Death Stranding Review (PS4)
Hideo Kojima is a legend in the gaming industry after he masterminded and directed the entire Metal Gear series, which made him a household name. So, anything he announces or comments on is immediately thrust onto every gamer's radar. Death Stranding is one such game. Every since being announced several years ago, (although it feels like a lifetime ago!) audiences everywhere have been trying to piece the game's puzzling cutscenes together to form an idea of what the game would actually play like and therefore BE about. Well, after finishing the game for myself, I have to admit that I am walking away with just as many questions as I had BEFORE playing. If you are looking for more stealthy espionage adventures that Snake was the star of, you may as well consider skipping this. It IS NOTHING like Metal Gears, albeit except for the UI and game in screen menus.
That being said, my time with Death Stranding was still fulfilling, for a completely different reason than my times with any Metal Gear games. The protagonist, for one, is an actor I have grown very fond of over the years for his work on AMC's The Walking Dead. Norman Reedus plays Sam "Porter" Bridges, an awkward individual to say the least. Sam is a guy with no ties or relations to anyone at the start of the game, until he is approached by an individual from his past. The world of Death Stranding is a VERY different take on the apocalypse now type games that have become the norm as of late. Don't expect mutated creatures like in Fallout. In this world, nuclear bombings have ripped the USA and the world apart and basically put mankind in severe danger of becoming an extinct species. Not only has the population decreased by over 3/4 worldwide, but the bombs explosions have created void-outs everywhere and the atmosphere has become soaked with an aging substance known in-game as chiralium. Clouds of this substance blanket the map, and produce "Timefalls". Any who come in conact wilRAPIDLY age and deteriorate. Basically, no one besides Bridges personnel, bandits or porters go outside due to this. Porters are people who bring the necessary supplies to survive such as food/water/medicine etc. back and forth to the citizens holed up in their shelters known as "knots" which are scattered across the country. They put in an order for whatever it is they require and porters access terminals to accept and deliver the goods as needed. Not only does the black-tar chiralium keep people from leaving their shelters, but a new type of threat becomes known. BT's or "Beached Things" are spirits of the dead who are trapped in between this realm of living and never did make it to the realm of the dead or the "beach" as this game refers. These BT's cannot be seen and the only way anyone would ever know they were about to be attacked by one (cuz they are very deadly to ANYONE breathing) is if you have yourself a BB or Bridge Baby. The BB is seen by most as a tool to spot and warn users of incoming BT's and other hazards. They are babies who were stillborn after their mothers were pronounced brain dead, and cutting of the umbilical cord. Due to this, they can only be transported in tubes and connected to users via suits. If all this doesn't make much sense, well that is a common theme in this game so don't fret. It only gets a lot more complicated. Anyways, due to these extremely hazardous & imminent threats that are posed by even attempting to leave your home, people generally don't. As a result, the USA's citizens have grown apart and communities ceased to exist. Most people are either alone or with immediate family and this is the extent of their human interaction. The world has become isolated and is on the brink of disappearing from the world forever unless some drastic changes or "miracles" were to occur. Lucky for them, Sam is what you call a repatriate. A person who can die and essentially, come right back to life with the help of a BB and his "beach". Repatriates also have the amazing ability to withstand MASSIVE amounts of exposure to chiralium and not age or wither at all. Sam is sought out for this reason, and long story short, the HUGE task of traversing the USA and not only fulfilling peoples orders for deliveries, but to have them join the UCA (which is basically a form of Internet or world wide web, as there is NO internet or means of contacting or staying in touch with people miles away at this point in the game). If he can have enough people join, he can connect strands all over the country's map, linking each and every location to one another via the UCA, and the world can begin to establish human "connections" once again.
The plot could be described by many more paragraphs and details but I wont be disclosing any spoilers or important plot details. The cast of the game is excellent and the cutscenes are of the highest quality and scope. Each facial expression so closely & accurately realized, almost as if watching an 8K film. Madds Mikkelsen is an immediate standout. Sam will grow on you a little, but could have benefitted by being a tad more relatable & likeable. The graphics will not disappoint and will no doubt resemble the high quality animations that the Metal Gear series was known to incorporate.
The gameplay consists of you traversing the world and fulfilling orders which MOSTLY sees you go from point A to point B. Players will have to carefully transport goods while getting out of the damaging exposure to Timefall (or rain/snow elements that age any and all who are exposed which was caused by nuclear bombings), BT's who will terrorize anyone who is caught in their grasps, & finally MULE's or bandits who are mostly consisted of ex-porters who go around robbing any who comes in their sights. These MULE's are predators who feed on the weak state most humans have come to possess in these times. They do not look to kill adventurers, but will if need be, and are only out for whatever items or supplies their victims are carrying on their person. So, any order you as the player may take on should be deeply considered beforehand, any landmarks such as rivers, mountains, harsh or snowy conditions all must be taken into account as they are vital. A river just barely deeper than the average human may not sound vital, but it most certainly is, as it can both kill Sam or cause him to lose his cargo and thus potentially cost him whatever delivery order he was carrying out. The people requesting these items to be delivered all are uniquely tempered, and all have different outlooks and opinions on joining UCA. For most people, they won't join the UCA until Sam earns their trust by completing a few orders they have put forth. For some, they care about nothing if not the condition the cargo Sam is bringing them is in. If it is damaged or took gunfire from thieves, they will let you know and complain. Sam is graded by conditon of cargo, time spent overall on the order and at times can be rewarded very valuable items for doing exceptionally well in delivering their supplies, and continuing in this manner will quickly build trust and spread word to any who would think differently. As the game progresses, more and more people begin to become members of the UCA and form strands, or connections, and the word of Sam's exploits reaches the ears of many miles and miles away.
Back to describing more elements of the gameplay, Sam can acquire weapons, both lethal and non-lethal to defend against both BT's and humans. BT's can be damaged by Sam's blood, or hematic rounds, and for the humans, Sam can collect quite the arsenal. From grenade launchers that fire not only lethal explosive rounds but also non lethal tranquilizing rounds, or perhaps assault rifles or shotguns would be better for you. No matter the situation, by the end-game, Sam is properly equipped with both the material to go ANYWHERE the climate/land/terrain throws at him, and take down any threat both breathing and non-breathing who is in his path. It does become sort of an addicting process of fulfilling these requests, which may sound repetitious and it sort of does become that by the last hours, but for the most part, the game does it well by swapping things up. The game is very direct about Sam taking the non-lethal approach to combat instead of going around killing everyone and that is a strange feature in today's videogames. It works and contributes to the games peaceful and therapeutic waves of gameplay sessions. The story is a very positive and hopeful message to anyone who is lucky enough to be alive. It sends the message that we as a species MUST be connected to another and must bond with as many other members as we can. To form as many connections as we can and stay in touch and form relationships and bonds with as many as we can or face inevitable extinction. To rebuild the United States, Sam must form these Strands and it is your job to see that his mission succeeds.
Death Stranding is a very unique experience. With as convoluted a plot as any game I can remember, it can be hard to keep up with the sheer brilliance Hideo Kojima clearly must have. The game does expect you to closely follow and understand the events going on around you, and the curve can be a bit hard to keep up with. The lore, terms and in-game dialogue by itself is enough to intimidate alot of players and potentially steer them away from ever getting to experience what it "REALLY" means or is about. Honestly, one would likely expect no less from Kojima at this point as his past games iterate. The plot can also be hard to follow due to the frequent & key twists the plot so often jumps back and forth to, mixing up what players have come to understand about the game. Just when you think you are starting to figure it out, the game will likely throw another curveball outta nowhere and you feel like you are back at square one. Genius-level intellect is what Hideo Kojima possesses. In an eerie comparison to today's troubling COVID-19 outbreak and people becoming isolated in their own homes is that of the world of Death Stranding. But just as most people are doing today and staying in touch must the USA do and never let go of the friendly bonds and interactions we each experience with each other. A positive message in a very good game. Strange but very good.