Hideo Kojima's games are beloved by enthusiasts because, among other things, his development team packs surprises in unexpected places. The worlds they create have a unique level of detail, much of which is immediately discoverable, but certain interactions and possibilities are always buried for the most dedicated and experimental players. Now, the secrets of Death Stranding, which have been discovered before but have not been widely discussed, are beginning to receive widespread attention from fans.

The secret is that in the climactic boss battle against the comically evil antagonist, Higgs, players can choose the pacifist route to frustrate their foe. Blocking Higgs' blows but refusing to retaliate triggers an animated sequence in which the boss grabs Sam and Higgs punches him repeatedly before pulling him in and biting off a chunk of his ear.

There seem to be two things behind this: first, the similarity to "Metal Gear," where the fight between Sam and Higgs is similar to the fight between Old Snake and Ocelot in "MGS4." [Tyson, frustrated by Holyfield's defense and the headbutt in the second round, bit off the top of Holyfield's ear in the clinch. Tyson bit off the top of Holyfield's ear in the clinch. Unbelievably, the bout was stopped after the second bite and Holyfield won by DQ.

The images of the damage to Holyfield's ear were so gruesome and impressive that the picture went viral worldwide at the time. The damage Higgs inflicted on Sam's ear was the same injury, inflicted on the same ear, and the animation of it being done also echoes the clinch in a boxing match. Tyson's controversial and horrific reputation boiled over into an act of bestial rage against a technically superior opponent in one of the sporting events that became mainstream news.

Why Mike Tyson? It may have something to do with how iconic the image has become and the mainstream consensus that Tyson has finally been exposed as an out-of-control monster who is frustrated by his superior defense, unable to strike effectively, and willing to commit atrocities. The idea of Higgs, intoxicated by his own power and desperate to take down Sam, becoming enraged by the superior defense and stooping equally low, fits well with the film.

The reason this scene is being talked about (and discovered by GamesRadar+) is because of this tweet containing a video of the scene.

I had never come across this scene before, but a search suggests that players have found this scene before. This is common in Kojima's games, where sometimes every simple sequence seems designed to tear the player apart with unexpected actions.

But what is particularly wonderful about the deafening scene is that it takes place on a beach. Briefly, this is a kind of limbo that exists between life and death in the lore of Death Stranding, and shares a certain permanence. Thus, if Sam is injured or dies in the living world, he returns to his homeworld, healed and reborn. But if he is injured or dies on the beach, as Higgs says, it is permanent. In other words, if he loses his ear in this way, Sam's ear will remain injured for the rest of the match.

No one has since confirmed whether the injured ear has any other effect within the game world, but don't be surprised if someone randomly delivers a parcel years later and discovers a new voice line or something. What is striking about this detail is how profound it is, how incidental, yet how much effort has gone into it. Despite being an interaction that most players will never trigger, this detail has its own custom-made animation sequences and an entirely new character model for the game's protagonist. While this detail itself does not make a huge difference in the game, it is treated with the same care as major plot points.

References to Tyson. A mere easter egg. Or something that will turn out to have another payoff somewhere down the road" No one really knows, and it's much more than a self-congratulatory credit, it shows that you're playing Hideo Kojima's game.