Tomorrow is in our hands…
Death Stranding is an open world adventure game developed by Kojima Productions, and directed by Hideo Kojima. The game was also written by Kojima, along with Kenji Yano and Shuya Murata. It features actors Norman Reedus (Sam Porter Bridges), Mads Mikkelsen (Cliff Unger), Léa Seydoux (Fragile), Margaret Qualley (Mama / Lockne), Troy Baker (Higgs Monaghan), Tommie Earl Jenkins (Die-Hardman), and Lindsay Wagner (Bridget Strand / Amelie Strand). It also features likeness of Guillermo del Toro (Deadman), and Nicolas Winding Refn (Heartman), and voices of Jesse Corti (Deadman), Emily O’Brien (Amelie Strand / Young Bridget Strand), and Darren Jacobs (Heartman). The game is published by Sony Interactive Entertainment for PlayStation 4 and was released on November 8, 2019.
(SPOILER ALERT!!!)
(You’ve been warned!)
Death Stranding is set in a post-apocalyptic United States of America, now called as United Cities of America, in which ghostly entities called Beached Things or BTs cause voidouts which made civilization to retreat underground and in isolation. The story focuses on Sam Porter Bridges, a legendary porter with a tragic past, as he reconnects the scattered cities, facilities, and individuals, and reform a new civilization, and unveils the mystery that shadows over the Death Stranding phenomenon.
I was never a fan of the Metal Gear franchise, nor did I play any of their games, so I wasn’t aware of how Kojima’s mind works or what his style in writing and developing a game is. I am, however, a fan of The Walking Dead and Daryl Dixon, also played by Reedus, is one of my favorites in the show, and that’s what gave me the interest in wanting to play Death Stranding, but I still wasn’t full blown crazy about it.
I got the game a month after its release and by that time, I’ve already heard people saying that it’s basically just a walking simulator. It did lessen my interest a bit, but I still wanted to see for myself what the game had to offer.
Before starting the game, I was asked to input my birthday, and according to the game, it was supposed to affect my DOOMS level, but it didn’t really feel like it did anything to the game, nor that it mattered much. However, I did find out later about the birthday surprise easter eggs, so it was something to look forward to since my birthday is on November 15, and I’m basically going to play this on my birthday for that specific reason.
The game focuses on "connection" as its main theme. With the main objective of the player is to connect the scattered cities all over the United States of America. The main hero, Sam Bridges, having feeling disconnected from the world and losing ties with anyone after the tragic loss of his wife, will also gradually be reconnected with the society and to a life he severed away from. Other characters have their own personal journey that highlights the "connection" theme, such as Deadman, as an artificial being, having conflicted with his existence and loneliness, reaches out to Sam; Heartman, losing his family, constantly tries to find them again; and Mama, having to finally let go of what she already lost, must find herself be reunited with her sister, Lockne. The game also tends to break the fourth wall in some instances so the real life players can feel as if they are interacting with Sam and with the game. There is also an online mode which allows the player to be linked with other players.
The whole game cinematics was stunning. Watching the intro, I was already mesmerized by how amazing the cinematics was, it was as if I was watching a film. The landscapes were absolutely gorgeous, the design art are definitely praise worthy. The game made it feel like I was on a beautiful nature hike, with ghosts and terrorists chasing me around. But despite this, the setting design didn't seem or feel like America, it rather had that Northern Europe vibe, Iceland to be more precise. The in-game graphics were amazing as well, well-detailed. The game also succeeded in capturing the likeness of the actors. Seeing the faces of characters, I can appreciate the works they put into the design to copy the image of the actors and input them into the game, they even managed to place the tiny details of the skin and facial hair to be more accurate with images.
The game will have you walking, running, climbing, riding vehicles, building structures, and even more running and climbing again. It really is an advance walking simulator with a bit more extra steps. And since the character is a porter, you would spend a lot of time in the game delivering packages, delivering pizza, and even people. It has a simple control mechanics, you just have to keep your balance as you travel on foot by pressing or holding the L2 and R2 buttons.The controls were easy to learn, you just had to avoid the rugged landscapes and deep rivers.
I also enjoyed the concept and gameplay of not just connecting America, but also rebuilding it, where the player had gather materials to rebuild the roads and set up structures, and I played this online so it made this a lot easier for me. Sam also had to raise connections with facilities and preppers, by completing orders, which can be an irritating task, well depends on the your patience. It just baffles me that the currency in the game seemed to be in the form of "Likes".
Sam Porter Bridges was introduced the way Reedus was supposed to be introduced, while riding a motorcycle. I think Reedus did pretty great as Sam, after all there are a lot of similarities between Sam and Daryl Dixon. Both are the serious type who knows and will do what the right thing, and both have the feeling of need to be distant from others. One thing I like about the character is how it interacts with the players, entertaining moments. It was also great that there were moments that Reedus had the freedom to just act like himself every time Sam is in his private room, which was a nice touch Kojima decided to put in the game. Sam seemed like your normal serious type hero, but he was still interesting enough to get you to keep on playing and still have a certain connection with him.
Mikkelsen was just badass. I had a blast during the boss fights against Cliff, the Combat Veteran, and his cutscenes during the war nightmares were just the best. He had one of the most emotional backstories in the game. Learning that he was Sam's father and he was trying to call out for his "BB", plus the scene where he made his goodbye to his son and be finally be at peace, it's difficult not to feel for him. Even though he wasn't really the villain in the game, Mikkelsen gave out that intimidating but spine-chillingly exciting performance as the BT Cliff during the boss fight chapters. He's definitely my favorite character in this game.
The main characters each got interesting designs and basically each got their own chapter that focused on them and tackled on their background stories and motivations. Each character was given a fairly depressing story such as Mama losing her unborn child and clinging to it for a time, Heartman's cycle of dying every twenty-one minutes just to search the beach of his lost family, and Deadman, as an artificial being, questioning his existence. But I do feel that some of them didn't really get the proper character development and was basically just additional stories for Sam's journey, sort of like fillers. For the actors, they did an excellent performance. I admire how they did their work in this game, the voice acting and motion captures were on a superb level. I personally admire the performances of both Baker and Mikkelsen the most, felt like they added more thrill to the game and the story.
We were also introduced to these BBs, or Bridge Babies. They sparked my curiosity the most when I first saw the trailer. I initially found them weird and creepy, and they had me wondering what purpose does that "baby thing" serve in the game. But playing the game, Sam would have to use a BB and gradually forms a bond with the child, and he would later name her Lou. I think Sam's relationship with Lou was pretty adorable, we see Sam cares for the baby and even talks to her like her own baby. Lou's death scene was depressing, so Lou coming back to life gave me so much relief. This Bridge Baby thing was really weird but pretty unique so I'm amaze with Kojima's eccentric mind.
BTs are one of the major enemies in the game. They are these ghostly entities that would cause a voidout when they consume a living thing. I like the whole concept of these entities, they are basically the lost souls that are possibly in some sort of hunt for another chance at life, and the beach is in essence is a personal limbo. Fighting or avoiding them in game wasn't too much of a challenge but they still gave out a terrifying appearance and design.
I find the story really complicated and weird, but kept me interested enough to push forward with the story and look forward what would happen next. I am amazed with how it was written and its concept. I find it unique and very imaginative. The ending was also good. Not a big hyped up boss battle or action-packed ending like what we can usually expect from other games, but the last few chapters focused more on making a very emotional conclusion. Having Sam see and learn of the truth about Cliff, that he was the BB that Cliff was yearning for, having BB Lou die and return back to life, the extinction event being cancelled or at least postponed, and Sam finally having to find his connection again with Lou and seemingly starting the life that he lost. These emotional parts of the ending make the game truly memorable for me.
There are tons of easter eggs in this game. One is the celebrity cameos, such as Conan O'Brien (Wandering MC) and Junji Ito (Engineer). Kojima really love putting his friends in his games. There's also a poster for Ride with Norman Reedus if you go to the toilet in Sam's private room. Another ad, which is pretty obvious, is the Monster Energy Drink, which is what Sam drinks to regain and boost his stamina. There are a lot of easter eggs about other games such as having holograms of Aloy, Tallneck, and Watcher, from the Horizon Zero Dawn, appears in the game. Another video game reference was the "Mario and Peach" moment during the reunion scene of Sam and Amelie, but this was a bit of a wtf is going on moment as they run together on the beach. There are also a lot more pop culture references when you unlock the files after recovering the memory chips, which are composed of classical films, music album, and motorcycles.
One of the major reasons why I love this game is because of the soundtrack. From that moment while traversing through the landscape on the way to Central Knot City, as Low Roar's Don't Be So Serious started playing in the background, a soothingly beautiful song that is mixed well with the nature landscape's atmosphere, I instantly became in love with the game. Death Stranding definitely has a wonderful song playlist, and I commend Kojima for having a great taste in music, because of this.
I know this was noticed and said by others already, but it's just noteworthy to mention how relevant the game is to our current situation during this pandemic and being stuck in quarantine. The way that we rely on deliverymen for our basic needs, and the fact that we cannot just leave our houses because it's not safe, plus there's an invisible enemy that we must avoid. It's just an interesting coincidence how there are these similarities in this game and in real life current events.
Death Stranding had a bizarre concept. I was dumbfounded but perplexed most of the time during my playthrough. I appreciate the creative style and the artistic uniqueness of the story, as well as the character design. The overall graphics and art was just amazing, mixed with the wonderful music. The characters were great, each with their own struggles and motivation. But the gameplay at time felt repetitive and boring, sometimes a bit of an easy challenge, even in the highest difficulty. I can see how this is not a game for everyone, personally, I enjoyed and love the game, but not everyone has the patience or has the same preference and taste for this type of gameplay, so I just cannot casually recommend this to everybody, but it wouldn't hurt to give this game a try. But yeah, for me it started out slow, but I enjoyed it so much after a couple of chapters, and started to see why fans see Kojima as a genius game developer, and started to appreciate the game and the art of it even more.
Rating: 8/10
Keep on keeping on!
The game focuses on "connection" as its main theme. With the main objective of the player is to connect the scattered cities all over the United States of America. The main hero, Sam Bridges, having feeling disconnected from the world and losing ties with anyone after the tragic loss of his wife, will also gradually be reconnected with the society and to a life he severed away from. Other characters have their own personal journey that highlights the "connection" theme, such as Deadman, as an artificial being, having conflicted with his existence and loneliness, reaches out to Sam; Heartman, losing his family, constantly tries to find them again; and Mama, having to finally let go of what she already lost, must find herself be reunited with her sister, Lockne. The game also tends to break the fourth wall in some instances so the real life players can feel as if they are interacting with Sam and with the game. There is also an online mode which allows the player to be linked with other players.
The whole game cinematics was stunning. Watching the intro, I was already mesmerized by how amazing the cinematics was, it was as if I was watching a film. The landscapes were absolutely gorgeous, the design art are definitely praise worthy. The game made it feel like I was on a beautiful nature hike, with ghosts and terrorists chasing me around. But despite this, the setting design didn't seem or feel like America, it rather had that Northern Europe vibe, Iceland to be more precise. The in-game graphics were amazing as well, well-detailed. The game also succeeded in capturing the likeness of the actors. Seeing the faces of characters, I can appreciate the works they put into the design to copy the image of the actors and input them into the game, they even managed to place the tiny details of the skin and facial hair to be more accurate with images.
The game will have you walking, running, climbing, riding vehicles, building structures, and even more running and climbing again. It really is an advance walking simulator with a bit more extra steps. And since the character is a porter, you would spend a lot of time in the game delivering packages, delivering pizza, and even people. It has a simple control mechanics, you just have to keep your balance as you travel on foot by pressing or holding the L2 and R2 buttons.The controls were easy to learn, you just had to avoid the rugged landscapes and deep rivers.
I also enjoyed the concept and gameplay of not just connecting America, but also rebuilding it, where the player had gather materials to rebuild the roads and set up structures, and I played this online so it made this a lot easier for me. Sam also had to raise connections with facilities and preppers, by completing orders, which can be an irritating task, well depends on the your patience. It just baffles me that the currency in the game seemed to be in the form of "Likes".
Sam Porter Bridges was introduced the way Reedus was supposed to be introduced, while riding a motorcycle. I think Reedus did pretty great as Sam, after all there are a lot of similarities between Sam and Daryl Dixon. Both are the serious type who knows and will do what the right thing, and both have the feeling of need to be distant from others. One thing I like about the character is how it interacts with the players, entertaining moments. It was also great that there were moments that Reedus had the freedom to just act like himself every time Sam is in his private room, which was a nice touch Kojima decided to put in the game. Sam seemed like your normal serious type hero, but he was still interesting enough to get you to keep on playing and still have a certain connection with him.
Mikkelsen was just badass. I had a blast during the boss fights against Cliff, the Combat Veteran, and his cutscenes during the war nightmares were just the best. He had one of the most emotional backstories in the game. Learning that he was Sam's father and he was trying to call out for his "BB", plus the scene where he made his goodbye to his son and be finally be at peace, it's difficult not to feel for him. Even though he wasn't really the villain in the game, Mikkelsen gave out that intimidating but spine-chillingly exciting performance as the BT Cliff during the boss fight chapters. He's definitely my favorite character in this game.
The main characters each got interesting designs and basically each got their own chapter that focused on them and tackled on their background stories and motivations. Each character was given a fairly depressing story such as Mama losing her unborn child and clinging to it for a time, Heartman's cycle of dying every twenty-one minutes just to search the beach of his lost family, and Deadman, as an artificial being, questioning his existence. But I do feel that some of them didn't really get the proper character development and was basically just additional stories for Sam's journey, sort of like fillers. For the actors, they did an excellent performance. I admire how they did their work in this game, the voice acting and motion captures were on a superb level. I personally admire the performances of both Baker and Mikkelsen the most, felt like they added more thrill to the game and the story.
We were also introduced to these BBs, or Bridge Babies. They sparked my curiosity the most when I first saw the trailer. I initially found them weird and creepy, and they had me wondering what purpose does that "baby thing" serve in the game. But playing the game, Sam would have to use a BB and gradually forms a bond with the child, and he would later name her Lou. I think Sam's relationship with Lou was pretty adorable, we see Sam cares for the baby and even talks to her like her own baby. Lou's death scene was depressing, so Lou coming back to life gave me so much relief. This Bridge Baby thing was really weird but pretty unique so I'm amaze with Kojima's eccentric mind.
BTs are one of the major enemies in the game. They are these ghostly entities that would cause a voidout when they consume a living thing. I like the whole concept of these entities, they are basically the lost souls that are possibly in some sort of hunt for another chance at life, and the beach is in essence is a personal limbo. Fighting or avoiding them in game wasn't too much of a challenge but they still gave out a terrifying appearance and design.
I find the story really complicated and weird, but kept me interested enough to push forward with the story and look forward what would happen next. I am amazed with how it was written and its concept. I find it unique and very imaginative. The ending was also good. Not a big hyped up boss battle or action-packed ending like what we can usually expect from other games, but the last few chapters focused more on making a very emotional conclusion. Having Sam see and learn of the truth about Cliff, that he was the BB that Cliff was yearning for, having BB Lou die and return back to life, the extinction event being cancelled or at least postponed, and Sam finally having to find his connection again with Lou and seemingly starting the life that he lost. These emotional parts of the ending make the game truly memorable for me.
There are tons of easter eggs in this game. One is the celebrity cameos, such as Conan O'Brien (Wandering MC) and Junji Ito (Engineer). Kojima really love putting his friends in his games. There's also a poster for Ride with Norman Reedus if you go to the toilet in Sam's private room. Another ad, which is pretty obvious, is the Monster Energy Drink, which is what Sam drinks to regain and boost his stamina. There are a lot of easter eggs about other games such as having holograms of Aloy, Tallneck, and Watcher, from the Horizon Zero Dawn, appears in the game. Another video game reference was the "Mario and Peach" moment during the reunion scene of Sam and Amelie, but this was a bit of a wtf is going on moment as they run together on the beach. There are also a lot more pop culture references when you unlock the files after recovering the memory chips, which are composed of classical films, music album, and motorcycles.
One of the major reasons why I love this game is because of the soundtrack. From that moment while traversing through the landscape on the way to Central Knot City, as Low Roar's Don't Be So Serious started playing in the background, a soothingly beautiful song that is mixed well with the nature landscape's atmosphere, I instantly became in love with the game. Death Stranding definitely has a wonderful song playlist, and I commend Kojima for having a great taste in music, because of this.
I know this was noticed and said by others already, but it's just noteworthy to mention how relevant the game is to our current situation during this pandemic and being stuck in quarantine. The way that we rely on deliverymen for our basic needs, and the fact that we cannot just leave our houses because it's not safe, plus there's an invisible enemy that we must avoid. It's just an interesting coincidence how there are these similarities in this game and in real life current events.
Death Stranding had a bizarre concept. I was dumbfounded but perplexed most of the time during my playthrough. I appreciate the creative style and the artistic uniqueness of the story, as well as the character design. The overall graphics and art was just amazing, mixed with the wonderful music. The characters were great, each with their own struggles and motivation. But the gameplay at time felt repetitive and boring, sometimes a bit of an easy challenge, even in the highest difficulty. I can see how this is not a game for everyone, personally, I enjoyed and love the game, but not everyone has the patience or has the same preference and taste for this type of gameplay, so I just cannot casually recommend this to everybody, but it wouldn't hurt to give this game a try. But yeah, for me it started out slow, but I enjoyed it so much after a couple of chapters, and started to see why fans see Kojima as a genius game developer, and started to appreciate the game and the art of it even more.
Rating: 8/10
Keep on keeping on!
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