I love Kojima's work so I was intrigued when I first started hearing and then seeing things about Death Stranding. When I got the game I was ready to dive in and play it. Yes, the entire game is Norman Reedus as Sam delivering packages, but the game is also much more than that. The first ten hours of the game showing most of America is gone because of ghosts that killed people and when the people they killed died, the bodies went into necrosis and blew up. The explosions were big enough to wipe out whole cities and this series of events came to be known as the Death Stranding. After all of this, there's a need for porters, people who literally risk their lives to deliver packages across the American wasteland. This is where Sam comes in because he has a reputation as being a fantastic porter and this is where the story of Death Stranding really dives in. The president who is also his mother wants his help to travel all over and bring the isolated cities together by connecting them to a network system known as the chiral network. There is also another aspect of the story introducing bridge babies known as BBs who can sense the ghosts which are known as BTs (beached things) and Sam with his BB sets off on his adventure.
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| Sam is off to make deliveries in the wasteland. |
Porters have to walk all over the world. The terrain can be tricky which is why I found myself scanning often in order to see where it was safe to walk. You can have vehicles too of course, but be aware that some areas are rough and sometimes it's just easier to walk. Sam has an arsenal of tools that help him get across areas ranging from ladders to zip lines. This is where an aspect of the game comes in that I absolutely loved. One of the big themes in the game is how we come together and connect with each other with tools like the internet and how those bonds bring us together. There is a multiplayer aspect to Death Stranding in an indirect way. Once you are connected to the chiral network, this is where it comes in. You can build bridges, roads, or leave climbing ropes and ladders in hard to reach places that other players can use and vice versa. There is also a shared locker so you can gift tools or items that will help on the journey. You can also leave signs that are helpful telling other players about deep water or steep cliffs. You can give likes to each other for these things too. It's a great communal experience helping each other out without ever seeing each other in the game. It shows what people left behind to lend a helping hand and that is one of my favorite mechanics in the game.
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| Leaving a helpful sign for other players. |
Of course there are dangers while making deliveries across the wastelands. The biggest one being the BTs which terrified me. Having my BB with me helped as they can sense the BTs and a scary rain known as Timefall could help be aware of them, but this still made for scary situations with black tar suddenly popping up around me and worse getting dragged under by a BT and my packages spilling everywhere. Luckily, there are weapons that can combat them and of course investing in building roads can help to avoid them too. In the areas that didn't have roads built, I learned how to sneak by and avoid as many BTs as possible and I did my best to help my fellow players along the way. During your journey you can stop and take a rest which is important so you can resupply on materials, items, and get more delivery orders. You can also build safehouses in the game for others to use. I was always so grateful to find a safehouse along the trip left by fellow players.
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| Sam takes a break in a safehouse. |
The other fantastic thing about Death Stranding for me was the story. There is a myriad of characters that Sam meets along the way and it was always interesting to see their stories and how they came to be. This is especially true for the people he made deliveries to. There was a love story, a story about hope, and a story about loss. I was invested in all of it because the cast made me care about all of it because of their incredible performances. I was always excited for every delivery I made successfully and I was hooked into the story. Then there's our main characters. I loved Norman Reedus as Sam. He did an amazing job. Then there's Mads Mikkelsen in his role as Clifford Unger and his story was heartbreaking, yet there was a ray of hope and closure in his storytelling that was incredible to see. Then there was one of the most beautiful, raw emotional performances in a scene with Tommie Earl Jenkins as Die-Hardman and for me he stole the show. It moved me to tears. I'm talking tears rolling down my cheeks, my heart was breaking right there with him, and it was intense. For a scene to do that speaks volumes about the talent and skill of the actor. The story in Death Stranding had me caring about each and every one of these people and I kept playing because I wanted to see where the story took me. I was ready to go on that journey with Sam every step of the way.
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| Sam makes a delivery and a connection. |
I understand that many people didn't know what to make of Death Stranding, but once I dove in I came to understand the bigger picture of what Kojima was trying to say about how each connection we make with each other may seem small, but in the long run they are important and those bonds matter. I loved the story, exploring, and I loved seeing how those connections came to be and how they grew into something that mattered and became important to Sam and to everyone. I was thrilled that after the main story was finished I could still explore, make deliveries, and keep building while making more connections. Death Stranding is a beautiful thing that I enjoyed with every step and every communal connection.
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| Sam drives off into the sunset and to deliver more packages. |
*Death Stranding is available to play on the following platforms: Playstation 4
