is going through the roof.
