Death Stranding (PS4) Review

THE MANY MUSINGS ON LIFE AND DEATH

Since the announcement of Hideo Kojima’s departure from Konami to pursue independent game development, it seems like the entire world has been waiting with bated breath to see what the mastermind behind the Metal Gear Series would create. Death Stranding is a seemingly impossible feat for an indie to pull off but, with lots of connections throughout various industries and some financial trust from major investors, it happened. Expectations were astronomical and reception has been mixed, however, I walked away incredibly moved and surprised. Death Stranding is a game that I won’t soon forget.

As a bit of background, I have always enjoyed the ideas behind Kojima’s works but I have never directly engaged with them for long amounts of time. I often promise that I will one day play the entire Metal Gear series from top to bottom but it has become a bit of an inside joke on the Forever Classic Podcast. This puts me in an interesting frame of mind for Death Stranding. I don’t have the expectations that many Metal Gear Solid fans have; this is my first Kojima game, so I made sure to play Death Stranding through to the credits.

For further context, I’ve been following much of the news surrounding Death Stranding with excitement and wonder. I wanted to see what Kojima was capable of without the chains of Konami. There was a glimpse of what was next for Kojima with P.T., the Playable Teaser for Silent Hills, which was a collaborative project between Kojima and filmmaker Guillermo Del Toro. At the end of the demo, it was revealed to star Norman Reedus. Unfortunately, the project was canceled but the comradery between Toro, Reedus, and many more grew stronger which eventually led to Death Stranding.

Explaining what Death Stranding actually is as a game is a fairly big task. Mechanically, Death Stranding revolves around the delivery of packages in a harsh, post-apocalyptic America. Several factors go into traversal such as elevation, uneven ground, weather, and more. What results is more a meticulous puzzle platformer that’s all about preparation, charting routes, and putting in the effort to get to the destination. Many players have complained about the gameplay but I actually found it to be relaxing, engaging, and kind of addictive.

There is also some theming at work with the game’s traversal. Just about every trip into a new location is slow-going, especially in the later acts that have players going over snow-covered peaks. Typically though, players unlock more tools that make the journey easier. In the aforementioned snow section, after a few climbs, I unlocked a new frame that made moving in snow much easier provided I could keep the battery going. Through further package delivery outside of the critical path, more upgrades and tools can be unlocked, rewarding those that put in the time.

The main mechanic at work though is how the packages are carried. Players are able to stack boxes on their backs, clip them to their shoulders or thighs, or use a tool to tow them behind. Packages can also be stored in vehicles, which are less effective than they look. Vehicles, in particular, are mostly a waste of effort until roads are built. I spent many hours attempting to ride the trike, only to give up since it just wasn’t as consistently effective as hiking. Really I only used vehicles on highways in later stages of the game.

There are lots of celebrity appearances throughout the game like Conan O’ Brien pictured here in a cute otter hat, which ends up being a handy tool for Sam.

It may seem like Death Stranding is a lonely trek across America, and it certainly can be in beautiful ways, but other players are able to affect the world through signs and structures. Signs can do things like warn others about enemies or grant a stamina boost when touched. Structures include items like a Generator that fuels the electric vehicles or the player’s own battery for tools or a Timefall Shelter which can let the player move forward in time and stay safe from the weather. On a larger scale though, players can dump lots of resources to make highways which really make traveling by truck or trike much easier. Doing so is a massive undertaking though.

Gameplay-wise I found Death Stranding fascinating and engaging in a way that I rarely feel when playing games with larger environments. I typically shy away from open-world games due to the sheer scope of things. Games like Grand Theft Auto V, Red Dead Redemption 2, Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, or The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt are hard for me to get through. Yet, I kept pushing through Death Stranding, determined to see how the story ends. The narrative is so weird, unique, and abrasive that I had to know what happens on my terms.

I couldn’t just watch the cutscenes online or something, I had to beat this one.

Death Stranding is filled with well-shot scenes.

Death Stranding has a plot full of spaces where player thought can dwell. Early on, the game throws all sorts of images and terms to the point that gets overwhelming. However, through playing through the many hours it takes to finish the game, these terms and themes take better hold in the player’s mind. Further dives can also be taken into the lore through additional package deliveries, emails, and interviews about various topics. I didn’t delve into the lore outside of the critical path but I imagine there could be secrets to find there.

Taking control of Sam Porter Bridges, played by Norman Reedus, we are given the task to reconnect America through a super-advanced internet called the Chiral Network that allows for the sending of massive amounts of data and even quickly 3D print supplies and infrastructure. This all takes place in a sad, bleak world on the brink of complete destruction due to an event called the Death Stranding. This mass wipe-out of living things blurred the boundaries between the living and the dead, manifesting creatures called Beached Things, or BTs. As a sort of in-between plane of existence is The Beach, a purgatory that’s often unique to an individual but there are special circumstances. Some characters can warp through their Beach or pull energy from it. The Beach almost always manifests as a windswept, overcast beach littered with the corpses of marine life. Whales, dolphins, crabs all have washed up on the shore, horribly disfigured and wrought with death.

It is in the game’s story where we mainly see what Kojima Productions was playing with thematically. There are broad sweeps on things such as hope, the importance of connections, and growing as a person but it is the obsession of life and death that I find so fascinating.

The BBs exist between birth and death, giving them the ability to help people see dangerous BTs.

Sam cannot die; he is a repatriate. Upon death, Sam is tossed into a world called the Seam where he can respawn. This is more than a gameplay thing, characters discuss Sam’s abilities and are interested in them. Sam’s body and his situation lead to the development of weapons that can hurt the BTs. He is constantly monitored and sampled from. All bodily fluids, quite literally, are harvested and utilized as tools. Sam stands in this weird precipice between life and death, giving him a unique position and a destiny that he is forced into but rarely goes without some sort of regret.

Strapped to his chest is a baby in a pod, a Bridge Baby or BB. These BB are treated as tools by most of the game’s cast but it is clear even early on that Sam is developing feelings for his BB. The one Sam carries was almost put out of commission as the United Cities of America (UCA) and Bridges only use BBs for so long but Sam is forced to use it in a dire situation and sticks with it. The connection with the BB allows one to see a BT, giving the option to avoid it or combat it. BBs are created by taking babes from a still mother, another type of death and birth that blurs the lines.

Later on, we meet the character Mama who is connected to a young BT. She was pregnant and caught under rubble during an accident, resulting in the untimely death of the child in her womb but she did birth it. She interacts with the BT, keeping it attached to her belly through an umbilical cord, a symbol the game has in abundance, and connects it to the strand which also comes up a lot.

Deadman’s story is centered on existential paradoxes.

One of my favorite characters Deadman, who is modeled after Del Toro and voiced by Jesse Corti, has an interesting story involving death. He was created through stem cell research but much of his body would constantly fail and thus 70% of his body was harvested from the dead for eventual stability. It’s not extremely evident but when Deadman is close we can see stitch scarring around his face. Despite this, Deadman is constantly chasing the mysteries of the Death Stranding and BBs. He’s also one of the most entertaining characters in the story and has many interactions with Sam throughout.

I also loved the more combat-oriented stages involving Combat Veteran, played by Mads Mikkelsen, a powerful man that commands a squad of undead soldiers. Sam is swept into a warfront on a few occasions by a tornado, a supercell of a storm, much like how Dorothy was swept into the land of Oz. These take place on twisted battlefields, lands of purgatory created by mass slaughter where men and women eternally exist in perpetual war. The Combat Veteran is also seen when connecting to BB, as fleeting memories and scenes from the past. The soldier wants BB and chases Sam down at every opportunity. Mikkelsen’s character is the highlight of these sections, especially considering the constant flashbacks Sam gets when plugging in BB. These scenes show Mikkelsen as more of a caring father through the eyes of BB.

Combat doesn’t happen often but there are plenty of action moments that feel significant but a little floaty when comparing to other action titles.

Combat-driven moments do highlight that the game is only serviceable at this type of play. There are plenty of opportunities to use weapons, block with a fancy rope (called a Strand, woven with Sam’s blood in the fibers) for cool parry attacks, and lots of different grenades but these mechanics are at odds with the camera and stiffer movement than most action games. I was able to get used to it all pretty quickly but know that it doesn’t feel great. Trying to aim around Sam’s bulky form is pretty tough and sometimes it’s hard to avoid damage, especially when movement is being affected. Boss fights with large BTs can be frustrating if not boring but there is a lot of spectacle and cool monster design.

Just about every major character has a unique situation involving birth and death. The game sets up several layers of this from the minute to the absolute limits of a macro scale. This is stacked between truly exceptional visuals throughout with a hauntingly beautiful soundtrack. Much of the game’s music has found its way to my regular rotation and I get tingles as I think about the journey I overcame. Death Stranding by CHVRCHES is a masterpiece of a song that I cannot stop thinking about and led me to the band. Major themes are also woven into the soundtrack.

Destroyed cities feel like the corpses of America.

Much of the game’s symbolism actually reminds me of the stranger bits of Neon Genesis Evangelion,(this may be due to a recent viewing of the series and my general enjoyment of it but I can’t stop thinking about the comparison) particularly areas of the world that are left as craters following a Voidout. A Voidout is a massive explosion that wipes out everything in the blast. Unfortunately, this can be caused by someone dying, meaning every single body must be incinerated to avoid destruction. In the last acts of the game, we also face powers beyond Earthly which puts me in mind of the Kaiju-like Angels. There’s also some intrigue to the political structure of the UCA and Bridges, similar to the conspiracies found in Evangelion. Visually, there are some similarities too with particular camera shots.

Speaking of visuals, I am astounded at the level of fidelity Kojima Productions was able to achieve in Death Stranding. Character models are exceptionally detailed. Landscapes are vast with various types of terrain. Even the smallest objects and creatures seem to have been lovingly created.

I think that’s what makes Death Stranding so interesting. This game was created by a team with a vision, a passion, and a sheer determination to make their mark. Sure, there are some things holding back the overall experience, mostly in the game’s mechanics and pacing at various points in the narrative but I came away from Death Stranding moved and excited. It doesn’t happen often that I feel so touched by a game but this is one that I’ll be keeping in mind moving forward, not only as a gamer but as a person. I see this game mainly as a metaphor for perseverance.

Even in times where all seemed lost, there were little moments of happiness to be found.

I walked those trodden paths. I fought the BTs at every turn. I struggled at almost every step. I crossed the deepest rivers, climbed the tallest mountains. I fought adversaries in often desperate battles. Yet, I kept standing, kept moving. I couldn’t be stopped, even though the world tried its damnedest. This feeling is what I carry with me now, a force of will steeled by the beatings of a world thought lost to oppression beyond comprehension.

At the end of my journey with Death Stranding, I saw beauty for a world that’s not beyond saving, a world that continues to move forward thanks to the efforts of the people connected to it.

Death Stranding is definitely a game that is not for everyone. It comes off as unfriendly at the outset and barely moves into friendly territory. However, those that can persevere just might walk away with something more.

Kojima Productions have certainly struck out into the world of independent game design in a huge way. I cannot wait to see what they do next.

The awesome Luden mascot of Kojima Productions shows up a lot in Death Stranding.

Praise aside, I don’t think Death Stranding is a game that I will repeatedly come back to. There are some loose ends I can tie up and if additional content is added I may return briefly. That said, I am immensely grateful for playing it and I am much more motivated now to play Kojima’s colorful history, especially the Metal Gear Solid series.

More information about Death Stranding can be found on the official website. A digital copy was purchased by the reviewer.

SCORES

GAMEPLAY - 7/10

VISUALS - 10/10

SOUND - 9/10

CONTROLS - 7/10

REPLAY VALUE - 6/10

OVERALL - 7.8/10