Warning ! By the time you will finish reading this post, you will discover the great similarities between Kojima's next masterpiece and greatest love story of the 90's :D Please enjoy ! Post includes heavy spoilers of a movie released 29 years ago.
SIMILARITIES
MAIN CHARACTER CALLED SAM - CHECK
SPIRIT LEAVING THE BODY, OBSERVING EVERYTHING (YOUR PREVIOUS BODY AS WELL) BY BEING STUCK IN PURGATORY - CHECK
Joke aside, we can analyze Death Stranding by taking Ghost as a source. Movie is a love story (more or less), however there are implications and subplots behind the surface referring to bigger concepts matching with Death Stranding, such as; heaven, hell, being tormented, after life, earning your way to become an angel etc. Once we are determined to analyze them, we can really see some great similarites to Death Stranding.
PLOT OF GHOST
In the movie - according to how you act in your mortal life (sins and good deeds), you either earn your way to heaven or to hell. However some souls need 'closure' to move on, otherwise they are trapped in purgatory - in the movie Sam is stuck, he's in between worlds. Sometimes the spirit gets yanked out so fast, the essence still feels it has work to do here. Those who seek closure has to spend some time between the two worlds - to move on.
Sam's ghost arises from his dead body, which lies next to the distraught lover. He gradually realizes that he is a presence cannot be seen or heard anymore. Because after Sam's death, he is are transitioned into a ghost, he gained the ability to walk through solid objects (walls, people, etc.) and he can't be seen by people. At first he couldn't move objects because of his intangability, but in time he learn how to move solid objects.
In some cases, after death, soul is delivered where it belongs right away. For example after Sam's unfaithful friends death, he becomes a ghost himself, but unlike Sam (seeking closure and earning to be an angel in heaven at the end), the shadowy howling demons emerge from shadows to pull and drag him screaming away into the darkness, it is implied they take him to Hell to torment the soul for his sins.
At the end of the movie, Sam himself earns to become an angel and join the rest of the angels who earned it and join them in heaven, you take the love inside with you to there. A heavenly light fills the room and Sam becomes fully visible to both his lover and woman who can sense those who trapped between worlds. Sam looks behind him and sees hundreds of transparent people, presumably angels, in a portal to Heaven. His task is completed and he can move on. Sam says an emotional farewell to his lover, thanks to spiritual guider for her help, and departs to the afterlife with peace and love in his heart.
THEORY OF DEATH STRANDING - BY TAKING GHOST AS A SOURCE
Death will not be the end in this game as Kojima mentioned several times. Our character Sam Porter Bridges can't die and keeps coming back, because his essense still feels it has work to do here - he is carrying the stranded remnants of the future in his hands, Sam embarks on a journey to reunite the shattered world one step at a time.
Being a Ghost
Similar to Ghost, at TGA 2017 trailer, after the explosion he can observe his own body at the deep of the ocean - floating naked. His ghost is arises from his dead body so to speak. I assume the game may use this emotional factor or feature in terms of gameplay, story or cutscenes. As Kojima clarified the game will be very emotional and aiming to make us cry, so we may witness how other characters mourn us or what happens to the world, environment or characters after we die. Remember - the game is aiming to re-establishing the connection between players, those who choose to disconnect by entering a virtual world. Our ability to witness is still there but we can't be heard or seen by them. Our ability to look them in the eye, whisper our love into their ears, holding their hands or cuddle them is taken from us in death. Great punishment for not choosing to connect - our ability to connect is taking from us. Greater punishment is deserved by those who misuse their ability to connect - to use sticks and build walls.
Hell
One of the biggest secret for me is, to see exactly what happens after dark beings pull us down. Similar to movie, in the game shadowy howling demons emerge from shadows to pull and drag us away into the darkness, it is safe to assume it is heaily implied they take us to Hell to torment our soul for our sins. Maybe thats why Bridges member choose to kill his friend and commit suicide rather than accepting this fate. They want to avoid something worst than death itself. I don't want to stretch the theory, up to the point where I set my expactations based on what I want to see but it would be cool if we enter a different hell like environment full of monsters, torment and punishment. So far we only know that the game is scary and depressing (meanwhile its still positive), characters are trying to avoid dark beings (and where they can take us), there are monsters not belonging to this world and trailers we have seen so far are merely “an aspect, not the whole picture of what the game will be.
Reaching to Heavens
Norman Reedus: Oh, so they'll play me?'
Kojima: No, they are you!
I think the after life idea in Death Stranding - reaching to heaven - is Sam entering our own world. Sam - who stuck in a videogame, represents us. Once we finish the game and discover his story and complete his journey, we will carry his essence inside us and once we close the console, he will live in our world as us. He will reach Heaven. I think in Death Stranding 'heaven' the characters are trying to reach is referring to our world. Thats why heavenly beings are floating as if they are referring to 3rd person camera - observing and overseeing us from above. Purgatory refers to humanity, who stuck in the middle - between, the tormented below us trying to pull us down from hell and angels offering their hands above us from heaven. Referring our world as heaven is an optimistic idea, considering the dry, toxic and lifeless world of Death Stranding but criticsm is right in its place; because if the games' message fail to be assimilated by players our future will be like in the game as well.
We have to remember that the game requires world wide collaboration and connection, opposite of competition and disconnection. Thats why Kojima keeps referring to ropes and sticks, how both of them are players own choice but sticks are not recommended. As long as we use sticks our character will be further away from Heaven, we will deserve punishment for our sins and dead beings will pull us down to Hell. Lindsay's character is transparent, similar to Sam Wheat at the end of Ghost. Which means she is not a ghost but an angel. I think her role is very important and I think Sam is trying to get to her somehow (and even miss her so much). I can picture the end of the game Sam earn his way to heaven, become an angel himself with his actions and good deeds (connecting the world and building bridges) to reach her but once he achieves the ultimate connection storywise.
In those times, where we are hungry to any new information, if I'm able to entertain you with this theory I'm more than happy. Last night I watched Ghost and seeing some similarities motivated me to write this post. I hope you enjoyed it !
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