So far this Gamescom we’ve seen urination mechanics, ghost babies and Geoff Keighley in Death Stranding: a truly bizarre mash-up that sounds like it’s straight from a fever dream. Perhaps sensing everyone is still confused, earlier today Hideo Kojima tweeted the following:
Naturally, I had to check this out – so I high-tailed it over to the PlayStation booth to see if this “BRIEFING” would finally clear a few things up.
It did not.
The fourth Gamescom trailer, called Briefing, delves a little into the player-character Sam Bridges (played by Norman Reedus), and is set in the Oval Office. In the cutscene, Sam meets with masked man Die Hardman (Earl Jenkins) and a convincing hologram of a woman in a red dress named Amelie (Lindsey Wagner). The conversation, as ever, is focused on re-connecting America – and both Amelie and Die Hardman are determined to re-enlist Sam to help out.
Sam and Amelie have history, apparently, as the two haven’t seen each other in 10 years: yet Amelie “hasn’t aged a day”. She explains her “body is still on the beach” and she “doesn’t get to grow older”. More on that later.
Amelie is the daughter of, possibly, a woman called Samantha “America” Strand, who I assume to be the previous president, and the reconnecting work is about continuing her legacy to “reestablish the UCA, the United Cities of America”. It appears Amelie and friends previously got close to achieving this, having connected cities all the way to the Pacific, but got unstuck on one final city: Edge Knot City, where Amelie was captured and is now stuck in the city. She’s allowed to Facetime Sam and Die Hardman, though.
The people responsible for the kidnapping are a terrorist organisation called Homo Demens (members, such as the character played by Mads Mikkelsen, wear a skull mask). It controls Edge Knot City and may be a responsible for a previous suicide bombing. Homo Demens is decentralised, but united by an ideology to stop the UCA. It looks like it wants to unite America, but its methods are violence and “shackles”. “Nothing’s off limits for them, not even void-outs.” Okay!
In terms of objectives, Sam is asked to help out remaining UCA forces by connecting several “terminals” before rescuing Amelie from capture. He’s given a “Q-Pid” – that metal necklace that looks like a set of USB keys – which allows him to bring the terminals back onto the network. After that, Amelie is supposed to take up the presidency.
Sam’s pretty reluctant to help out, however, as he previously chose to leave the project and seems to think the UCA is hypocritical (gesturing at a shackle). Amelie claims he was running away, and that the shackles are actually bonds. I guess he must eventually agree, but it’s certainly not in this video, as it ends with Sam leaving the room and ignoring Amelie’s pleas.
Oh, at one point Sam adds he’s “Sam Porter Bridges now, not a Strand”. The plan to reconnect the country was also “Bridges’ dying wish”. What’s going on here?
Well, I hope you got… something… from that. I guess we now know a few of the quest objectives, although I’m still mystified by the babies and demonic spirits. Just another day for Death Stranding!
