Game Review: Death Stranding Directors Cut

Hideo Kojima is a visionary pioneer who has cemented his legacy upon the industry through his work on the Metal Gear Solid franchise.  After a bittersweet departure from Konami off the back of a short-lived Silent Hills project, Kojima decided to open his own game development studio. His first venture off the back of setting up this new studio was a PlayStation exclusive title called Death Stranding. I admittingly haven’t really played much of Kojima’s prior works apart from Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeros so it's hard to judge or compare this title in line with his prior works. I feel like the lack of my exposure to his prior works has helped me appreciate this title a little bit more however, because fundamentally I have no idea of what to expect from Kojima so it makes experiencing his first full outing as an independent developer all the more interesting; and interesting Is definitely the key word I’d use to describe my experience with Death Stranding.

Death Stranding is unlike anything I’ve ever played before. From beginning to end, my time with this game has been filled to the brim with moments I struggle to compare with anything else. If Konami were truly regulating and limiting Kojima’s creative potential, then thank goodness he left and became independent because this man’s vision is beyond comprehension. Ever since he announced Death Stranding back at Sony’s E3 Press Conference back in 2016 there was no doubt about the originality behind this title.  When the first thing Kojima teased about the game was a butt-naked Norman Reedus on a beach, surrounded by dead crabs and whales, clutching a baby and crying it was quite obvious we were in for something unlike we’ve ever seen before.

Without giving much away, the premise behind the game is one layered in connection. In a United States of America devastated by a supernatural disaster named the Death Stranding, you play as Sam Porter Bridges; a delivery agent for the Bridges Foundation. The Bridges Foundation’s main goal is to set up a network all across the fractured states of America in order to make the country whole once more. As a famed delivery agent, Sam takes up the full mantle of responsibility for this objective. It’s up to him to travel from region to region delivering packages and connecting people to the Chiral Network so that supplies and communication can be shared between one another. This would be an easy goal if not for the overabundance of things out to halt or kill Sam in the process. Bi-products of the Death Stranding, Sam will have to avoid natural obstacles like Timefall which accelerates the age of any organic property it comes into contact with. When there’s Timefall you can be sure BTs are not far away either. BT’s linger all throughout the terrain in this game and they are stranded, decaying souls which will consume any living thing it comes in contact with. Natural obstacles are not Sam’s only problem either, he’ll have to content with package scavengers called Mules as he makes his way to deliveries and even terrorists who are out to stop Bridges from reforming America once more.

Believe it or not, that was a very loose generalisation of the plot for Death Stranding. To give you any more context would be to rob you of the truly unique story Kojima has established here. Death Stranding’s narrative core is geared around connections in all forms. The idea of travelling the fractured remnants of America and connecting them all together once more is the foundation of this message, but it goes so much deeper. It’s through the game’s story and the characters that inhabit it you are shown the concept of connection on a much deeper level. In whatever form a connection can take, whether it be physical, metaphorical, digital, up-close or far away; there is a deep link between all of us. It’s honestly one of the most deep and enlightening narratives I’ve had the joy of experiencing in my lifetime. While it doesn’t follow a conventional format and it will be very easy to lose yourself in the jargon and complicated lore Kojima used to set this world up in, I really encourage anyone to persevere with this game’s main story at the very least. I feel special recognition needs to go to the acting behind the characters too. Using motion capture, Kojima utilised an amazing cast of high-class actors to set up the hefty and emotional structure behind the storyline. Norman Reedus, Léa Seydoux, Guillermo del Toro, Tommie Earl Jenkins, Margaret Qualley, Troy Baker and Mads Mikkelsen all carry this game’s narrative to some incredible heights and the emotional core wouldn’t hit half as well if not for the range of these actors, Mikkelsen and Reedus especially. 

Narrative is only one aspect of the game though; the other quite important part is the actual gameplay. While I’ve praised the narrative of the game for it’s compelling and unique approach on connection, the gameplay is another deeper perspective onto this concept. Your job as Sam Porter Bridges is to deliver orders all across the regions. This may seem like a simple gameplay concept and not all worthy of an entire game based around it, but I think the allure of it is tied to Kojima’s unique and comprehensive approach to it. Not a man known for half measures, Kojima took the idea of being Postman Pat to an insanely extensive range.  As you progress through the games three regions you will unlock more options and tools on how to traverse the environment and manage more heavier cargo orders. These increased options become a major necessity the further you progress into the environments as they grow more tough to traverse. One of the biggest concepts utilised within the game is the idea of inter-connectivity. These tools and structures you can create aren’t just for your benefit. The game utilises a very interesting gimmick by allowing players to share their tools and structures with one another. It may seem simple in scope but the idea of coming across tools or signs other players lay down for you helps you feel part of a living, breathing world in which all players are encouraging and helping each other out. That sort of online interaction is so uncommon these days, to have a single player experience utilise it as a means of helping one another out, it’s simply genius.  The environments also play into the gameplay in such a smart fashion too. BT’s and Mules aren’t the only big bad you will face off against in the game because god help you if you find a steep incline or deep river. The idea of the terrain being another constant obstacle is an ambitious idea but I can’t honestly say it works a lot of the time. Delivering packages and traversing rocky mountains or torrential timefall rain can offer it’s challenges but it feels like there’s an unintended level of inconvenience baked into these principles which put you at odds with it a lot of the time. It’s easy to appreciate the ideas at play here, and I commend Kojima for going all in on setting this core gameplay loop up around it, but it doesn’t necessarily mean it works 100%. It’s a complicated feeling to convey because I enjoyed how delivering packages is the core concept and its gameplay is expanded on as you progress but not all the ways it’s expanded really benefits you.  One of the weakest elements for me was the driving mechanics. In a game where all the ideas are constantly being fleshed out and reiterated, it’s so disappointing to see Kojima not give the driving nearly as much refinement. This is just a testament to the complicated nature the gameplay loop has attached to it. I can’t sit here and say everything in the gameplay works and I can appreciate why a lot of players felt at odds with the game style and tuned out, but for me it was easy to forgive the flaws in light of the ambition and originality behind its execution. 

Visual design is also another positive element that the game has going for it. Utilising Guerrilla Games’ Decima engine, Death Stranding pushes the boundaries on visual fidelity in both character and environmental design. I noted the character acting in the game earlier was a big stand out and It’s reinforced by the insane level of detail that the motion capture was able to record. The small intrinsic details you would find in people’s faces during moments of pure emotion are broadcasted in such a distinct manner in this game. I honestly think this is the closest we have come to capturing real life acting in an accurate format and it’s phenomenal. It’s not just character design that stands out either, this game is in a whole other league when it comes to  environmental design too. I always knew Guerrilla’s Decima engine was capable of rendering scalable environments based on my experience with Horizon, but what Kojima manages to accomplish with the engine has impressed me beyond measure. The world of Death Stranding is obviously influenced through the natural terrain of New Zealand and it’s easy to see a lot of that within the world design. The way the open fields span out into the terrain and how the natural mountains scale into the skies feels as close to real life as I’ve ever seen in any video game. The level of detail applies onto nearly every corner of the fragmented regions of America. There’s also a really nice contrast in themes with how the realistic environment clashes with the supernatural concepts layered through the world-building and story. Seeing the real-world sink into the astral plain and seeing Kojima bake elements of horror into the darker, supernatural elements helps to give the visual core of the game a truly unique and memorable feel to it. 

Death Stranding isn’t a perfect game, on a gameplay level it’s easy to note how the game’s ambitious vision far outpaces its practical application a lot of the time, but it’s easy to forgive its shortcomings in light of offering a truly unique experience. What makes Death Stranding stand out as a compelling experience is its originality. It’s narrative, world design and gameplay application all project Kojima’s vision in an uncompromised fashion. In an industry which follows the same common formula and releases a lot of similar games year after year, I’ll always praise anything which tries to be original, flaws and all.