Video Gamer is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Prices subject to change. Learn more
Mads Mikkelsen has said that his character is not ‘the antagonist solely’ of Death Stranding in an interview with TASS (via WccfTech).
The nefarious character of Cliff was first revealed in a teaser trailer shown at The Games Awards in 2016. Mikkelsen’s man is decked out in a military uniform and accompanied by skeletal soldiers that follow him with dark, oily tendrils. The way he emerged from the darkness with his undead goons and then smiled sinisterly at the camera… he didn’t seem like a good’un there. But, Cliff’s great with kids, cooing lovingly at the BB and telling them they could travel to the moon if they fancied it. Then he does a big explosion with his cadaverous comrades and says he has a good connection to the realm of the predatory beached carcasses.
A complicated man, for sure. In this interview with TASS, however, Mikkelsen clarified that not all is as it seems regarding Cliff’s character. ‘I’m not sure how much I’m allowed to say, but… The more you play it, the more the characters will develop, and you will find little bits and pieces that fit the puzzle, so I would definitely not say that he is the antagonist solely,’ the actor explained. I’m unsure as to exactly what this means, but it could be that the player will form their own opinion on Cliff and whether his motivations are well-founded.
The game’s creator, Hideo Kojima, has stated previously that Death Stranding won’t be a cookie-cutter blockbuster experience. ‘In the game, the mission is to really reconnect America again – but I haven’t said whether that is correct or not,’ he told GameInformer, and it seems that there’s a similar situation here. Players may be able to choose how the story ends, and who they believe in. Although new to acting in video games, Mikkelsen said he was floored by Kojima’s energy and passion.
Death Stranding is ‘something we’ve never even seen before’, a message that’s been hammered home every single time footage of the game is published. But, Mikkelsen described Kojima as ‘the Godfather of creating new things’, and that it’s ‘insane’ and ‘mindblowing visually’. It seems that the director and actor were on the same wavelength, and Mikkelsen has great respect for a ‘very gentle and very open-minded’ guy. I suppose one must be very open-minded to think up a urination mechanic that sprouts mushrooms.
Death Stranding will launch on PlayStation 4 on November 8.
