The 8 Craziest Examples of Hideo Kojima Being Hideo Kojima

Hideo Kojima has been on the game development scene for three decades now. In the span of this incredible career, he has truly left his mark on the world of gaming. Kojima has told stories of insane caliber, introduced legendary characters, and has continually attempted to push the limits of interactive entertainment. He is most famous as the designer of Metal Gear Solid. In 2015, he started his own studio, Kojima Productions, which released Death Stranding in 2019.

While not everything Kojima has done has worked, you have to admit that this innovator has had his moments. These moments are definitely unique to him, though. Here are the craziest examples of Hideo Kojima being… well, Hideo Kojima.

That time Hideo Kojima obliterated the fourth wall

Metal Gear Solid was a powerhouse of stealth in 1998. The PlayStation classic introduced many to the now legendary Solid Snake, and solidified Kojima as a storyteller worth keeping tabs on. While Metal Gear Solid had many incredible moments, one stood out among all others. Naturally, I am referring to the paranoramal boss fight with Psycho Mantis.

This fight was an exercise in messing with the player via breaking the fourth wall. At the time, the encounter was pretty unnerving to many. Mantis speaks directly to the player in this fight, going so far as to tell them to place their controller on the ground. He then shows off his powers by causing the controller to vibrate uncontrollably.

The enemy was also capable of reading memory cards. Were the player to be a fan of other Konami titles, such as Castlevania, then Mantis would comment on this. In 1998, this was a pretty insane idea, but Kojima wasn’t done there.

Mantis is a psychic capable of reading minds. As such, he could tell what moves the player would make and dodge any attacks. Well, how do you escape this, exactly? Simply think outside the box and switch your controller from port #1 to port #2.

Who would think of this? Hideo Kojima would.

That time Hideo Kojima fooled us all

Following Metal Gear Solid, fans were hungry for more adventures with the sneaky Solid Snake. Their wish was granted when demos of Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty was finally shown off for the PlayStation 2. As expected, Snake was front and center in all trailers and promotional materials surrounding the game. He looked better than ever, as well.

The promotional campaign drew the significant Metal Gear fanbase to stores on release day, each gamer excited to experience what Kojima had in store for them next.

Within hours, the talk surrounding the game was dominated by confusion surrounding the big twist of the game: Snake was not the main character.

Yes, following the prelude, Solid Snake was replaced by the fresh-faced rookie known as Raiden. The blonde-haired spy was never shown before in any media or promotions, making him an intentionally well-hidden secret. Few were pleased with this decision and some are still a bit salty about it years later. Hideo Kojima, however, still seems quite pleased with himself.