Death Stranding reinvents how video game design can work. It takes you through an experience you didn’t expect, doesn’t hold back with its design intentions and execution, and takes the gamer through a journey like no other. This is a masterpiece that only Kojima could pull off.
Artists have a clear vision of what they want to do and how deep they want to dive before everything is said and done. Deep down in an artist’s heart, I believe they want you to take a journey with them through the masterpiece they create. At the end, they want you to have experienced something special. Will you have found the vision they intended? Maybe, maybe not. The experience along the way is the most important part of art. Feeling something by the end of the journey is the goal. Knowing that you experienced something beautiful, unique, and having it burned into your memory for the rest of your life, where it comes up now and then, is just as important.
This is art.
This is Hideo Kojima’s Death Stranding.
The Story
Potentially, the biggest mystery surrounding Death Stranding was the story. As each trailer came out over the years, starting with Norman Reedus naked on a beach with a baby in his arms, the storyline has gradually become more confusing. I would imagine that most non-Kojima gamers out there were getting confused and frustrated by the disconnected clues. For example, one trailer we get Reedus delivering items, another we get Mads Mikkelsen crying black tar, while Guillermo del Toro runs around with a jar baby — the trailers did nothing with regard to telling you the story. Even in the gameplay demonstrations at E3 and TGS, there was nothing thrown out that made any connection with previous material. Kojima and Sony Interactive Entertainment made sure to keep most of what you get during your own gameplay completely under wraps. I am grateful for that strategy and can tell you this much about the story, it’s everything you would hope a Kojima game would be. Think about all the great stories the man has put together — Metal Gear (NES-PS4), Snatcher, Policenauts, etc.. The guy knows how to tell a story, so, for me, I had faith he would pull through.
Anyway, so what’s Death Stranding’s deal? I’ll give you some clues. Norman Reedus’ character, Sam Porter, delivers packages across a broken land that most humans don’t dare cross. He experiences quite few obstacles along the way that impede his progress and try to damage his deliveries. The first problem he runs into is called Timefall. Timefall is rain that rapidly ages things and people. The second problem he runs into is the terrain. The terrain is damaged and dangerous. Going over mountains, going through unforgiving rivers, and traversing through all sorts of weather is a big pain in Sam’s ass, and yours as the gamer. Thirdly, he goes up against people called MULES, who have gone mad and are hellbent on taking Sam’s deliveries for their own. They are annoying, as they are sadistic, so enjoy them. Lastly, Sam has to go up against dangerous creatures called BTs. These creatures want to take Sam ‘down’ – literally and figuratively. They are creepy, they are fast, and you almost always don’t see them coming before it’s too late.
So, what about the characters you run into? You have a female porter named (withheld) who wants to help out, but also atone for sins she carries with her. You have a slew of helpers like Guillermo del Toro’s (withheld) who has quite the awkward past, but seems like he wants to truly help you (“seems”). You have Mads Mikkelsen playing the potential villain (withheld) who seems to want something that Sam has (what could that be? You will have to find out). Finally, you have BB, the baby strapped to Sam’s stomach. What is the deal with that baby? That was the first trailer for the game, and you’ll have to find out on your own.
Does this clear up anything? Certainly not, but I can tell you that all of these storylines come together and are beautifully woven into another great Kojima tapestry. If I give you too much, then I give you it all. Despite what you might read in other reviews, I’m not in the business of ruining a good story for anyone. I whole-heartedly assure you that the story gets off the ground around 10 hours into the game, depending on how long you dig into the delivery portion. I think that I was about 20+ hours in before jumping back on the story because I was so fascinated about the delivery system, as the system really does grab you and hold you for intricate and technical reasons. Speaking of which, we have to talk about those reasons right now. Sorry that I couldn’t/wouldn’t give you more of the story, but you’re on your own for this one. Trust me, it’s damn good, though.
Technical/Intricate reasons for control
It’s the finer things in life that you should appreciate, especially when it comes to game design. The amount of effort that a developer puts into mechanics and what said developer does to give the player the most detailed experience without giving them too many details to juggle, is what makes good game design. It’s a balance of sorts, and one that will certainly go unappreciated with Death Stranding, unless you actually read all of this review, so it can be pointed out to you with an insane amount of text. I felt the need to identify them for you, so when you drink up this fine wine, you’ll sit back and taste all the flavors that make it what it is. Time to stick that nose into that wine glass and be pretentious.
Controls
The controls are kept KISS (keep it simple stupid), but at the same time require a bit more effort out of you. The more packages you load up on Sam, the more imbalanced the poor boy gets. If you stack too high, you will constantly be fighting with L2/R2 in trying to balance out Sam’s body (L2 shifts the weight left, R2 shifts the weight right). One of the purposes of Sam’s journey is to deliver healthy packages to clients. If you fall over and damage them, and it can be easy to do, if you’re doing it all wrong, then you’re not going to get good responses from the XP/point system, or the clients (they can be a sassy bunch when you piss them off). Keeping Sam safe and balanced (better than Fox News) means that you get rewarded for your efforts. Knowing a good route to go to get the most out of the journey is also key to keeping Sam continually doing good work. The journey starts with understanding the controls and taking on only what you can handle.
Of course, the controls don’t just stop/start with balance. There are also other things you have to use the controls and monitor throughout the game. The biggest of the bunch is stamina. When you’re crossing a river or traversing up a steep hill, Sam’s stamina bar pops up and starts decreasing. On a steep hill, you can stop and let it replenish, or you can drink an energy drink (those are fun — unhealthy in real life, though). For example, when playing the stamina game in rough waters, you are going to have to gauge when it is safe to stop, or if you can stop. Sometimes you can’t stop because the waters are so drastically rough and pull Sam towards one direction. If you stop in safe waters (that aren’t rough), then your stamina bar replenishes. You will spend a large amount of time looking at that gauge, which is a realistic expectation for a character crossing a massive amount of land.
To help out with stamina, as well as balance, the game will ask you to hold L2+R2 together to keep your packages from creating an imbalance with Sam. By pressing these buttons, you will use stamina, but keep Sam physically stable in his journey. You will also go slower, but it’s safer ultimately. For example, when you’re going down a hill, L2+R2 become essential because Sam will pick up speed as you’re moving downward. You get controller feedback when Sam is losing his control down the hill, and you will uncomfortably see Sam get faster as the rumbling of the controller gets more intense. The L2+R2 will help control this and it will also help an out of control Sam. Simple? Yep. Useful? Lord, yes. Detailed? Incredibly.
Gauging the best way to do any task, including crossing rivers and traveling up hills, is as simple as hitting L1 to scan the land, which color codes the difficulty of the situation Sam might be facing. For example, rivers and streams will be color coded with blue (safely cross), yellow (think about it before you cross), and red (what in Jesus’ name are you doing crossing this you dumbass?? I hope you enjoy Sam losing all his packages and floating down stream because that is what is about to happen). You have to decide whether the coded colors are worth the quick trip across the river/streams, or if it’s best to find another place to cross, even though it might be out of the way. Regardless, the controls to make all of the above safe and to understand your odds are quite simple. You will see that ‘simple’ motif through out this entire category.
Staying with scanning (L1), this is a vital part of the game. Scanning will not only alert you about how hard some areas are to cross, but also gives you indication of lost packages from other players (yep, that’s a thing — explained later), enemies, and location distances. It also has other purposes, but due to storylines, I can’t give that away. You should use it often throughout the gameplay.
As for items, you keep your items on your person, such as stun guns or grenades, and you can access them through the directional pad. The left directional pad has all your health items (like blood bags, which replenish your health automatically, if you have they properly pouched), the up directional pad has your clothes (boots, hats, exoskeletons), and the right directional pad has your weapons, container repair spray (yep, that’s a thing) and construction devices for building structures. All of these things are easily accessible and well thought through when the controls were designed. It’s simple, it makes sense, and it creates an organized clutter solution so that you don’t have to think about too much. You never want controls getting in the way of the experience. About 5 hours into the game, I was concerned that it would be a confusing controller mess when I tried to access items that I needed on the fly, but it ended up being smooth as a BB’s bottom.
Kojima Productions did one helluva job of giving you the most out of the controls, but also providing the least amount of resistance when trying to remember what does what. They are simplified, while at the same time meticulously planned and executed. In short, they won’t get in the way of the gameplay experience.
Plans
Part of the unique and methodical development of Death Stranding is how well a gamer plans their journey. I didn’t get this at first, but as the game grew bigger and bigger, it became evident that I had to be a better trip planner for Sam’s journey. It had to be better because I was making it hard on myself otherwise. Anyway, when you begin to plan Sam’s route, you pull up the map by hitting the ‘start’ button. You can lay down lines on the map that will direct you through the terrain (you will see arrows on the actual terrain as you move) and safely to your place of journey. At the beginning of the game, I was just plotting single solid lines on the map that would take me to my location. Was the line right? Yes. Was it accurate in showing me the way to my ultimate destination? Yep. Did it make the game easier? God, no. Part of the planning portion of this game is looking at the terrain, understanding what you’re about to put Sam through, and making the best possible journey decisions you can to get him there quickly and safely. This requires you to draw multiple lines on the map that might curve around mountains or MULE camps. Spend the extra time planning these routes! It will save you time and frustration. The game does require you to be aware of your surroundings, which is a good thing, so don’t be impatient with planning.
In addition to the planning, you also have to be conscious of locations you run into or may need to stop at on the way to your final destination. If you have an item that requires recharging, such as bionic legs that help you through the terrain quicker, then you have to make sure you find a charge station through your journey, or one that you can build. Knowing what’s in the area you’re planning to journey through will help you prepare for what you need to bring with you on said journey. If something is along the way, such as the charge station, then you will see a tiny icon on the map the represents it. All of the above things (routes, locations, structures) are interconnected with the game design, which is just brilliant planning from Kojima’s group. It adds a layer of strategy and makes it more than just a simple action game.
Community
This portion of the development got me excited. I didn’t expect this in the gameplay, but it worked out brilliantly, and it’s very unique to console gaming. The theme of the entire game is community. The story has a lot of community messages in it. The actual gameplay allows for a non-existent community to help each other out. When I say ‘non-existent’, I mean that every time you build a structure or you add something to the landscape, it will appear in someone else’s game. For example, if you build a previously mentioned charge station, then someone else will benefit off of that when they play the game. If you build a bridge over a river, someone else in their game gets that bridge. Everyone benefits from each other’s efforts, which means points and progression for you. And let me tell you, when you’re running low on power, carrying too many packages, and trying to find an escape route from MULEs, and you need a bridge to cross over a very nasty river, then you’re going to appreciate the community aspect of the game when you see said bridge. It’s absolutely an essential idea to make the gameplay a bit more intricate, even if it was not expected in the gameplay equation.
Packages
The package delivery system built into Death Stranding makes me want to hug the UPS and FedEx person every time they deliver a package. Yes, I probably would be arrested for such a thing, but they deserve it. Think about it, they have a shit ton of packages to deliver, they have to keep them organized, accessible, and safe. That’s a lot to think about when you’re spending 8 hours a day doing such a task. I will predict this, they will absolutely excel at this game when it releases next week. They will probably get the most out of it and, honestly speaking, good for them.
Anyway, the package delivery system in DS is phenomenal. You have to organize and balance Sam’s packages to provide the best chance for him to survive his journey. This might mean attaching packages to arms, legs, and/or a floating carrier that attaches to you (and you can have multiple carriers at the same time — both a Godsend and a hindrance, depending on the planning part of your journey). The carriers at their best can make Sam more mobile, while at their worst can detach when they get stuck on terrain. The latter is a real pain in the ass, while the former is so nice when you have to carry huge amounts of delivery parcel.
Like mentioned above, balancing out how you carry things and in what way that happens is all part of an unplanned strategy with this game. It’s a welcomed layer of complication to everything, which makes the game far more challenging, but in a light, ‘didn’t notice it’ sort of way.
While you’re ingesting that premise, you should also note that the game will occasionally throw you into a timed delivery. This means that you have a certain amount of minutes to get a package to its client before the package is either destroyed or the reason for the package has passed (sometimes that is incredibly tragic). This also plays into planning and how you re-arrange your packages for the journey. Again, and I know I’m beating a dead horse here, it’s a layer of unplanned strategy to the gameplay that adds more depth. It also makes you feel pressure to get it right, which also invests you more into the gameplay and character journey. It’s ridiculously effective.
Rounding out things, sometimes there is a sensitive package that needs delivering (yes, Ben, you can snicker at that). Just imagine that you have a large explosive device on your back. Imagine that is a timed device. Imagine that you can’t jiggle it too much or it will go off. Now, imagine that you have to deliver it to a location that is wedged between a mountainous area and a whole bunch of MULEs, and potentially a large area of BTs. On top of this, it’s raining, there are no charge stations, no protection stations, and you’re low on repair spray. Are you tense yet? Good lord, me too. You will have moments in the game where all of the above is the case. You have to take into account your controls, your planning, and what items you’re bringing with you. This described moment happens in the game. Not once, not twice, but a few times — and that depends on how long you spend off the story playing delivery part of the game.
There is so much to think about, but at the same time you will be getting simplistic gameplay design to use with all of that complication. It’s brilliant, it’s gorgeous. All the intricate details that were put into the gameplay and executed perfectly creates a beautiful payoff. This is like watching a superb conductor at work with a well-trained orchestra.
Locations
There are many locations in the game that serve purposes to Sam’s journey. You have cliental delivery spots, safe houses/structures, and Bridges delivery depots. Let’s breakdown each and why they matter.
Client spots
The obvious reason why these matter is to have a place to deliver the goods. Without them, we don’t get new items, progress the story, and/or give Sam purpose. They act as safe havens for Sam to take a break too, as well as adding the ability (with the right connection — not giving that away) to fabricate items that Sam might need to continue journeying. The fabrication of items in this location is limited to items that Sam can carry, so don’t expect vehicles to come out of these places. Client locations also can be used to pick up new deliverable orders, which are essentially side missions away from the story (called Standard Orders). They also help keep Sam safe, as well as going. You will find a lot of ‘interesting’ faces along the way at these spots, so don’t be shy on visiting these areas, even if you don’t have an order to deliver.
Safe Houses/Structures
As mentioned prior, there are structures you can build in the game that everyone can benefit from, including safe houses for Sam. The latter is a place where Sam can get some rest, as well as BB, and shower/go to the toilet/replenish/save. The showing/toilet part of that equation is interesting, as you can create weapons from your gifts to the world in those processes (it’s a dystopian place, do/use what you can to arm oneself). Let’s just say I created so many grenades throughout my journey in the game. I’ll stop there. Anyway, these are good places to get stuff and have fun, including seeing an AMC advertisement for Reedus’ RIDE show.
On the structure side of the equation, and adding onto a previous description above, you can build a variety of structures for yourself and other people along the way through the game. As stated, it only helps the world when you do this, so be very conscious of participating and helping the world out. In addition, you have to collect items throughout the land, and through client delivery satisfaction, that will equal out to parts/pieces to make structures happen. This could be collecting chiral material (gold finger-like plants in the ground), collecting parts/pieces lying around, and gaining material through accomplishments. You have to keep track of your material (chemicals, alloys, etc.) and use them wisely. It will sometimes take time to get enough material to build these structures, but, as said prior, they ultimately benefit everyone.
Some of the structure types include bridges, charge stations, safe houses, Timefall shelters, and a variety of other useful things. These structures can only be built within the chiral network that is run by the organization you work for called the UCA (United Cities of America). If you are outside the chiral network, then you have to find a way to expand it (part of the story). Regardless, having to juggle that balance of gathering material, planning the place to build the structures, and understanding chiral location helps to create yet another layer of strategy that was not anticipated in the gameplay by yours truly. It was a pleasant surprise that paid off over time.
Bridges Delivery Depots
These are nice spots that provide you with almost every option in the game. You can gather orders (including story orders), deliver material (even ones that are not your own — you will find other gamers material around the terrain and receive extra points for completing their delivery), fabricate material (even vehicles), and access private and shared lockers. You can also find a safe house to rest. These depots are always the place you want to be, as they honestly provide everything for you, but they’re separated pretty well, so you do have to cross terrain to get to them.
Each location listed above provides a different experience for the player. Each one will ultimately save your ass, which was intended, but also offer up unique offerings that add another layer of thought to the journey. It’s insane how much intention was provided in including these things in the game and what they mean to the overall story and experience. It’s yet another cog in the DS machine that was purposely put in there for your pleasure.
Pesky enemies
You have several layers of enemies to deal with in the game. As mentioned above, you have terrain, MULEs, and BTs. The terrain can be an enemy with poor planning, while the MULEs and BTs just straight up want to kill your ass. Regardless, Death Stranding gives you a lot to think about in this category.
MULEs — Remember that game?
MULEs come in a variety of flavors. There is a MULE who throws electrical poles at you (those suck, if they hit you. If you’re in a vehicle, Sam is forced to exit or be electrocuted — so many curse words have been flung out with Sam in this situation), a MULE who is well armored and you can’t immediately be punched, a MULE who is armed to the teeth with guns, and a MULE who drives a truck to deliver all those a-holes to your location quickly. When they catch you, they are relentless. When you manage to knock them on their ass, you can swipe their goods, and even give them a good kick to the chops. The one thing you shouldn’t do with them? Kill them. If you kill an actual human being in DS, they begin the early stages of necrosis. Necrosis essentially turns their body into a giant bomb, which, when it goes off, creates a voidout. That is an atomic sized blast that creates a huge crater in the ground. I learned this was a thing when I first acquired a gun in the game, then accidentally shot one of the MULEs. I had to body bag them, put them on my back, then find the nearest incinerator to burn them in. Let me tell you, I didn’t make it to the incinerator, but I did manage to find a steep hill and send the necrosis-ridden body quickly away via a fast-moving downhill stream. Did it possibly kill a lot of people in a nearby city? Not sure because I ran the hell the other direction, but it probably did. That is a bad thing. Seriously, it’s a bad thing. I have felt some guilt about it.
Anyway, MULEs are a pain in the ass, so strategy-wise it’s best to avoid them. They are malicious and relentless. I likened them to the desperate desert folks in Mad Max Fury Road. They are brutal in their pursuit, but at the same time easily disposed of when wielding the right items. In addition, they’re entertaining as hell when you steal their vehicles. They can be run over pretty easily. I do love that part a bit. Regardless, they are good enemies in the game that have intelligent AI embedded in them. They know how to surround you and cut off your exits quickly. There are smart ways to avoid them, none of which I’m going to get into because it’s related to the game’s progression, but the game makes it fun and provides you with plenty of outs.
BTs
The creepy entities that you don’t know much about because that would spoil the story. Just know this, when the game starts the Timefall, you’re not far off from them. When they appear, they’re relentless in their pursuit of finding you. The game gives you some outs to avoid them, and some other ‘things’ later to up the strategy. Avoiding them is the easiest part of the game and you get help in that category. Your BB will activate its Odradek Scanner (that twitchy thing you see in the trailers) when they are close by and will point in the direction they are residing (color coded in white). The BB will also alert you with an amber color when they are physically close by. When the BTs are close by, you will have to hold Sam’s breath until the BB’s device goes white again. Holding one’s breath hurts the stamina meter (yep, that gauge comes into play), so make sure to watch that and be careful not to let that breath go a second before it needs to be let go. If you let it go too soon, you’re in for a world of ‘oh, shit’. The BTs have their purpose in the story, so I won’t be sharing too much more with you on this subject. Just know that they don’t get less creepy as the game continues.
Bosses (Spoiler-free description)
They come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and personalities, and all related to the story. The end.
*READER RESPONSE: But the website/youtuber has already spoiled it for me, why can’t you?
*EDITOR’S RESPONSE: Because I’m not an asshole like them and don’t feel the need to say, “Look at me, I’m special!!!”
*FINAL NOTE ABOUT THIS CATEGORY: So good.
The variety of enemies that Kojima Productions has created for this game are specially made and cater to the story directly. They are not only there to create story progression, but also add ambience to the atmosphere and the world’s purpose as you travel through it. You have to get a good feeling of what devastation this world has gone through on its way to being torn in two (what two parts? Not telling). You have to get a feeling of disconnect and Sam’s own sense of loneliness/isolation as he struggles to find purpose in his day-to-day life. Each enemy included in the above list helps to fill in that hole. They create every emotional experience you go through in the game, as well as showing you the world as it stands. It’s brilliant design from Kojima and not at all overdone. It’s purposeful on its intent and execution.
Presentation
As I wrap this review up, I would kick my own ass if I left out how beautiful this game is on the PS4’s last go around before the PS5 emerges next year. If you’re looking for that visual climax or crescendo for this system, then this might be the game. The world is expansive in the game, you can see a large amount of draw-distance in the background, and it will let you explore everything you can see. Sure the initial loading time between chapters will seem like forever, but as soon as you ‘resume game’ after that loading time, you won’t see loading time again before the next chapter. Kojima Productions doesn’t want to interrupt your gameplay experience, as it delivers it all at once through the visuals. It’s a good thing too, as you don’t want to have your emergence into this bleak world interrupted. It’s like waiting in a brief line for a long rollercoaster ride. Yeah, the line sucks, but once you get on that ride, you’re going to get every ounce out of it before you end it, and the wait would be worth it. That’s how the visuals work here. I’m satisfied with that balance between wait and delivery. The transition between gameplay and cut scenes works the same way, and is included in that load time. Both are uninterrupted in their transition.
On the acting side of things, you get top-notch performances from everyone involved. Everyone seemed to buy into the story, so they bring the passion. I’m not just talking about Reedus and Mikkelsen, but also the entire cast. The game seems to get the most out of everyone, which means that you get the most out of the game when you’re experiencing the story. You will go through a slew of emotions as the story plays out because of how good the actors are in it. You will feel the loneliness, the extreme heartbreak, tragedy, redemption, and feel scared at times (not just because of the BTs). The three-act structure is helped because of the acting buy-in. That buy-in creates the story for you and puts you there from beginning to end (that ending is powerful). Kojima wanted to create a Hollywood experience and accomplishes it through Death Stranding better than most Hollywood directors.
The last part of the presentation piece is the music. I wouldn’t have known about Low Roar had it not been for Kojima. Hell, I wouldn’t have emotional music to wrap myself up in at times had it not been for Kojima selections. The guy knows how to pull at your heart in his storytelling through the appropriate music, and Death Stranding might do it better than any Kojima game made to date. And, yes, I’m well aware of the Metal Gear Solid series, which was always perfectly orchestrated. Anyway, DS brings good music from musicians at the right times and orchestrates well when the bands aren’t playing. It’s a good balance that is more than appropriate for the story unfolding onscreen.
The presentation has a perfect package that includes the right amount of everything for the experience to fully reveal itself onscreen. It looks and sounds perfect.
Personal Thoughts
I realize that I haven’t given you everything about the game (not even remotely close). I did this purposefully, as you should see this journey unfold through your own thoughts/eyes. I’m sure that each gamer out there will pull something from the game as it begins to reveal itself. For me, Death Stranding pulled me into the world of Sam Porter, put me in his shoes, and took me places that I had emotionally forgotten existed within myself. It played with my heartstrings, had me hugging my wife and kids more, and genuinely had me re-evaluate what really mattered in life, and the connections I had made with people along my own journey. It’s more than art to me, it’s an experience that shows the finality of life, the finite amount of time we have, and what we should intend on doing with the remaining time spent on this earth. This is something most gamers probably haven’t thought about when playing a game, but I guarantee you’re going to have these thoughts as you progress through Death Stranding.
As a good friend of mind always says, you aren’t going to make it off this earth alive, so you better start living.
Conclusion
Death Stranding reinvents how video game design can work. It takes you through an experience you didn’t expect, doesn’t hold back with its design intentions and execution, and takes the gamer through a journey like no other. This is a masterpiece that only Kojima could pull off.
