Death Stranding

 Greetings reader,

As you may have guessed by the title (or not), I have just finished the video game Death Stranding. I'm a few years late, and in all honesty, had started playing it about two years back but would go months at a time without picking it up. It's weirdly a hard game to recommend even though I absolutely loved it. I'm going to talk a little bit about the game as if you (the reader) aren't in the loop.

    Death Stranding is a video game written and directed by Hideo Kojjima (Metal Gear Solid series) for the Playstation 5 that has gotten a strange/bad rap for being known as a "walking simulator." While it's an ignorant label, it's not entirely far off the mark either. The premise of the game is you're Sam (played by Walking Dead's Norman Reedus), a cargo transporter in a world filled with evil entities/ghosts known as BT's and your mission is to deliver packages across plains, mountains, etc. without getting caught, slipping, falling, etc. That's literally it. Obviously there's a massive story in there that was to me both brilliant and a refreshing take on horror, but it does take a long time to sink it over the course of a 40+ hour long game. 

    What hurts the "game" is that slow pace in the beginning, and oddly enough, it's that same slow pace in the second half of the game that switches from mild boredom to enjoyment. I loved the serene moments when great music kicks in and the visuals of the game are looking great (the art direction in Kojima games is always topnotch). It took a bit for me to realize the game is conditioning you and reminding you to take your time, enjoy things, establish and invest in routes and the game community, and to enjoy the journey because it isn't about the destination.

    Not to spoil anything but the game is the classic setup of going from East to West for our main character. Nothing wrong with that. What I found fascinating though was near the end of the game you literally have to make the entire trek BACK in one mission; it took 60+ missions to cross the entire game map and Kojima makes you do it in one go. At first I was turned off to the idea because I was nearing the end and this seemed like a filler idea, but after I set out and was making quick progress, I got to see the sheer scope of my travels and what the community and I had built together (if you're logged into the internet while you play, after you explore and area once yourself, you'll connect to the community and share resources/structures to help in navigation). There were massive sections that I had built ziplines to scale snow covered mountains the size of Everest within seconds (it took hours to traverse before with climbing gear) and other places where I had built literal freeways so I could drive on them. It's the endgame that hits you with all the emotional discovery and story reveals.

    The above is why I highly recommend sticking with Death Stranding if you had an interest in it before. I heard that a TV show or movie could be in the works, but that would allow you, the player, to actually feel the accomplishment of the journey, yet I think there are times the game gets in the way of itself, especially in the storytelling process. I could see the show or movie complimenting the games (there's a sequel on the way) and maybe taking place in parallel to the events. Anyway, worth checking out.

I also run a gamer Tik Tok account if you're interested in seeing Death Stranding:

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTNynSNaD/