[Arkhaine_kupo]

> Is gameplay not the most important part of a game?

Not really. Gameplay is a part of the game and it can have multiple effects. It can reinforce the themes, see for example a game where you are meant to be strong the gameplay can make you feel like a god. Or if you are a fast robot pilot like Titan Fall 2 then the gameplay can be fast and acrobatic.

Or it can be at odds with the story. Plenty of games about cooperation or pacifism etc randomly have fight mechanics because they sell well. See for example Last of Us telling a moving story about humanity and then having sections where you mow down humans like crazy.

And finally there are games where the gameplay serves the emotion behind it, Nier, like for example Shadow of the Colossus or Death Stranding, the gameplay is there to make you feel something or help you feel something. If the gameplay was insanely intricate like Devil May Cry then the themes would not resonate as much. Its not like Hideo Kojima doesn't know how to make a character walk properly, but the clunky walking makes feeling relieved when you find help in death stranding mean something.

[oneoff786]

Hideo Kojima makes interesting movies other half finished game layers