Hideo Kojima has an amazing idea for “forget the game” and if you spend too long rest, the protagonist gradually forgets important information and abilities
Blog Andrew Joseph 14 May , 2025 0
Hideo Kojima's Japanese radio podcast Koji10 has been giving listeners an idea of how Metal Gear Solid and Death Stranding Creator think. In the recent broadcast (Episode 17), Kojima shares his thoughts on how to use time in video games. Not only did Kojima comment on the time-related mechanics he implemented in past games, he also revealed concepts he hasn't used yet. This includes his coming Death Stranding 2: On the Beach.
Kojima is no stranger to gaming mechanics that use the console or PC's internal clock as a timer.
He first mentioned two examples of the 2004 Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater on PS2. To add to the realism of survival in the jungle, the days in real life pass and the fresh food you get will disappear. Eating rotten food may cause the snake to be severely ill, or you can turn it into a novel weapon by throwing it to a hungry enemy soldier.
Kojima also utilizes the system clock of the MGS3 Cat Driver boss fighting an elderly sniper. “Although he was a very tough boss, if the player waited for a week, the ending would be dead in old age,” Kojima recalls. Indeed, if players load their own battle savings after at least a week, they will be considered a cutscene in which the snake will find the end point dead.
“I thought about getting the character’s hair to grow in the game,” Korgima revealed. He explained: “Initially, I will be growing with time, Sam's beard grows and the players will have to shave it off. “But, since Norman Reedus is a big star, I don't want him to look cool! “Nevertheless, the director said it's still something he might add to another game one day.
Kojima also proposes three game concepts that pass through time as a major mechanic in real life. First is a life game: “It starts with the player being born, you are a child, and then gradually become an adult over time. In the game, you fight against all kinds of enemies. Just like the previous example (the end of MGS3) (if you continue playing the game), if you keep playing the game, you will become a man of 70 or 80. However, at this age you will encounter a weakness and your sight will become more and more. 60 You will slow down a little bit.” Kojima explains, revealing that while your character will be in a better physical condition when they are younger, they will have more knowledge and experience as they get older. This aging will affect your strategy of how you deal with your enemies. “But no one will buy it!” Kojima added, but the others on the podcast are passionate about playing games like “Tujima” like this.
Another idea he mentioned is a game where you are creating something that will take time to mature, like wine or cheese. This requires players to continue to play it gradually over a long period of time, and it sounds like it can be used as a background/idle game.
On the other hand, Kojima also proposed a “forget game” that players will have to “play quickly”. In this concept, the protagonist gradually forgets important information and abilities if you spend too long resting on the game. For example, if you don't play every day, the protagonist will gradually forget things like “how to shoot or what is work”. This forgetfulness accumulates until the player cannot move. “Players will have to take a week off work or school to play,” Kojima said with a smile.
Speaking of furloughs, there is no doubt that many fans of small magazines will do this when the death is released 2 times on June 26. For more information on the upcoming game, check out us Interview with Kojimaand What we think after the first 30 hours of playing.
Photography by Getty Images, Charly Triballeau/AFP.
Verity Townsend is a Japanese freelance writer who previously served as editor, contributor and translator for Game News website Automaton West. She also wrote articles about Japanese culture and film for various publications.