Is it me or is this game possible to be depressing to its players?

[nemuro976]

I know this is not a game for everyone, first time playing one of Hideo Kojima's games, and I can definitely understand their appeal, wouldn't have wanted a game that's the same like the others.

I'm now about halfway, past the first boss battle, but is it me or is this game making you feel depressed? Saying this as I've had played plenty of post-apocalyptic games, including This War of Mine, and can say I'm actually drawn to this genre.

The main character seems much less verbose and relatable than the other NPC's, which is also a first for me, and those long silent walks don't help either, I wish you could have a portable music player.

[Deadly Peanut]

lol, hiking around a post apocolypic world with a ton of crap on your back? watching cut scenes instead of playing a game? of course it's depressing.

Kojima is more interested in making an SF movie while you pay the bills, than in your gaming experience. get used to it.

[Spectre_Actual]

Don't give Up, you got this.

[nemuro976]

@Deadly Peanut
I thought Monster Energy pays the bills :D

Originally posted by spectre actual:

Don't give Up, you got this.

Good one

[Deadly Peanut]

lol, watch the first 20 minutes of the game on Utube and get depressed... grey, dark grey and dark grey with green tinges... i guess flowers are extinct now. the whole flipping game is depressing, both in concept and in the color pallet.

[ImHelping]

While they don't say anything, your actions end up ever so slightly repopulating the world with NPC delivery men you see occasionaly, and one of the more out of the way locations unlocks a ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ santa hat.

Overall ♥♥♥♥ sucks, but between all the soap opera plot beats you are reminded of when it's cutscene time, your is the lonley road of being the guy making people STOP being depressed.

Up to and including delivering sci-fi antidepressants to stop the wacky time dust from giving people depressing nightmares.

That said, it is perfectly reasonable to feel the game is a huge downer, with how much of that sort of thing is front loaded. "Hey Sam, everything is horrible. Now it is more horrible. Now go deliver your dead mom to a furnace while under orders to also throw a sci-fi baby in with her." as plot mission #1

[alexendyr]

The game has a somewhat somber tone throughout but there is a lot of comic relief. It has a happy ending (sort of). Try to appreciate the humor of a guy delivering a massive amount of packages on his back (and strapped to his shoulders and legs) as the main gameplay loop. That in itself makes me smile.

[WanderingArtist]

First region depressed me a little, but when you reach second map, there's a good variety of terrain to keep you jolly and excited !! Just finished the game on my ps4, cried like a ♥♥♥♥♥, on emotional roller coaster, it was worth it.

[Kilroy]

I think this is what the online functionality is primarily meant to counter. It's a very gloomy, uncertain, and harsh world, and during deliveries the sense of loneliness and helplessness can be almost palpable at times; Sam is often spoken of as an almost unstoppable one-man army by the characters he delivers to, but you as the player know it's only hype: all it can take is one mistake and that important cargo they entrusted you with is either taken by MULEs, going for a long river ride to who knows where, or just outright destroyed. So when you come across another player's structure along your way that helps you get to your destination, the emotional impact of it is really heightened (in theory, at least.)

So far I've put in 15 hours and never once has the game felt like a downer to me, and I think a large part of that is because the online element has resonated so much with me. It's easy for me not to succumb to the game world's bleakness when there are other players' structures out there saying "we're here for you, and every time you build something, you're here for us."

[Flybye]

Depressing? Here is a story about a guy that lost his wife, wants to be left alone, and the dead roam the lands with a creature from who knows where that wants to reboot the planet. Is that anymore depressing than all the humans turning into zombies?

[nemuro976]

Originally posted by Kilroy:

I think this is what the online functionality is primarily meant to counter. It's a very gloomy, uncertain, and harsh world, and during deliveries the sense of loneliness and helplessness can be almost palpable at times; Sam is often spoken of as an almost unstoppable one-man army by the characters he delivers to, but you as the player know it's only hype: all it can take is one mistake and that important cargo they entrusted you with is either taken by MULEs, going for a long river ride to who knows where, or just outright destroyed. So when you come across another player's structure along your way that helps you get to your destination, the emotional impact of it is really heightened (in theory, at least.)

So far I've put in 15 hours and never once has the game felt like a downer to me, and I think a large part of that is because the online element has resonated so much with me. It's easy for me not to succumb to the game world's bleakness when there are other players' structures out there saying "we're here for you, and every time you build something, you're here for us."

I think I'm getting to this conclusion as well.
The world is a sad place, where it's hard to survive.

However the key is to help and be helped and not feel alone, even a small act of kindness makes a difference in such a gloomy world. I think there's a message in there somewhere :).

This is the first game for me that kinda gets easier as you play it, where even small quality of life improvements make it much easier, such as having more ways to avoid or counter MULEs and BTs.

[Slice and Dice]

Helplessness, I believe, can cause depression. Death Stranding does not lift the spirit, as many other apocalyptic games fail to do. But is it fun? Yes, but not always. It is a fetching fest played as UPS delivery man who is pregnant with a fetus in a bottle. Your reward? Praise and thumbs up if that makes you happy.
Playing on a PC is like using a broken keyboard: Pick up cargo when you need to use a hemo-grenade. Jumpy player controls make you stomp on fragile cargo under your feet. Video cuts stop you cold during a battle and return you with no weapons in hand. BT’s can’t be killed on one day, but can be on another. No quick save, so you must wade through miserable dialog over and over until you get it right.
Combat for me is usually not difficult. Confronting mules is easy. I can have 15 mules on the ground the first try. But fighting BT’s and other villains doesn’t require skill. It requires perseverance and luck. Getting it right in the final chapters may take 20 tries when luck, not combat skill, allows you to proceed. Failure makes you feel weak and helpless. Now that is depressing.
Spud Eater. "What does a Witcher eat?

[Sur_GalaHad]

it takes a turn when you get further in. It has some great action sequences

[Son_of_Dawn]

Originally posted by nemuro976:

... is it me or is this game making you feel depressed?

A well-adjusted person might sit through a depressing movie and walk away feeling sad. With a game like Death Stranding, you might feel more immersed in the story than you might with a movie, so it's possible to walk away with a more profound sense of sadness. Sometimes, I certainly do.

This is one of the things that set this game apart others and makes it so enjoyable to many players. It's not for everyone. In fact, it's probably not for most people. But for those few who enjoy this sort of experience, this game is a breath of fresh air. "Yeah... this is nice."

[chero666]

imo, it's only depressing NOW with the world as it is.
Personally, I feel a sense of "worth" as the MC in this world. Everyone is counting on you and every package you deliver helps out the receiving customer. You made someone's day in this miserable world. Sam often talks to himself while walking, hyping himself/keeping his spirits up. Also helps having a funny baby attached to you to make noises and sometimes laugh.

[Arzamax]

You getting a feeling of being needed.