Death Stranding, a game best remembered by the negative public and critical reception it received at the time of its release six years ago, is an experience I will never forget.
I was one of the many gamers brainwashed into believing the game was a mindless Norman Reedus walking simulator.
Only now, as I approach the beginning of the end of my time at university, do I understand the true depths of Kojima’s controversial masterpiece.
You can’t really blame me for taking so long to experience the game, as the hate it garnered in 2019 was inescapable for the years that followed.
Even now, after its critically praised sequel Death Stranding 2: On The Beach has been released, many gamers remain steadfast in their opinions on the game.
Death Stranding is not a walking simulator; the game’s systems are entirely designed around movement, rather than how many other AAA games are designed around their combat.
The player controls Sam Porter Bridges (Norman Reedus), a man with the uncanny ability to return to life after death who has to walk across North America to connect communities to one another through delivering packages.
There’s a lot more going on than just securing and delivering packages, though, as the world of Death Stranding is in a post-apocalypse that has forced everyone underground out of fear of ‘time fall’ and BTs, ghost-like entities that seek to bring those left alive into the afterlife.
It’s not the easiest game to follow; I found myself at multiple points scratching my head over Kojima’s frankly bizarre concepts, but as the hours ticked by and I got the game’s rhythm down, I struggled to put it down.
The gameplay loop is addictive; creating intricate paths through roads, ropes, ladders and ziplines is incredibly rewarding, as every time you map out a path for yourself, anyone else playing the game will find your structures in their playthrough.
You’ll never run into any other player, but by having the remnants of previous journeys left behind, it creates a comforting comradery among the player base.
Instead of focusing on the main story, I spent a good amount of my time with the game creating convenient paths for other players to take that’ll cut down their delivery times and stop them from falling down a cliff.
There are very few games that have filled me with a sense of hope like Death Stranding did. The perilous journey that takes Sam to the darkest parts of his world, all the while his journey is aided by other real players that took their time to build a road or place a couple of ladders, really hit me harder than I thought it would.
My experience with Death Stranding is likely one of many that plenty of other people have had, and I wouldn’t want it to be any other way. I love Death Stranding for its bizarre world and thought-provoking story, and most importantly, I love Death Stranding because it made me want to make a difference in my life.
Feature Image Credit: Kojima Productions
Third year Film and journalism student
Gaming and Tech editor
Horror fanatic
