Death Stranding released on PlayStation back in 2019 to mixed reviews from players and critics alike, with many equating it to a walking sim with an over-complicated and often confusing story. Although I have always been a tremendous fan of the Metal Gear Solid series as well as creator Hideo Kojima himself, these criticisms caused me to put the game off for years before finally giving it a go when they eventually released the Director’s Cut with all additional content at a discounted price on Xbox. Surprisingly, I was so glad that I did.
For those who aren’t familiar with the game, it’s an open world sci-fi action-adventure that takes place in a post-apocalyptic United States of America. The game starts years after a cataclysmic event of epic proportions caused creatures from another plane of existence to invade the Earth, bringing overwhelming destruction with them.
The player steps into the hiking boots of Sam Porter Bridges (portrayed by Norman Reedus), a glorified delivery boy with a mysterious past and a deep connection to the events that unfold throughout the story. The player spends most of the game exploring the devastated landscape and traveling from city to city and outpost to outpost, trying to reconnect the United States to the “Chiral Network” which is essentially a fancy version of the internet.
During this sizable undertaking, the player meets a varied and unique cast of Kojima-level weirdos and lovable heroes that all have rich backstories and developing character growth alongside that of Sam Bridges. The player is also met with a host of villains and monsters that must be dealt with in a consistently growing assortment of ways, that aren’t limited to simply using firearms and grenades (though that is also an option).
As Sam connects more people to the Chiral network and completes optional missions for the interesting medley of NPC’s that dot the map, he is greeted with a great deal of new weapons, both lethal and non-lethal, as well as tools, gadgets, vehicles, gear upgrades, and even cosmetic options like sunglasses and silly hats and the like.
It is important to note that if someone dies in this new world, if they aren’t incinerated in a timely manner they erupt like a small atom bomb, sometimes leveling cities and leaving giant craters in their wake. Due to the above-mentioned information, it’s best to focus on unlocking the best versions of non-lethal guns and gear as soon as possible if you don’t want to be constantly making a mad dash for the incinerator with a dead dude on your back or tossed in your truck, praying that a storm doesn’t come because the rain ages everything it touches, including your character, vehicles, and equipment. As if monsters from another realm of reality weren’t enough.
I won’t spoil any of the actual plot or characters because I implore you to give this game a fair shake or at least watch a play-through before the sequel comes out, to decide if it’s your kinds of thing. It’s filled to the brim with Kojima style and tone, dripping with gripping emotional engagement, a story that is always pushing the player forward, often leaving them bewildered and in a state of awe, as well as a ton of Easter eggs and references that reward fans of gaming and pop-culture.
Death Stranding also benefits from a star-studded cast of actors like Mads Mikkelsen, Troy Baker, Norman Reedus, and Léa Seydoux, as well as appearances by wildly popular comedians, singers, writers, directors, and gaming insiders like Conan O’Brien, Junji Ito, Daichi Miura, Geoff Keighley, Hermen Hulst, Edgar Wright, Guillermo del Toro and many more, including other genius game-makers like Remedy Entertainment’s Sam Lake making appearances.
With a grim and hopeless tone that is offset by occasional victories through hard fought battles, overcoming obstacles during deliveries, or heart-warming reunions and wholesome interactions with other characters and even other players via the game’s online features, it is a unique experience to say the least. So much of the game is spent failing and then finding the fortitude within to get back up, pick up all the items you dropped when your ladder fell into a river or you slipped on some ice and fell down a mountain, loading it all back up and trudging forward.
There will be horrible monsters, thieves and bandits, detrimental environmental effects, treacherous landscapes, and a whole host of other roadblocks that the player will have to overcome to finally re-connect the country and set in motion the path to rebuilding. I personally enjoyed all of the online features like finding other players’ vehicles, weapon caches, gear upgrades, and even motivational notes that they would leave behind for other players who may need a bit of help or encouragement, as well as bridges, roads, ladders, climbing ropes, and many other useful equipment to help others traverse the otherwise difficult terrain.
I also took great pride in contributing to building projects and seeing the up-votes from other players I had helped, the next time I would turn the game on. This help and social connection became more abundant as the player made progress in getting the Chiral network online, which was a really creative way to show that the actions within the story were similar to the importance and value of social connectivity in reality. In a game that seems otherwise isolating and bleak, the player is met with support as they push themselves to persevere and carry out their duty to mankind. It was a very clever concept.
Death Stranding is a game rooted in both the human desire to connect, and the importance of determination in the face of overwhelming and consistent adversity. As in life, the game features deep and thoughtful experiences of love, shame, greed, pride, guilt, loyalty, patriotism, heartbreak, hopelessness, betrayal, and fury, all while pushing the player to the personal limits of what they can withstand to reach the next point to hopefully find some peace and joy once they reach it.
As with previous Kojima games like Metal Gear Solid, the story’s twists and turns are brutal, shocking, and often thought-provoking, while the mystery unfolds at a pace that provides clues allowing the player to figure some things out for themselves before the game reveals everything with more clarity. There is a richness of depth to the world and its characters, and through the implementation of historical fiction intertwined with science fiction, the often dreary yet beautiful landscapes and the score of licensed music that perfectly sets the tone for each long delivery or combat encounter, you come away having experienced something that feels more like an artistic exhibition than a video game.
Perhaps that’s why many people didn’t care for the game initially; Hoping for a faster paced combat heavy action game, or maybe it really was just too boring having to trudge miles of dangerous countryside just to see one fantastic cut-scene before having to get back on the road to the next objective.
Regardless, if great music, expert storytelling, and superbly crafted characters are your thing, and you don’t mind braving the elements and getting back up when you get knocked down, then please give Death Stranding a shot. If not, the upcoming Death Stranding 2: On the Beach promises to be far more combat heavy and action-oriented with more specific details here, complete with a fresh change of perspective from a post-pandemic Hideo Kojima, which we previously covered here.
