If you've been living under a rock for the past few months then you may be surprised to emerge and see that this week the gaming world has only been talking about one thing: Death Stranding. The star-studded PlayStation exclusive is out tomorrow, and it's already dividing opinions.

Hideo Kojima

Firstly, the man behind Death Stranding is well known for his successful series Metal Gear Solid. In 1986 Konami hired Hideo Kojima and his work built the foundation for stealth games like the Metal Gear franchise. In 2005 Kojima Productions was founded under Konami. Meanwhile, Kojima quickly rising through the ranks to become vice president of Konami Digital Entertainment.Sadly this was not to be forever. Regretfully for Metal Gear Solid fans, Kojima left in 2015. However, this meant that he could team up with PlayStation and bring us Death Stranding.

Storyline & PS4 Exclusivity

As a result of working with Sony, Death Stranding is going to be a PS4 exclusive title. It joins titles such as Spiderman, Horizon Zero Dawn, Uncharted and God of War.You play as protagonist Sam Porter Bridges in an open world. Your objective is to manoeuvre around a splintered post-apocalyptic society and reunite America from East to West. It's not as simple as going from A to B though. Throughout the landscape, you will encounter Beached Things (BTs) - these are wayward spirits unable to pass on, spending their time seeking out the living. As with any post-apocalyptic game, there are rogue humans to contend with, too.In a post on the PlayStation blog, Kojima sheds some light on Death Stranding;

People have created “Walls” and become accustomed to living in isolation.

Death Stranding is a completely new type of action game, where the goal of the player is to reconnect isolated cities and a fragmented society. It is created so that all elements, including the story and gameplay, are bound together by the theme of the “Strand” or connection. As Sam Porter Bridges, you will attempt to bridge the divides in society, and in doing create new bonds or “Strands” with other players around the globe. Through your experience playing the game, I hope you’ll come to understand the true importance of forging connections with others. - Hideo Kojima

Bridge Baby

A key element of the game is the use of a BB (Bridge Baby). BB's are babies that have been taken from a 'still mother' and used to establish trance connections with Bridges operatives. A BB is also able to detect BTs, so is used as a tool to protect those traversing the landscape. Gameplay videos have shown that your baby can become distressed, meaning you'll need to soothe and rock it. The pods you've seen the BB's in simulate the conditions of the mother's womb. Periodically these pods have to be updated in a synchronization incubator with data gathered from a still mother's womb at a given moment. Weird or what?

Star Quality and Cameos

Fans of the Walking Dead instantly recognised Norman Reedus in the teaser trailer for the game at E3 in 2016. He's not the only big name attached, however, with the likes of Mads Mikkelsen, Léa Seydoux and Guillermo del Toro all making an appearance via motion and voice capture. With a plethora of celebrity friends, Kojima has found a place for some more tongue in cheek cameos. A favourite is Conan O'Brien wearing an Otter plushie on his head.

Victim of the Hype?

Just by having Hideo Kojima's name attached to this, it's already suspected that the game is going to be a success. With the weird trailers and gameplay footage the subject of much discussion, it will be imperative for gamers to keep an open mind as they enter into Kojima's imaginative world/Will you be playing? Let us know what you think of Death Stranding in the comments below!