December was a trying month for several reasons, none more so than my going under the knife for the first time in my life. A nine-day recovery at home kept me off of the farm, but it also let me catch up on some long overdue gaming. I’d purchased Death Stranding shortly after its release in November 2019, but not made much progress. With my newfound free time, it was time to get back into the game that promised to bring people together.
Are there spoilers ahead?
I’ve completed the game and I can say wholeheartedly that not knowing much about the game made for a richer playing experience. For that reason, I’d suggest that if you’ve not played Death Stranding, and think you might like to, stop reading.
What is the allure of Death Stranding?
I was watching E3 in 2016, desperately waiting to see the announcement of Mass Effect Andromeda, a title that would reignite my all-time favourite series. However it was an appearance from Hideo Kojima, presenting the first teaser for the debut title from his new studio that took me by surprise.
I knew nothing about Kojima, his new venture, nor his falling out with Konami. None of it would have mattered anyway once I saw the first trailer for Death Stranding. The trailer was simmering with intrigue. A beach littered with dormant sea life. A naked Norman Reedus weeping as he cradles a foetal baby. Five ghostly black figures looking ominous in the sky. Ever since, I was eagerly awaiting every trailer, wondering what the heck this game was going to be about.
One of the most striking early visuals we saw of Death Stranding
Trailer after trailer, I was further enamoured with the style and the star-studded line-up of this game. It was the first time in a while an upcoming title had grabbed my attention like this. As soon as it was released, I threw my money at it. Unfortunately, between full-time work and a glut of gigs, I never found the time to consistently give Death Stranding my attention. Even during various COVID lockdowns, I was still working full-time and helping out on the farm. Post-op recovery gave me my chance to get into the game and I was not disappointed.
Death man walking
Death Stranding was becoming un-affectionally known as a walking simulator. This is far from the whole story, but it’s not too far from the truth. Not wanting to spoil the sense of mystery around Death Stranding, I’d kept away from any gameplay teasers. Instead I fired up the game and began my journey. Steadily I descended the mountain towards Capital Knot city, already relaxed but not yet aware just how much of this I’d be doing.
For those looking for the excitement of a first-person shooter, 80% of this game is not for you. You play as Norman Reedus’s Sam Porter Bridges, a courier (or Porter) tasked with reconnecting a communications network across America. The bulk of Death Stranding is a calm, methodical series of delivery missions, the bulk of which is done on foot over difficult, open world terrain. Combining the arduous travel with thorough inventory management adds a strategic element. You find yourself planning which deliveries to take on based on where you’re heading. As a result, completing missions is both satisfying, relaxing and feels like a good job well done. The requirement for stealth is added by the need to avoid so-called ‘BTs’, ghost-like adversaries that can cause a lot of problems unless treated with respect. In addition, rogue tribes of bandit porters, called MULEs, are more than happy to steal your deliveries from you, compromising your progress.
Mads Mikkelsen as Clifford Unger, chief antagonist in Death Stranding’s battlefield chapters
Whilst combat options for dealing with MULEs develop throughout the game, taking the stealth route is a more satisfying option. However it’s not all walking and sneaking around. The story is divided into several chapters, some of which involve all-out militaristic war, albeit with an otherworldly twist. These blasts of all-action warfare are in stark contrast to the rest of the game, and while some other players may relish the injection of pace, I was desperate to get back to my deliveries.
All-star role playing
One of Death Stranding’s most intriguing selling-points is it’s seriously star-studded cast. You don’t need to be the most experienced gamer to know that some video game performances can leave a lot to be desired. Such a carefully assembled cast would be wasted on other games, but not Death Stranding, which includes over 10 hours of cut scenes.
Tommie Earl Jenkins in arguably his best scene as Die-Hardman
The bulk of the story is progressed by these cut scenes as Sam discovers more about his mission and the world around him. Some of these performances are by far the best I have ever seen in a video game. Mads Mikkelsen is genuinely haunting throughout and, for me, Tommie Earl Jenkins deliveries a scene late in the game that left me utterly speechless. Lea Seydoux also gets an honourable mention for her enigmatic Fragile. When you factor in that all of these actors are giving these performances out of any context, in ridiculous motion capture suits, they’re truly doing excellent work.
Death Stranding is far from perfect
Whilst there’s so much to praise in Death Stranding, it’s by no means a perfect game. With so many experienced actors performing well above the standard for video games, lesser performances stick out like a sore thumb. Mala Morgan plays the Chiral Artist, a fairly minor character who we help reunite with her love interest. The quality of her performance is miles below everyone else in the game. Even the tens of anonymous actors that complete the cast don’t drop the ball this poorly. Her performance was so naff I felt contempt for the character and was pleased when later in the game we learn that the relationship we helped to rekindle falls apart.
Mala Morgan’s Chiral Artist character jars to say the least
Casting could be in somebody else’s wheelhouse, but it was Kojima himself that recruited Morgan for the role. Kojima is clearly responsible for the incredibly unique ideas behind this game. But he’s not without fault, and some of the poorer aspects of the game appear to be his doing as well. Kojima has also written the game, and there seems to be a consensus amongst even the most satisfied players that the script is bloated. Whilst I was thoroughly hooked by the game’s story, I was also frustrated during some cut scenes that drowned me in pointless dialogue. There is a particularly criminal example very late on in the story in which Lindsey Wagner’s Amelie delivers about 2 minutes of information in a 20 minute speech. As well as words, the game is crammed with tonnes of jargon too. This can be so easily forgotten after a break from the game. Whilst it’s fun getting to grips with this, I can’t help but feel some of this could be cut down too.
At the centre of Death Stranding’s story is the threat of an extinction-level event that will destroy our world as we know it. However, with such a baron, underpopulated society and a natural world devoid of flora and fauna, is this a world we can even be bothered to save? Of course it’s expensive and time-consuming to both build a world and fill it with nature too. But I recall how it feels to be engrossed by simulated nature in Rockstar’s Red Dead Redemption games. Perhaps if Kojima had achieved a world that had a little more life, players may feel more urgency to save it.
Making connections
The main cast enliven their characters wonderfully and it’s easy for the player to feel involved in the story. Norman Reedus as Sam has a tougher job as our protagonist. So that we can put ourselves in Sam’s place, it feels like Reedus has to hold something back to allow players to imprint themselves on Sam. However, there are flashes where Reedus is more assertive and gives Sam a stronger personality of his choosing. I adored the moment Sam toys with Heartman’s record player has he leaves his lab. I genuinely felt a pang of excitement as he did this. It was as though Sam suddenly comes to life and comes out of his shell. I would have loved to have played the entire story with this Sam, but perhaps this would have irritated most players.
Connecting people is another central theme in Death Stranding. This is emulated rather wonderfully with a social media system of ‘likes’. Characters in the game give each other likes to show appreciation. This mechanic extends to the game’s multiplayer element. Players can give likes for infrastructure that other players have placed around the landscape as these seep into their own environment. This system of feedback reminds you of the connection between you and other players. The desire to add to the environment and attract likes yourself is another wonderful parallel to social media in the real world.
Making one final journey with the BB
Beyond solid story and metaphors, Death Stranding establishes and exposes you to the most powerful connection it could hope to create. One of the final chapters requires you to retire a piece of equipment that has been with you throughout the entire story. The chapter includes retracing the steps of your very first mission. Along with some ingenious use of score, this journey is genuinely tear-jerking. I had no idea I’d formed such a bond. The game was able to create this hidden kinship and then demonstrate how painful it was to have this taken away.
Did Death Stranding deliver?
Death Stranding reveals itself to be both an emotional and allegorical spectacle. From the moment the game was first announced, it was clear it would be a visual spectacle as well. I was first drawn to Death Stranding by it’s stunning use of visuals. From the first trailer to the end of the credits, Death Stranding is consistently beautiful to look at. I’m a great believer in the idea that if you simply like the look of Death Stranding from the outside, you have a good chance of enjoying the game.
Just one of a number of visually stunning boss fights in Death Stranding
It’s safe to say Death Stranding is a stunning game, albeit one with some evident flaws and valid criticisms. I do wonder if a story that leans so heavily on intrigue would survive a second playthrough. A player that has seen the story once before might fill in the gaps quicker than the rambling dialogue does. I adore Death Stranding, but I would prefer to see an all-new title from Kojima, rather than a ‘Death Stranding 2‘. Whatever Kojima does next, I’ll be paying attention and I wouldn’t be a bit surprised I go along for the ride.