Netflix Gets Hideo Kojima Approval for Ghost of Tsushima Meets Squid Game Drama

Hideo Kojima is one of the more beloved individuals in game development, as a legion of followers listen to his opinions and thoughts on everything from TV shows to games, via social media.

The storied video game designer, who is most known for his work on the Metal Gear franchise and Death Stranding, regularly shares what he is watching at any given moment, providing thoughts, feedback and possibly even a recommendation if he feels it deserves one.

Now, he has recently "binged" his way through one of Netflix's biggest new projects, and he's more than happy to tell everyone to get on with watching it, as soon as they can.

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Kojima Is a Huge Fan of Last Samurai Standing

Kojima shared a now-deleted social media post that detailed just how much he loves new historical Japanese Netflix series Last Samurai Standing.

"I binged Ikusagami (Last Samurai Standing) up through episode six! It was so good. I love the Yamada Futaro × Squid Game kind of worldbuilding," Kojima stated.

"The cutbacks between the Kodoku-game side, the organizers, and the government side all move with great pacing. And they don't hesitate to kill off well-drawn characters (with a stacked cast) either. The Tsubaki Sanjūrō-style directing moment made my heart skip."

If you aren't familiar with it at all yet, Last Samurai Standing is based on the novel of the same name by writer Shogo Imamura. Set in 1878, post-feudal Japan is a very dangerous place for certain portions of society, including the great warriors of old. That serves as the setting for 292 pretty badly-off samurai to come together in a grand prize for 100,000 Yen, which was a hell of a lot of money back then.

It's a really solid example of the genre, with elements of shows and films that have become hugely popular in the West.

Being a Netflix show, Last Samurai Standing is already drawing comparisons to hugely successful properties like Squid Game (including from Kojima himself above), though be warned they are quite different viewing experiences, even if they technically share a similar premise.

All episodes of the show are available to stream right now if it sounds like something you might enjoy. Kojima certainly recommends it. Netflix hasn't gone as far as releasing Season 2 just yet, though the creator of the show has confirmed they have a "multi-season plan", so here's hoping the streaming giant lets them see it through to the end.