Death Stranding is, according to creator Hideo Kojima, all about connecting with people. This theme of connection is prevalent all throughout the title, from the story that sends protagonist Sam all across the company linking up with people to even the game’s official soundtrack. Unfortunately it appears that not all connections are good ones, and depending on player choice, some of the NPCs will suffer for Sam’s actions.

Hideo Kojima recently spoke to fans at the Garage Museum of Modern Art in Moscow, during which he revealed that the fate of a character that the player meets early on is entirely up to the choices they choose (or choose not to) make. “We have a character who lives deep underground. He is sick and needs medicine, and Sam can deliver it,” Kojima-san said to the fans in attendance (thanks wccftech).

Since this happens at the beginning of the story, this is a must. After completing this quest, the player himself chooses the following actions: you can constantly go to the old man and carry medicine; you can deliver other items; You can listen to his stories from the past.”

“But the player is constantly moving forward and moving away from the character,” Kojima-san continued, “And I’m sure that there are gamers who forget about this old man. And then they will remember and return to it. Since they have not carried medicine to him all this time, he will die by this moment. Through such actions, a connection arises with the character.”

We really hope that the significance of the connection between people – how it is formed, how it develops – will be revealed, and it will be interesting for you to play it.”

Kojima-san didn’t continue on to say whether or not there will be multiple instances were this can happen, or whether or not players can achieve a “perfect run” by having 100% correct choices. Given what seems to be the goal of Death Stranding, though, that would likely defeat the purpose.

Death Stranding releases on November 8th, 2019, exclusively for the PlayStation 4.

So, thoughts on player choice potentially resulting in the death of NPCs? Let us know in the comments section below, and as always, stay tuned to Don’t Feed the Gamers for all the latest gaming and entertainment news! Don’t forget to follow DFTG on Twitter for our 24/7 news feed!