The opinions expressed in this article are my own. I bought Death Stranding on the day of its PS4 release, played the story, and have now had over a year to ruminate on my thoughts. As the Director’s Cut has been announced for the PS5, I now intend to revisit the game and ask -- was it a worthwhile experience?
About Death Stranding
Death Stranding is a walking simulator that allows players to roleplay as noted Monster Energy™ fan and “Amazon Delivery Man of the Month,” Norman Reedus.
Okay -- that might sound contentious. However, that statement sums up the critical landscape of the game shortly after release. It would be a fool’s errand to try and describe this game to you whilst dancing around the details that have been written about to death at this point. So let’s just lay them all out on the table.
The game’s director, Hideo Kojima, has a reputation for developing games that are uniquely hard to categorize. While Death Stranding is marketed as an action game, I would argue the game isn’t fast or frenetic enough to really fit in that genre.
Players take control of Sam Porter Bridges, in the fragmented remnants of the United States (now called the “United Cities”) in the midst of an apocalypse. Throughout the game Sam is tasked with delivering cargo between these isolated cities and establishing communication channels. The player is graded on how well they deliver the cargo, and in turn rewarded with stat boosts to improve their courier skills.
All of this takes a backseat, however, to the unparalleled cinematography of the game. Released in November of 2019, Death Stranding showcases how advanced computer graphics have become in the world of videogames.
You could argue that this game sold primarily off of aesthetics alone. Hideo Kojima, beloved game developer, teams up with Norman Reedus, a star of The Walking Dead, Junji Ito, the king of modern horror manga, Lindsay Wagner, a veteran science fiction actress, Troy Baker, a well-known gaming voice actor, Mads Mikkelson, a prestiged actor -- the list goes on, and on, and on. It’s easy to see how, even with very little gameplay shown before release, Death Stranding sold over half a million copies within its first month.
Which brought about a landslide of disappointment...
Death Stranding’s Story
The ‘Save the Whales’ campaign isn’t gonna like this.
To try and put it simply, Death Stranding follows Sam as he traverses the now ravaged continent of North America from the East to the West Coast. Where some games are ‘story heavy’ this game is almost ‘story exclusive’. This would have been far less noticeable had the story been particularly worthwhile. The story seems to suffer from an internal conflict of aspiring to be this grand, world-shaking narrative, whilst still hoping to lament on the personal experiences of its everyman protagonist. Consequently, neither aspect of the story feels believable or interesting.
To put it frankly, I didn’t have any real interest or attachment to the character of Sam. Meanwhile, nothing about the game’s world really compelled me to learn more about its story.
Death Stranding’s Gameplay
Sam riding a “Reverse Trike” and putting the Can-Am Spyder to shame
I could actually cut this whole section out for a cheap joke.
...But I’m pretty sure my editor wouldn’t appreciate that, so, here goes.
The opening cutscene for this game is two hours.
The 40 hour experience that follows isn’t much different.
In between long cinematic sequences the bulk of the game consists of traversing the environment and avoiding obstacles. Try not to drop your cargo, and if you do, make sure you pick it up. Run into something hostile? Open your inventory and lob a grenade at it. In some ways it’s reminiscent of a platformer. Admittedly, I’ve never been too good at that style of gameplay, so the flow of the game seemed inconsistent and tedious.
So much of this game is spent watching it feels less like a game and more like a movie -- one I wouldn’t invest the time into rewatching.
Death Stranding’s Combat
The boss sequences are somewhat reminiscent of a stealth game. Your character isn’t equipped with a machine gun and magical powers. When fighting enemies much larger than himself he has to keep his distance, avoid environmental dangers, and lob feces at the enemy.
That wasn’t a joke either. The grenades your character throws at hostiles are made from bodily waste. A quirk of this is that their effect changes based on what fluids were used in their creation. Feces? Urine? Bloody urine? The world is your toilet.
Don’t believe me? Google it. I had to take this lore in with my own human eyes and you have to suffer with me! Just try taking a Lovecraftian monster seriously while throwing bodily fluids at it.
Death Stranding’s Delivery System
Sam Porter Bridges is a courier. Your quests consist of delivering cargo (as undamaged as possible), avoiding obstacles and bandits. The environments are beautiful, and there’s a wonderful soundtrack to keep you company. You’re given tools along the way to help you traverse the landscape, and if you can master balancing your character you’re rewarded when the cargo is delivered with minimal damage.
There are also sections where you drive a motorcycle, which are a welcome break to the monotony.
Death Stranding’s Graphics
Norman Reedus walked so Keanu Reeves could run.
If you were to sing this game’s praises about anything, it’d have to be the graphics. Cutscenes especially are at the peak of what digital media can do nowadays. The sprawling landscapes you’ll be traversing are gorgeous. You can see every pore on Norman Reedus’ oddly shiny face.
The game is beautiful, to put it simply. Although it sometimes toes the line of the uncanny valley.
Death Stranding’s Developer
This is the first game developed by Kojima Productions following Kojima’s very public split from Konami.
Technically speaking the game is very well made. I didn’t personally encounter any bugs, but the game can stutter a bit due to the high graphics output.
The developers seem prompt in fixing issues as they come up, and other than some particularly long loading times the game runs smoothly.
Death Standing’s Price
Death Stranding currently runs for about $20, and is available on PC, PS4, and has an upcoming PS5 release
FINAL VERDICT:
As a game? 3/10
As a very long art film? Meh. 6/10
Pros
- All-star cast
- Amazing music
- Beautiful graphics
- Aesthetically interesting story
Cons
- Gameplay won’t be for everyone
- Long cutscenes
- Esoteric story elements
