After years of working on what would become one of the most celebrated franchises in gaming history known as “Metal Gear Solid”, Hideo Kojima found himself handcuffed creatively by both the series greatly associated with him and the publisher in Konami. The relationship between Kojima & Konami came to an unceremonious end that saw the final (thus far) numbered entry in the “MGS” franchise be released in an obvious unfinished form while Hideo found himself unemployed. Kojima wasn’t deterred, founding his own game studio and his first potential masterpiece featuring a familiar face as the lead that would do his best to fix a broken United States. Considering the level of innovation intended by Kojima at any time and his history with crafting classic experiences I was like many others in being incredibly excited to see what it would feel like to move through a world inhabited by the dead while attempting to deliver a pizza in the best condition possible.
Did I Complete “Death Stranding”?
Taking control of Sam Porter Bridges, the player is tasked with literally crossing the entire continental United States while delivering very important packages to various colonies holed up underground after the realms of the living & dead collided to create cataclysmic effects on the world including the arrival of “Beached Things” (BTs). These BTs coincide with “Timefall” – an acidic rain that deteriorates or advances the age of items & people stuck in its watery destruction. With each successful delivery comes not only Sam getting closer to helping a disheveled government looking for one last gasp of restoration, but also a rating for the player correlating with time, distance & the package quality similar to the rating system from “Metal Gear Solid V”. With better ratings comes the increasing of relationships between Sam and the networked colonies for upgrades to equipment and even some of Sam’s passive abilities like better stability & carrying capacity of raw materials & packages alike. Beyond the main story & missions are side quests that can be completed by Sam and even a two-legged droid.
As the story progresses so do the challenges usually associated with the terrain itself that at almost any time can be accented by Timefall & the arrival of BTs able to drag Sam into a tar-like muck for an epic battle or chase sequence depending on what the player wants to do. While a majority of the tools & mechanics aren’t necessary for the completion of most missions, it does add viable options for both the player and those connected to the server playing as well; providing objects & structures crafted by other players including bridges, postboxes for quick delivery of lost cargo Sam has attained, and even safehouses. My initial goal of simply playing through all fourteen episodes (with a fifteenth episode available for post-story clean-up) turned into a mission to unlock beneficial upgrades to certain weapons & tools, as well as discovering side relationships & stories in unexpected areas. After forty-five hours on “Normal” difficulty, my Sam had seen what this version of America offered all the while building a relationship with the little one responsible for saving him from more than a few BT encounters.
Did “Death Stranding” Live Up to the Hype?
What seems like the simplest of premises – a game rooted in fetch & delivery quests – “Death Stranding” is anything but simple in both its gameplay and its narrative. The early portions of “Death Stranding” are miniscule with its gameplay options as the player has Sam climbing various cliffs & mountainous areas while holding down the controller’s triggers to stop him from falling head over heels especially if the player has loaded Porter’s backpack to an absurd, almost cartoonish level. Sam will stumble comically with the player doing everything in their power to stop him from falling and damaging the container holding fragile cargo hundreds of times before the game’s final credits roll. Inventory management is the biggest key to success as the more cargo Sam has on him the less stabile he’ll be; while less cargo may mean Sam lacking the right tool to cross a fast-flowing body of water or even a fresh pair of boots to replace those worn down after many travels. Perfectly tying into the story’s overall goal is the progression of gameplay mechanics & options. With each colony added to the rebuilding of the United States through the “Chiral Network” comes the unlocking of new weapons both lethal & mostly non-lethal like a shotgun and riot shotgun respectively. The early weapons are arguably the most enjoyable for taking on the human enemies (nomadic package abductors known as “MULEs”) such as a gun that immediately ties up adversaries when the rope shot connects with its target; and even a gun that yanks the packages right off the human enemy’s back.
But when it comes to BTs, normal ammo won’t usually work. Thanks to Sam having a special type of DNA that actually damages BTs, Sam can infuse his blood and bodily fluids into grenades & bullets that can take down even the most ferocious tar-covered monstrosity. One battle sequence that repeats itself in various locales mixes both stereotypical third-person gunplay and BT takedowns that usually is the entirety of a single episode/chapter. There is hand-to-hand combat specifically connected to taking on MULEs that doesn’t feel too satisfactory no matter how well the player does; the same can be said about stealth as it feels like a tacked-on mechanic rather than something expertly crafted like what’s seen in the franchise Kojima is most associated with in “MGS”. But the tools & equipment additions and upgrades to Sam’s inventory are the most important aspect of adding colonies to the Network. Around episode three, Sam is introduced to a plethora of options in crafting some of the aforementioned items like bridges & safehouses; as well as even more impressive tools like somewhat unwieldy vehicles running on batteries that need generators to keep them powered for the long haul (though certain areas will make it impossible for the player to even use a motorcycle or truck). Sam will be gifted the ability to craft carriers he can hook behind himself like a wagon, various pouches so Porter doesn’t have to carry grenades on his back, and even exoskeleton add-ons that can increase Sam’s maximum carrying weight or stay more stable in snowy areas.
The most exceptional aspect of item crafting is the player community itself. Players can support their fellow Porters by leaving equipment & items for others to help them in their journey. Early in the game climbing an arduous mountainside is easier thanks to a player leaving a ladder or rope instead of repacking said items. Just like the tools available to the player is more extensive later in the game so are the things other gamers will leave behind that can make traversal both easier & more exhilarating like actual roads and zip-lines. Players have the ability to leave likes to thank those who went out of their way to be friendly to people they’ll never meet and maybe even encourage someone else to pay it forward.
The one tool every player has and will constantly utilize is the “Bridge Baby” (BB). Sam’s BB is both responsible for identifying BTs when the Timefall occurs and progressing the story with some of the most diminutive, yet riveting presentations focusing on the hauntingly mysterious Clifford Unger (Mads Mikkelsen). BB also must be soothed when put under great stress like Sam falling from any height, but doing so builds a greater bond between the two that also extends BB’s identification range of BTs.
The plot is a test of patience that sees Kojima reach into his usual bag of extensive word usage for the simplest of explanations that can be ignored as the overall story unfolds and it becomes more obvious just how much depth there is to the narrative he’s crafted. The personal and professional conflictions with creating this new United States are numerous for almost every character introduced be it Sam’s almost otherworldly sister Amelie Strand (Lindsay Wagner/Emily O’Brien) or the absurdly-named Deadman (Guillermo del Toro/Jesse Corti) with the latter being one of the story’s most influential characters for critical information. Arguably the weakest characters are the protagonist himself as Sam feels more like an avatar than an actual character with an arc that doesn’t play out until the last couple of hours, and the self-described “Particle of God” Higgs Monaghan (Troy Baker) who is obviously meant to be a caricature of video game bosses like those seen in Kojima’s prior works without the efficient amount of screen time to make him feel remarkable enough to warrant a battle of fisticuffs a la “Metal Gear Solid 4”.
“Death Stranding’s” technical achievements can’t be denied not only in regards to how gorgeous & awe-inspiring the various landscapes are, but also because frame rate drops and horrendous flaws like crashes or broken missions are nonexistent. Unfortunately there are some definite issues with “Death Stranding” including the aforementioned handling when it comes to vehicle usage & combat, story pacing, and a repetitive gameplay structure that can become tedious especially when the character reaches the more mountainous areas where crafting & leaving behind beneficial tools & items for players just isn’t as accommodating.
Arguably the most disappointing aspect has to be how little a threat the more grandiose BTs present. While there are a couple of mandatory boss battles, a majority of Sam’s interactions with squid & lion-like BTs usually boils down to the player pushing Sam forward while easily avoiding the slow-moving tar monsters until Porter reaches a point outside of the corrupted area. The first time encountering these beasts will leave a player stunned & fearful, but after discovering how easy they are to avoid when activated removes that tension even in the early hours. The fast travel system leaves something to be desired as well by removing any inventory Sam currently has on him and placing it in that safehouse’s “Private Locker” for retrieval only from that locker. Fast travel becomes less of an option for convenience and more of an inventory management decision that usually means the player will just go ahead on foot or tire instead. Also there’s the obvious product placement of Monster Energy drink that, somehow, survived an apocalypse en masse. Monster Energy drinks restore Sam’s stamina while on land or can be simply chugged in a safehouse’s “Private Room”.
“Death Stranding” is one of the most divisive experiences out there with a gameplay loop made better by the community to offset the repetition & overall jankiness associated with Sam tripping over a small rock. The narrative takes its time by drip-feeding information with the hope a player will stick around and enjoy the end result. “Death Stranding” in no way, shape or form will change the very dynamic of video game presentations, but will reward those who have the patience with an experience unlike any other where the frustrations pale in comparison to the triumphs of something as simple as delivering a package to a hologram after almost being pulled into ground by tethered beings.
Should You Play “Death Stranding”?
“Death Stranding” is so much more than a “walking simulator” assumed by those only judging the game by trailer footage. Kojima’s latest digital gaming presentation asks for patience both when moving throughout what’s left of the United States and when experiencing stories both large & small. The overall gameplay issues including mobility both on foot & while utilizing a vehicle, underwhelming “boss” encounters, and general repetition figuratively melt away by the game’s end as the plot unravels and the feeling of overcoming what seemed to be insurmountable odds both natural & supernatural becomes definitive. For the patient & understanding who aren’t looking for “Metal Gear Solid” under a different name, “Death Stranding” is nothing short of remarkable with obvious flaws & issues that carry on throughout. For the intrigued it is a necessity to spend at least ten hours with “Death Stranding” and make it past the first three episodes to discover if it’s the game for you. Just like a baby floating inside a manufactured womb or housed in the esophagus of some weary traveler, “Death Stranding” is the equivalent of both being insultingly mooned by someone and given a thumbs up that soothes the soul.
