Does Death Stranding offer a new video game genre?

San Francisco, Nov 13 (IANS) As mixed reviews followed the release of Hideo Kojimas Death Stranding, the video game also triggered a debate on whether it creates a new genre altogether.

Kojima, who was recognised as the most followed video game director on Twitter and Instagram by Guinness World Records last week, earlier claimed that Death Stranding creates a “brand new game genre”.

“Since I get this question a lot, DEATH STRANDING is different from stealth game. You can enjoy First Person View but not a First Person Shooter game. It’s brand new game genre that adapted the concept of strand that we call Action Game, Strand Game (Social Strand System),” Kojima, who has 2.8 million followers on his English Twitter account and 948,000 on Instagram, said in a tweet in late August.

The Social Strand concept which is one of Death Stranding’s most significant mechanics can be seen in other franchises, most notably in From Software’s Bloodborne and Souls games, IGN reported on Tuesday.

So as you play along, you can earn likes and also give them back. And the more likes you give, more you are likely to get in return which help you survive the game.

But not everyone is convinced that the social elements make Death Stranding a whole new video game genre.

Death Stranding is Kojima’s first release since his split from Metal Gear Solid publisher Konami in 2015.