Paris (AFP)

Play, but also meditate on the human condition in a fractured world, facing a hostile environment: "Death Stranding", the latest creation of Hideo Kojima, expected for years by fans of video games, released Friday.

The title, which was announced at the 2016 edition of the E3, the largest show in the area of ​​Los Angeles, will be available on the console PlayStation 4 (PS4).

This is the first game signed by the Japanese creator of the franchise "Metal Gear", among the oldest and most famous in the history of video games, since the creation of his own studio in 2015.

The release comes after a carefully orchestrated wait, passing by enigmatic trailers. As a film, "Death Stranding" has a high-level cast: Norman Reedus ("Walking Dead"), Lea Seydoux ("The Life of Adele", "007 Specter") and Mads Mikkelsen ("Casino Royale" ") lend him their faces.

The player evolves in a post-apocalyptic America where survivors must hide from strange spectral creatures who try to kill them, in a hostile environment, like the rain that accelerates aging - as a metaphor for anxieties related to climate deregulation.

This would seem to be quite classic, if the game had also, according to its creator, a political ambition, even philosophical.

"We have become accustomed to individualism and building walls. + Death Stranding + is a new type of game whose goal is to reconnect isolated cities and a fragmented society," said Kojima in a message last May. on Twitter.

In an interview with the BBC on Monday, he explicitly refers to the wall that Donald Trump wants to build between the United States and Mexico, as well as Brexit, as examples of these fragmentations.

The main mission of the player is to distribute parcels to survive for his small community, to rebuild bridges and a network of communications that will allow him to join others, to explore an immense territory while resisting a permanent danger. and protean.

To read the critics having already tested it, the game relies on a narration pushed, with voluntarily cinematographic approach, favoring the introspection.

"Death Stranding is about thinking about the importance of human connections, when we are connected, we have a responsibility to each other, taking care of others is good," Hideo Kojima explained in his BBC interview on Monday. .

- Ambience and introspection -

Thus, and this is a novelty in a video game, even in a single player game, the player will see appear on his card the achievements of other players, who can help him carry out his missions.

A deliberately positive interaction to promote cooperation between players, even in solo games.

But like "Metal Gear", "Death Stranding" will probably not convince all fans of the genre. The comments already published in the specialized press are divided, between praise of artistic ambition and criticism of tedious handling - it will take dozens and dozens of hours to overcome it.

The moments of confrontation and shooting are not the most striking part, according to the critics who have already tested it.

Marc Alonso, gaming expert for market research firm "Euromonitor International" in London, predicts, however, that it will be "one of the most popular and influential games of the year".

"It pushes the frontier between game and cinema, it's actually an interactive movie, and it's something we're seeing more and more," just like another big hit of the moment, " Red Dead: Redemption II ".

"Death Stranding" will cost 54.99 euros, and even 199.99 euros for the collector version, on PS4. A PC version is planned next year.

© 2019 AFP