OD is the next game in the series from Hideo Kojima and Kojima Productions, and an exciting new accessibility feature could make it one of his most influential games to date. Kojima has continued to be one of the most innovative voices in gaming, and OD giving him the chance to finally jump headfirst into the horror genre. Before Kojima and Konami ended their partnership, he was set on making a new one Silent Hill game involving Norman Reedus and Guillermo del Toro, which would eventually pave the way for the trio to work together on Death Stranding after the original project fell through and Kojima went independent.
Before Silent Hill The project was cancelled, but Kojima created a short horror game (more like a teaser) that proved he has what it takes to create truly intense horror. The “playable teaser” was called PTand while it's been scrubbed from the PlayStation Store, it's still a deeply influential piece of horror gaming history. OD and PT has similar vibes, but what makes the former even more interesting this time around is that Kojima offers an out for players who become too frozen in fear to continue the game.
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Hideo Kojima is including an ambitious new accessibility feature in OD that is as mysterious as the game itself
Kojima recently spoke with Entertainment Weekly about what to expect ODand the interview honestly raised even more questions about what the game will be like rather than providing any new answers. During the interview, one of the most exciting OD Gameplay details shared by Kojima were confirmation that the game will include some sort of option for players to push through a terrifying experience, even if they feel they are too scared to continue.
I wanted to go beyond the limit of “scariness” that other games had reached. It's a single player game and I wanted to make it as scary as possible. But for those who might stop playing when it gets too scary, I've thought of a system to keep them going. I can't say much more, because it will give away too many hints about the system, and I might get in trouble for saying too much!
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What's even more interesting is that Kojima had been trying to pitch this secret mechanic to some of the biggest game companies for a long time, but none of them seemed to understand his vision. But ex-Xbox boss Phil Spencer understood the vision for Kojima's horror game, which is why OD published by Xbox.
Although Kojima's idea was first embraced by Phil Spencer, who is no longer with Xbox, Entertainment Weekly confirmed that new Xbox head Asha Sharma is also on board with ODsecret mechanic.
Kojima has expressed his desire to push the boundaries of horror with this project, which is why he has recruited modern horror icons like Jordan Peele to work with OD. Since he's been so vocal about wanting to make a game that's deeply terrifying, it sounds a little counterproductive to have a feature that takes the pressure off the players. If anyone can figure out a way to balance horror and accessibility, it might be Kojima.
Horror Games Turning paralyzing fear into a badge of honor will ultimately hurt the genre
Over the years, horror games have become more and more intense when it comes to the scares. Whether it's gore or jump scares, some of the best horror games to come out over the years have created a problem with many players not being able to finish them. Ultimately, horror games should definitely be scary, because that's the whole point. But all the hard work that goes into a project can be for naught when a significant portion of the player base is unable to complete the game.
Other game genres want to encourage players to continue the story. Games are never created with the intention of being played only partially, so it's fascinating that many horror games have embraced paralyzing their players with fear. There's still plenty of room for a horror game to successfully be scary while driving players to the finish line. Even the scariest horror games of all time that are meant to be heart-stopping could benefit from a system like Kojima's.
A look at some notorious horror games that are hard to finish
- Alien: Isolation
- Survive
- Resident Evil 7
- Fatal Frame 2
- Dead Space
- Amnesia: The Dark Descent
- Silent Hill 2 remake
- The evil within
- The mortuary assistant
- Countenance
What a player considers scary will be subjective, but the games listed above are mentioned a lot in conversations about the scariest horror games ever made. Games like Alien: Isolation, Surviveor Resident Evil 7 thrives on making players stop in their tracks and put down the controller to take a moment to breathe. Kojima's mysterious accessibility feature makes it sound like he's still aiming to achieve that with ODbut he simply wants to make breathing part of the gaming experience.
Games are never created with the intention of being played only partially, so it's fascinating that many horror games have embraced paralyzing their players with fear.
Whatever OD has in store, Hideo Kojima will make sure it's weird and original
There are many questions about OD which probably won't be answered for a while. It's not even clear if ODs confirmed cast remains the same. Kojima's horror game was supposed to star Udo Kier, but the actor sadly passed away in late 2025. Beyond Kier, actors like Sophia Lillis and Hunter Schafer make up the rest of the cast, and there could potentially be even more great actors added to the lineup. Kojima has made it clear with Death Stranding and the sequel's cast that he loves working with his favorite film and TV actors, so it will be interesting to see if any other big names help round out the cast.
2026 Hopefully lifts the veil on OD's Strange Take on Horror
With events like Gamescom and The Game Awards still going on this year, both stages would be the perfect place for Kojima Productions to reveal more OD details. Kojima continues to push the envelope and experiment with concepts that are often completely wacky but still work. Death Stranding 2The boss fights are a good example of this, with the final boss fight against Higgs turning into a full blown guitar battle. Kojima loves to put wild moves into his games simply because he can, and it will be fascinating to see how ODs accessibility mechanic will continue that legacy.
