Death Stranding is an action-adventure video game set shortly after a deadly pandemic forces nearly every person on the planet to go without food or clean water. As one by the millions, you’ll have to embark on a perilous journey across the world in search of people and supplies to sustain yourself. This dark, compelling, and engaging tale of hope, hardship, and adventure is sure to make you think about current events and may even make you consider how you can change the future. Here’s my opinion.
Death Stranding might not be the most appealing video game on the market. That’s not meant to be an insult, either. Instead, I’m saying that it’s probably not one of the most enjoyable experiences you can have. From the get-go, the storyline is confusing and far-fetched, to the point that I question whether or not the final product would even make a decent film (although it is based on a true story).
That being said, I can say that the storyline and gameplay of Death Stranding may sound intriguing enough to make up for its poor gameplay. And considering the visuals and sounds found within, I’m sure more of my concerns regarding the game may soon be put to rest. I’m confident I’ll be enjoying this game more than I thought at first.
The story begins when a group of researchers (led by a man named Koji Kojima) journeyed to Japan to research the recently discovered virus that has killed most of the human population. Upon arrival, they found that the virus was, in fact, a bio-hazard and that a deadly substance called “cryptovirus” was contained within the death Stranding. As a result, some researchers were buried under a large number of dead bodies, so they could not escape the virus with time running out.
Throughout the game, we learn more about the characters you control as you progress through the storyline. Each character is well-defined, with good voice acting and a solid personality to match his situation. Some of the characters are also connected to previous events, further complicating the gameplay and plot development. The game had me on edge, as I was left hanging with many unanswered questions, but overall, it was gratifying and gripping.
However, there are noticeable differences between Death Stranding and Hideo Kojima’s previous games. For one, there are very few open fields to explore. Also, while the hub areas are generally intact, most quests take place on some transit vehicle. This is utilized to move between locations and to deliver final quest items to specific locations. This allows players to move at their leisure and to avoid trekking through the same dungeons over again. Also, while the environments in Hideo Kojima’s titles were very diverse, there were few differences in scenery, as everything pretty much looks the same.
Overall, I enjoyed playing Death Stranding. I felt that the gameplay was slower than what I have experienced in previous titles in the Hideo Kojima series, but that is not to say that the gameplay is terrible. I liked how I was slowly persuaded into helping Sam find his lost friend, and I did enjoy the story and visuals. The gameplay did leave some things open for future updates and projects, and considering how little content is delivered with each game, I am pretty anxious to see what comes next. I hope that the next project does not feel like a remake of this one and will get my money’s worth.
I enjoyed playing the early part of the game before I got stuck into the more complex functions. The story and visuals are pretty interesting, and the voice acting is better than I have heard from Hideo Kojima. However, I think that the game’s overall quality is lacking in the areas involving delivery and death stranding. I am not too disappointed by it, as I am expecting better from him at some point. However, if you are looking for a good game with excellent visuals and a solid story, definitely give Death Stranding a try.