Played on Playstation 4

For those familiar with Death Stranding’s creator Hideo Kojima (most famous for being the man behind the Metal Gear Solid series), you’ll already know that you’re in for a weird experience with Death Stranding. But even beyond the typical Kojima weirdness, Death Stranding is simply an unconventional experience. This is a game that’s been pretty divisive because of its core gameplay mechanics, and it’s easy to see why. The game is intentionally monotonous, but for some that’s what actually makes it fun.

Let’s back up a bit though. What is Death Stranding actually about? The game has the type of premise and story where I get it as it’s happening, yet I feel like it makes no sense if I try to explain it. But, I’ll do my best. Basically, the game takes place in a future where the world has fallen apart after an event called the Death Stranding. This event has had some repercussions on the world, such as normal rain becoming “timefall” that accelerates aging with whatever it comes into contact with, as well as these creatures called BTs that are invisible to humans and will attack anything that they hear make a sound. See, it’s already kind of hard to understand. Anyway, now there’s an organization called the UCA that wants to rebuild America. You play as Sam Bridges, a porter (aka delivery guy) that is given the task of traveling across America, connecting a bunch of facilities into a larger network so that everyone can be connected again.

If you’re interested in playing Death Stranding purely because it’s a Kojima game, then it won’t disappoint in terms of story. It has all of the weird names, designs, and backstories for characters that you would expect. Much like Metal Gear Solid, Death Stranding does have a tendency to get convoluted in its own deep lore, but for me that’s always kind of been the appeal. It’s not a conventional kind of story, which is exactly why I like Kojima games in the first place. If this isn’t your cup of tea, though, this is important to know right off the bat. I was definitely fascinated by the world that Kojima crafted here, and I was always curious to know more. My only real problem with the story is its pacing. The game hits you with a lot of exposition in the beginning of the game, then has a long stretch where the story is very sparsely spread out, and then in the last third it gets really story-heavy again, with a series of cutscenes spanning the timeframe of about 2 hours at the end of the game. While I still followed the basic gist of the story, I just felt like the exposition and the reveals could have been spread out a bit more evenly throughout the game, because by the time answers were starting to get revealed, I already forgot some of the questions.

Anyway, like I said, I think the real divisive aspect of the game is going to be the gameplay itself. As a porter, most of your missions simply revolve around making deliveries. You get cargo from one place and take it to another. You have to be okay with this premise, otherwise you’re going to hate the game. The whole challenge centered around all of this is all of the obstacles that are going to prevent you from getting from point A to point B. First, you have the cargo itself. There’s that trope in video games where your character is carrying a bunch of items/weapons, and you know that if it was real life they would never be able to carry that much. Death Stranding makes this a realistic feat. You’re being asked to carry all of this cargo, yet there’s only so much you can carry before you fall over. So, it’s up to you to do things like make sure you’re not carrying too much, or distributing the cargo that you do have so that you don’t topple over.

Then, there’s all of the added obstacles of traversing the world itself. Kojima made a world that isn’t easy to get around, and you can imagine that it’s hard to climb up a steep hill when you have a bunch of cargo weighing you down. So, a lot of the challenge comes in finding the best route to your destination. Luckily, though, you’re able to craft different supplies throughout the game, such as ladders and climbing anchors, that will make this easier. However, you need to be strategic about how much you take with you on your delivery, because more weight means it’s harder for Sam to get around. Then, there are also two main types of enemies you’ll encounter in the game. The first is the aforementioned BTs, which are creatures that will attack you if you aren’t able to sneak past them. The second are mules, which are basically your Mad Max-style apocalyptic baddies that are just other people who will try to rob you of your stuff.

This is why I said that you have to be okay with the initial premise, or else you aren’t going to enjoy the game. All of these elements add up in a way that all you’re trying to do is make a delivery, and yet you have to adjust for all of these barriers that are going to make that tough for you. It’s weird to say, but Death Stranding is a monotonous game, but in the most fun way possible. I had a really strange personal journey with Death Stranding, because if I’m being honest, I really didn’t like the game at first. I found it really frustrating, and I wasn’t enjoying the core gameplay experience much at all. However, as time went on I found the fun in the grind, and by the end of the game I absolutely loved it. Admittedly, for me the game became a lot more fun once I was given more tools to get around the world with, so I think the beginning of the game is the worst section of it. This is why I understand why some people might be turned off by the game when they first play it, but I did think it was a worthwhile experience in the end.

The only other thing that I want to talk about with the gameplay is the online elements of it. I’m normally not a fan of these sorts of things, but I think it works well in Death Stranding. Basically, your interactions with other players lie with the actions and messages that other players leave, much like in a game like Dark Souls. It’ll be common for you to come across a sign in the game that’s warning you that BTs are in the area, or that there’s a steep incline. However, you’ll also be able to use some of the structures that other players have built, such as bridges and roads. Similarly, if you help to build these structures, then other players will be able to use them, and you’ll be rewarded for your good deeds. The game really incentivizes you to work together with other people to build a better world, and that was Kojima’s whole intention with the game. Even though you never actually encounter other players in the world, there’s such a strong community aspect to it all.

It probably goes without saying at this point given the talent behind the game, but it looks absolutely stunning. I loved all of the character designs, and the actors who did motion capture in their performances really brought them all to life. More than that, this is a vast world filled with some diverse terrain. It’s all laid out in a way for the player to look at what’s ahead, and think “all right…now how am I going to get past this?” These environments are stunning, and sometimes it’s crazy to look forward and realize what you’re heading towards. I loved the whole look and aesthetic of the game, and it all plays really well.

Similarly, the sound design is top notch as well. Interestingly enough, the game is devoid of a lot of music, but this works in a way so that when music does swell up, you really feel it. There’s a nice soundtrack here, mostly done by one artist named Low Roar, but when these tracks did come on I really felt it. Also, Kojima got a really great cast here for the character performances. We have Norman Reedus in the main role of Sam, but the rest of the cast includes the likes of Mads Mikkelsen, Lea Seydoux, and Guillermo del Toro. These actors give absolutely stunning performances, and it really adds to a lot of the emotion felt throughout the story, especially towards the end.

Regardless of your play style, you’re in for a pretty long experience with Death Stranding. I’m someone that only played the main story missions and didn’t really mess around with much of the side stuff, and it took me almost 50 hours to beat the game. I’ve seen some people do it in about 40, but either way, this isn’t a quick 10 hour experience. Not to mention, if you do decide to do some of the side missions and spend time building structures or delivering lost cargo, you’re likely going to double your playtime. I could see myself jumping back into this game at some point to do some other stuff with it, so I definitely think there’s some replay value here for people that are looking for that. The only way you’re not going to get your bang for your buck here is if you’re looking for a quick game.

This is a difficult game to give a recommendation for, because it’s such an unconventional experience. The closest analog I have is Metal Gear Solid for its style, but even then they’re totally different games. Like I said, I think the most important factors you need to consider to decide if this game is for you is if you’re okay with an unconventional story and an intentionally monotonous gameplay system. I recognize that it isn’t for everyone, and in the beginning I didn’t think it was for me either. But as I continued along with my journey through Death Stranding, I ended up liking it quite a bit in the end. I don’t think it’s one of the best games I’ve played by any means, but it is a really solid experience.

3.5/5