Death Stranding Review: Gameplay Impressions, Videos and Speedrunning Tips

There has never been a game quite like Death Stranding. 

Years of mystery enshrouded the buildup to the latest release from Hideo Kojima, and with the curtain finally pulled back, brief classifications such as "instant classic" don't really do Death Stranding justice.  

Fittingly, the Kojima Productions effort isn't easily boxed into any one genre. What it is, though, is an unforgettable experience with worthwhile themes and jaw-dropping connections between a singleplayer epic and multiplayer that will leave users speechless. 

Death Stranding is an intimate, visceral experience. It is the sort of medium-changing experience hindsight will smile fondly on, and how it achieves that is a feat perhaps only Kojima and his team could accomplish. 

Graphics and Gameplay

Just like with the original Metal Gear Solid, which launched at a time when stealth games weren't really around, there's no easy way to explain the gameplay of Death Stranding. 

Open world? Check. Multiplayer? Sort of. Make fetch quests engrossing and endlessly seeding a very long experience with persistent tension? Flawlessly. 

Players assume the role of Sam Porter Bridges, a porter who operates on the fringes of a fractured society spread across the United Cities of America. He takes things from Point A to Point B. 

A complex number of systems weave the experience together. Players have to manage the delivery load and keep Sam alive. He's human and can only carry so much, so deciding which items to take on a trek is never simple. 

It's always fun to strategize for a given run. Different journeys require different approaches. Crossing MULE (deranged human-esque enemies who steal Sam's cargo) territory? Maybe stock up on weapons. What about encounters with the mysterious BT entities? Blood packs in the name of self defense. Mountainous delivery? Ladders, climbing anchors.

Everything ties back to the weight system. The necessary delivery items factor into the overall load weight. Players can choose to attach items to Sam's suit or stack them high on his back. Doing the latter alters his ability to balance—and remain hidden from enemies. Keeping Sam's stamina at the correct levels plays a role too and doesn't feel like a chore thanks to some handy tools. 

The controls have a mild learning curve, but it ends up intuitive enough. The left trigger controls his left arm, same on the right. Sam can carry cargo in his hands this way if the player so chooses. If he's starting to stumble down a slope, players can squeeze both triggers to align his balance. If he's trying to cross a rapid-moving river, bracing with both triggers helps him cross but dramatically drains stamina. 

This never feels as tedious as it sounds and makes even the simplest of tasks engaging. For as much varied landscape as there is throughout this world, things rarely find hiccups or create points of frustration. Sam's interactions with the environment are fluid and make sense. 

Sam has a giant list of ever-evolving items at his disposal, and the ability to freely get creative with them is rewarding. A ladder, for example, can help him scale a cliff. But it can also plop down across a body of water and function as a bridge. 

He can also leave behind a climbing anchor he used to get down a treacherous cliff face for the next person—going down or up. Different skeletons, levels of boots and a variety of shared world items that can be crafted, such storage lockers, round out a robust inventory that adds supreme depth to each task Sam confronts. 

The best part of it all is the multiplayer functionality. The tools and signs deployed by other players are viewable to all. And the sheer creativity of how players can use the equipment, from Timefall shelters to well-placed ziplines, is incredible. 

Players can actively help each other in building, too. Contributing resources to a bridge unlocks different levels and functionalities to it. This isn't simple either—hauling the necessary items to a structure is a task and likely means forgoing advancing the story, so the co-op nature of the effort, especially in tough areas, really shines. 

Luckily for everyone, and especially for those helpful-minded Sams out there, a Likes system makes lending a helping hand all the more attractive. Players can assign likes to each other's structures, signs and more. Well-placed bridges or other items, especially later in the game, easily climbed into the 50,000 or more Likes range. And narratively speaking, thanks to Timefall, the world is ever-changing and will forever be under construction by the player base. 

The Likes system isn't some sappy play on the pitfalls of social media. It's just there as a way to help grade performance, provide a barometer for character growth and unlocks.

This is still an intimate solo journey otherwise. Sam has to manage Timefall, the rainfall that inflicts instant-aging on anything it touches. This means finding shelter or a way to repair the cargo containers housing everything he's carrying.

He has to deal with adversaries in the form of MULEs, who set out to steal cargo. When things briefly devolve into shooter combat, it feels a bit loose but good enough. 

He has to maneuver around the BTs, the ghastly apparitions he can hear, but only briefly see sometimes. This provides the game's biggest tension points every time it happens. The music change, the cries of the BB baby coming through the controller, the scanner spinning wildly the closer Sam gets to a BT and the necessity to have Sam hold his breath to avoid detection is downright terrifying at points. Though no greater feeling of relief in the game exists than by getting through a BT area without issue. 

Variability of gameplay is a big point of emphasis. Some players might push forward aggressively, risking voidouts and using player-made tools to cross big distances quickly. Others might take a more plodding approach, loading up cargo in a vehicle and trying to forge ahead that way. Either way works—but no journey or playstyle is bound to end up alike. 

No shocker here—a star-studded cast featuring Norman Reedus, Mads Mikkelsen, Léa Seydoux, Margaret Qualley, Tommie Earl Jenkins, Troy Baker and Lindsay Wagner, just to mention a few names included in the overall project, makes for a Hollywood-style feel. 

Death Stranding has best-in-class cinematics. The motion capture is superb, down to every wayward look and bit of emotion the actors portray.

The game itself isn't as engaging by comparison. The fluidity of characters is well done, but the environments are more of a mixed bag. Some of the muddier places don't hold up well upon close examination. But then there are the snowy locales, with Sam struggling through waist-deep snow and leaving a track behind him as he goes. Weather effects are off the charts in this sense. Snow or rain accumulates on Sam's clothing and dramatic weather changes only add to the tension of a run. 

Overall, the world itself is gorgeous. Much of the playtime is spent looking at geography, so the fact there are definable regions and obstacles makes things all the more immersive. Picking out landmarks in each distinct area becomes second nature. The different areas organically meld into each other, with beaches giving in to lush areas of undergrowth before mountain ranges with snow caps and back down the other side again. 

Also as hinted in the BTs mention, sound design plays a massive role in the experience. Directional sound on a surround headset such as an Astro A50 will leave players jumping off couches while trying to navigate BTs. And the soundtrack is a work of art in its own right, especially when Sam hits an open stretch of a delivery and the camera pulls back and starts playing one of them. 

The high production values and immersion of the experience are a bonus on top of the gameplay. Death Stranding blends together a large-scale single-player game with a sort of co-op addition so well that an appreciation for other players is hard to avoid.  

This was a masterclass performance by all of the big and little names involved alike, but especially Reedus. 

Even those disinterested in the story itself won't be able to avoid feeling some of its themes in action. 

Story and More

It would take hours, if not days to properly convey the story and themes of Death Stranding. 

At its most basic, Sam is an isolated figure in a country full of isolationism after the world they knew went to hell. He stumbles into being tasked with reconnecting America delivery by delivery, which narratively speaking, is far from as cliche as it sounds. 

Sam sets off, using a BB infant hooked to his chest to help him navigate the world. Timefall, BTs and all hosts of other obstacles stand in the way of Sam's task and are results of the catastrophic event that shattered the world. It starts innocently enough, with Sam asked to transport a body away from a city center because it will eventually explode, creating a voidout. 

The narrative weaves around what are otherwise fetch quests. Sometimes, Sam has to transport medicine to the sick, while other times he's moving much bigger cargo. He's also asked to transport or retrieve something for somebody who just isn't all that likable—until the feat reveals another side of them. 

The game stresses time and again human connectivity, and by doing these missions as he treks west across America, the story consistently hits on the themes in impactful ways.

Granted, the story isn't going to be for everyone. It's difficult to follow at points, with characters going into deep plot points, providing explanations as things unfold. It's a welcomed thing and doesn't mean there aren't big twists—because this wouldn't be a Kojima experience without them. 

But it's fitting that the lengthy story dials in more on the unforgettable characters than the bigger overriding plot. This is about humans, their connections and survival. 

Those themes shine the brightest not in the story, but via the interconnectivity with other players. 

There's nothing quite like struggling through a delivery with no end in sight before stumbling upon another player's item and idea to help out. Maybe Sam's skeleton is out of charge and he's facing death from fatigue—until he rounds a corner to see another player's constructed generator that will recharge the skeleton. Maybe he's anemic and he finds a storage box with blood packs.

This applies to signs, too. Some signs alert other players to areas with BTs. Others manage to hilariously take the weight out of a heavy area (the "no peeing here" sign is a favorite, and yes, Sam relieving himself is in the game).

In the loneliness of it all, a sense of camaraderie with other players grows in a way no video game has been able to elicit in the past.

Death Stranding doesn't really miss any details, either. There's a way to view the profile of each porter who constructed something on the map. There's a leaderboard and a way to create strands with other porters, which means they helped each other out more. The map is multilayered and informative.

A gargantuan-sized glossary of tips and tutorials, not to mention emails, can lead to getting lost for hours reading about the world. One of the biggest glossaries in recent game memory leaves no stone unturned if a player has a question about a certain feature or item. 

Speedrunning Tips

A gigantic speedrunning community is bound to blossom around Death Stranding. 

The game is built for that sort of competitive slant. That probably wasn't the intent of the design, but it sure is a notable byproduct. An extremely long game with an open world and endless obstacles to overcome screams speedruns. And better yet, the variable nature of the runs and survival elements make it a big-money item as a viewer. 

Actually gunning through a speedrun isn't overly complicated, at least in terms of strategy. Execution is another conversation. 

But as far as tips go, all conversations can be clicked through rapidly. Cutscenes are skippable. So is the minutia like showers, taking elevators, going to sleep, waking up, even pounding energy drinks. The option to speed through everything is widely available. 

For those who want to streamline the process of menus, there is an auto-sort feature that does a good job of assigning cargo to Sam's back and body in a smart manner. It seems to typically sort well enough that Sam's balance isn't disrupted and seems to even protect items that can't afford to get damaged by stacking them underneath common items on his back.

Getting around the world as quickly as possible is going to vary. Sometimes a vehicle will make sense. Other times it's best to just hike it, stringing together player-created ziplines. One sort of skeleton for flat-land traversal will take priority. Another load-bearing one for big orders or one that does better on rugged terrain will apply to other runs. 

Generally speaking, it won't make much sense to partake in combat during a run. Everything a player could possibly need is widely available if they're playing the game normally. 

Again, the tips don't sound like in-depth material. But on the fly and in the middle of what the game throws at players, it's a whole different animal. Which viewed from another perspective, means runs are going to be quite entertaining. 

Conclusion

Death Stranding is an unforgettable experience. It's one of a kind. Somehow, someway, the overarching theme of Kojima's masterpiece realizes exactly what it stresses—connections with other people—through ingenious gameplay. It's strange and beautiful at the same time.

No open-world game has as much persistent tension on a movement-to-movement basis. Few multiplayer games, if any, match the feeling of camaraderie with other players. It has a high degree of difficulty variability thanks to options. It isn't a game that lets go of its grip on a player thanks to the social aspect and the feeling of easing the journey for others. 

Game of the year might be a moot conversation at this point. Game of the generation might be a better category, of which there are few contenders. The sheer cohesion of the vision and gameplay unlike almost anything seen in the past is an outlier of the greatest order, a feat creators in any medium strive for but so often don't achieve. 

This is one of those rare releases players will wish they could experience for the first time all over again, which really says it all. It might have flaws and be a little out there at times, but Death Stranding is an unforgettable experience that pushes the medium forward, together.