I could write you a meme review: "Norman Reedus and the Amazing Feetus Reconnect America's Internet One UPS Package At A Time." I won't. Not after the last two days. I want to tell you a story about a motorcycle and the Waystation at the End of the World. (spoiler free)


I had just moved on to the second map chunk of the game and as I steeled myself to set out into new territory I stopped to check communal equipment locker. A motorcyle had been left behind by another player, Logick: Logick's long-range reverse trike. With 15 or fewer hours on my save file, I pulled it from the shared garage, thinking about my good fortune. A ready-available bike with a double-size battery. Surely it would serve me well for a few runs before I swapped it out with something else.
I would go on to put a total 90 hours on my save file, and cross the largest, most varied map of the game over and over and over on Logick's trike, secure in the knowledge that it would get me to where I was going and back home every time. You can give "Likes" to other players' equipment and structures to show your appreciation, and Logick earned over 3000 likes from me through the trike alone. It would become the single vehicle I used the most, by an enormous margin.

The moment I lost Logick's trike was heart-wrenching. I was attempting a risky river crossing, sure as I had been every time before that Logick's trike would see me through. I failed. I lost Logick's trike and my cargo to the river's current, and as I scrambled to recover my load from the current, Logick's trike was gone without a trace. This piece of essential equipment I had borrowed from a stranger I would never know, that had carried me through hours of gameplay, was gone in an instant. I pressed on. There wasn't anything else I could do.
About ten minutes later, a notification appeared on my screen: "A reverse trike has been recovered from a river". I opened my map to the discovery that Logick's trike had found it's way to the shore, and while it was in very bad shape, it still had a mostly full battery. I couldn't spare the time to turn around, so I would have to trust that it would be there when I returned. The better part of an hour later as I tore across the landscape on foot, no cargo to weigh me down, Logick's trike came into view, smoking, on the riverbank where I had attempted the crossing. Nearly broken, but with a full battery. I coasted into the nearby distro center on single-digit durability, and finally let out a sigh of relief. Logick's trike was back in the garage, safe and repaired, ready to go on the next delivery with me.

That one trike, in theory entirely replaceable, was my second most valuable piece of equipment. On the final trek back across the whole of the map, I rode Logick's trike in a reverse-tracing of the path I had first taken while riding west. With it's unfailing reliability, it brought me the whole way back. I crossed the map perhaps dozens of times, hurtling through some of the worst hostile territories in the game, over mountain foothills and rivers, on that one trike. I couldn't take it any further than the mountains, but it would be waiting for me for the return trip.


As I approached the end of the game, beyond the reach of Logick's trusty trike, after hiking through the worst terrain the game had to offer with the singular largest load I had ever moved as part of one of the story-line related deliveries, sneaking through an enemy camp and even being shot at, I finally reached my objective. Sitting there, listening to the game's soundtrack, I looked around the area. Scattered over the immediate vicinity was a safe house, a charging station, and a shelter, each built by a different player, with materials contributed by who knows how many others to help upgrade and repair them. We, as a community, had put together a waystation, here at the end of the world. One last stopping point before the final push, a chance to breathe easy and ready up. Every single one of those structures had been brought here, through hostile territory, by players spending their own precious materials, knowing full well they would likely only benefit from this effort for a few minutes at most. They did it anyway, because they knew it would be there for the others who came after them.

We were all just ships passing in the night, unable to interact beyond simple expressions of thanks, notifications reading "Player _______ has used your structure and sends their appreciation. __ Likes received" in the bottom left of your screen, and yet we had provided for each other nearly everything you could have needed, then and throughout, be it a trike, a charging station, shelter from the rain, or something as important as a place to rest and repair your vehicle. It's all just zeros and ones, code and pixels, and maybe it's silly, but knowing that there were people who went out of their way to help those who would come later, and being able to be part of it, contributing materials to that waystation, to roads, and building a zipline network that would become a highway, it reminded me of the good there is is the world. This game, and its community, will help rebuild your faith in humanity if you let them.

I cannot recommend this game enough.


And Logick, if you find this, thank you. Your trike carried me through so much of this game. It took its lumps traveling with me, but I made sure it always came back, same as it did for me, and I made sure to store it in the garage after that last ride.

“I’m very prone to loneliness,” said Kojima. “I think there are similar people around the world — especially gamers. … When they’re alone playing video games in their living room, they don’t feel like they fit into society or their community. So when people play this game they realize people like them exist all over the world. Knowing that even though I’m lonely, there are other people like me — and that makes you feel at ease. That’s what I want people to feel when they play this game.”

It's not for everyone but I'm glad it's for me.

I was such a fool on sitting on this gem of a title for such a long time. But its better be late that never, and its the same thing for me playing Death Stranding.

Many of the reviewers and players told that this game takes a while to get going and many drop this game during that time; but for me, I had been hooked to this game from the start. I literally played for 20-30 hrs in the starting region alone, taking in deliveries, finding lost cargoes and constructing equipments, making my commute easier. People get bored during the first few hours of back-and-forth alone, but I played for that soothing journey, completing assignments and traversing the landscape.

Then the game, as well as the story opened up to me, and blew me away. The explanations of BTs, BB, the flashbacks etc. all were confusing at first, but the thing that got me attached to the game was the very humane acting and emotions shown by the NPCs played by real life hollywood actors and celebrities. Each chapter with it drawing conclusion on each of the characters really kept me interested and wanting to know more what happens next. And the main antagonist, the finale and how the big reveal happens literally brought tears to my eyes.

Death stranding is a very curated game, and not for everyone. But those who enjoy this type of 'walking simulator' with a great story, mesmerizing acting and soundtracks that gives you eargasm, Hideo Kojima has got your back with a fun, emotional journey of a game that is Death Stranding.

"If You're Not Scared Of Death, How Can You Value Life?"

Many players, including myself years ago, struggled to finish the game. My advice: focus on the main mission path initially. Avoid difficult side missions until you:

1. Unlock the chiral network in the area (other players' signs and buildings will become available after this).
2. Unlock guns and grenades.
3. Unlock vehicles, power suits.

Without these, the game can feel like self-torture, and you might give up early as I did years ago on the PS4.

The Concept is Philosophical

The game might not appeal to everyone, especially those seeking instant gratification. Years ago, I bought the game on its PS4 release and dropped it quickly because I didn't understand its message and focused too much on side missions before unlocking all the QoL features.

Today, with our fast-paced lives filled with instant gratifications like TikTok and short content, "Death Stranding" stands out. The game teaches patience and the value of investment, leading to great satisfaction and results.

Gameplay

The game is highly difficult at the start but becomes easier and less hassle-filled over time, which is a good thing. Initially, it's 75% hiking sim and 25% horror. If you're looking for constant action like in "Resident Evil" or "Call of Duty," this game isn't for you. It’s a slow burn that becomes immensely satisfying. After passing the first area, the game becomes significantly more rewarding. You’ll unlock tools for faster travel, such as semi-fast travel options, special suits, and vehicles that help carry more loads and run faster. Connecting the chiral network in any area unlocks other players' buildings, which is a huge help.

What I Like

The game doesn't give you everything at once. It gradually unlocks great features, keeping the game fun and engaging even after hours of play. It makes all those helpful items you get from the investment actually meaningful.

It's initially a walking simulator. Then it's a horror game. Then it's a running simulator. Then it's a driving sim. Then it's a shooter. Then it's a puzzle game. Then a resource management game. Then a puzzle game again. And it's got a totally insane storyline.

And the social elements are cleverly weaved in.

It's almost impossible to describe how good it is without playing it yourself.

Its more than a walking simulator. Sometimes its a running simulator, a swimming simulator, and a getting-dragged-away simulator. 9.5/10

One of the best "dad simulators" out there. Top notch. I once saw my dad spend 40 hours trying to connect our internet in the 90's while taking care of his 5 children. Same vibe here.

I can see why a lot of people hate this game, the gameplay is not for everyone as it requires a lot of patience in order to play this game, it's kinda like eurotruck simulator, you get satisfaction from getting the job done. But this game's story is amazing, it's so good in fact it's so worth going through the gameplay. The story is a Kojima classic, with multiple themes about the importance of human connection, the afterlife, the importance of time in our world and extinction. If you love movies/games with thought-provoking narratives this game is for you.

Long story short: When the local postman tries to fix your internet connection.

Death Stranding is a 3rd person adventure/walking simulator/survival horror coming from the creative mind of Hideo Kojima and his new team. You deliver packages in this game while trying to avoid the dangers of the road which includes the terrain itself, the weather, bandits and also ghosts.

The story is more or less straight-forward. You're playing as Sam Porter Bridges, a courrier who's given the task of connecting settlements to the Chiral Network, which is basically the equivalent of our own internet but with some twists. The gimmick is that in this world, the concept of death itself has been thrown out the window and ghosts roam the lands between these settlements. I won't say more about the story as a big part of the journey is to uncover the mysteries of this world and why things are the way they are.

On the graphic side, this is peak level of details for our current generation. Beautiful landscape, nice colors and some of the best face details I've seen in years. The only game who comes close to this amount of detail overload is Red Dead Redemption 2. Amazing cutscenes, fluid animations, this game has it all.

As for the sound and music, it's excellent. Carefully handpicked songs played at precise moment helps elevates the emotional scope of these moments when you've almost reached your destination. Excellent voice acting by everyone. Neat sound effects for menus like the MGS series. What I dislike is how some songs are cut short because sometimes you deliver stuff very fast, so you only hear a brief segment of these songs. Second is the absence of the Music Player when you're out in the field. That's a big L right there. Besides these 2 little nitpicks, it's all good.

On paper, Death Stranding might sound like the most basic and dull game ever made. This was my mentality when I first heard about this game. It isn't as exciting as blowing up 100 zombies per second, yet it is a very zen and relaxing experience. In this day and age where online games and microtransactions rule, only a madman would attempt to make a game like this and I guess Kojima was up to the task for the sake of originality and creativity.

The art of balancing Sam's cargo weight while navigating slippery sloppes is realistic and at the same time, so goofy and funny. You haven't truly experienced this game unless you took a real bad tumble while being absolutely overweighted. But you see cargo lying on the ground and you STILL insist on picking it up.

This is why this game isn't for everyone, especially if you're impatient. The open world/sandbox vibe allows you to do whatever you want, carry what you want and go where you want. This game will teach you to make careful decision and how to take each steps carefully.

Note that I omit lot of details in this review because I'd bust Steam's character limit with some tl:dr paragraphs.

I highly recommed this game to anyone but beware, you need to walk in here with a different mindset than most mainstream games.

A masterpiece that will probably become a cult classic in the years to come. Bravo Kojima, you absolute lunatic.

10/10