When it comes to the complexities of making video games, Hideo Kojima always finds a way around them. It’s not just Metal Gear or Death Stranding that showcases what he is capable of; there’s another game that was first released in 2003.
The Boktai series of video games focuses on undead creatures whom vampire hunters need to take care of. It wasn’t just a normal game that one plays while sitting in the comfort of their house, users were required to see the sun, literally.
Hideo Kojima Knows How to Make Things Work
Kryschnack Longplay on YouTube
It appears like Hideo Kojima was determined to push the kids outside of their homes to get some sun. And what better way to do it than by making an engaging game that users won’t be able to play to its fullest until they give the game’s cartridge that essential sunshine vitamin?
The video game auteur recently shared a post on his account on social media network X (formerly Twitter), where he revealed it was even more complex than Metal Gear Solid.
This is a game about defeating vampires using real “sunlight”. The gameplay changes depending on where you live, where you play and when you play. This game was even more difficult to explain internally and also externally than Metal Gear (about the concept of stealth). https://t.co/q5MNKs8EAg
— HIDEO_KOJIMA (@HIDEO_KOJIMA_EN) July 16, 2024
That also explains the artist in Hideo Kojima, who always wants to do something different. The sunlight would charge the in-game weapons so users could defeat enemies. But a lack of sunlight would coerce them to avoid conflict. A lot of brains go in there.
He’s known for his approach to making video games, too. He wants the users to have a sense of freedom. Boktai was certainly that kind of game.
Like the Sun, Use of Those Sensors Lost to the Dusk
More interesting than the use of a photometric sensor was the game’s sync with our time in the real world. Users were required to set a time zone before embarking on a journey in a world overrun by the Immortals. Hope rose alongside the sun every day.
There’s a concept called the Solar Tree in the game that takes damage during the night. Users can cure it while playing in sunlight. To add to the realism, sound and visual effects like the chirping of birds and some orange glow around the sun appeared under the real life sun.
With the arrival of the third game, Sabata’s Counterattak, the use of a photometric sensor became optional. And with Lunar Knights, which was also a revamp of the series, the use of the sensor was gone for good.
Have you played the Boktai series of video games? If yes, how was your experience? We would like to know about it in the comments section below.