Final Fantasy XVI was one of the franchise’s more divisive entries, but it also had an unexpected lasting impact. The game’s Active Time Lore system, a kind of interactive glossary, has proven to be its best idea, and now even Hideo Kojima’s Death Stranding 2 is borrowing it. That’s a smart move for a series packed to the brim with complex ideas, impenetrable lore, and more terms than you can keep track of.
In typical Kojima fashion, Death Stranding’s story is a dense affair layered with real-world history. Although not quite as twisty as some Metal Gear Solid games, it was sometimes hard to keep track of everything, and the game also put a huge emphasis on reading text interviews to fully understand the narrative. There are so many elements at play: what the Stranding is, how Beaches work, the history of America, all the terrorist cells and factions. A system to keep track of all that sounds perfect, and to that end, Death Stranding 2 is introducing Corpus.
