Death Stranding is... well... an incredible masterpiece. I went into it completely blind, knowing NOTHING about the story, setting or even gameplay. If you as well want to be surprised by gameplay elements, skip this review. I of course will not spoil the story.

Anyway, at first the game starts off pretty slow and with some intriguing cutscenes. Honestly it does take a while to get into it and you need to persevere through the first few hours of the game because nothing will make sense. Even though you have no idea what's going on, the cinematography, graphics, and design are spot on.

I was expecting a "walking simulator" with some topography challenges and 100% stealth. I was not prepared to start acquiring lots of cool gear that let me do crazy things like skate down a mountain on a hoverboard, ride a zip line, or make grenades from my own excrement. Vehicles are a thing (I had no idea) and after all the hours of walking it was a welcome change to plow through snow in a truck or fly over meadows on a bike.

Things really started getting intense a few chapters in when suddenly I found myself experiencing COMBAT IN DEATH STRANDING! I was definitely thrown for a loop, especially because there are quite a few guns as well as non-lethal options, frag grenades, even armor.

So, consider that you have long expeditions with hugely varied landscape to overcome, enemy humans, monsters, tons of varying gear you have to plan with, and many weapons as well, suddenly the game becomes huge and full of possibilities. Granted, the combat isn't always perfect and can sometimes be oddly unresponsive or janky. I got frustrated in some battles because Sam would grasp his backpack straps instead of ready his gun, for instance. But these are small annoyances. The game is oddly social as well with buildings you can like and interact with from other players, as well as signs or mushrooms sprouted from peeing. Yes, lol.

All I can say is give this game a chance. Yes, it is weird. Yes, it is genre bending. Yes it can be tedious sometimes from a gameplay perspective. But it has all the quality of a movie combined with a very solid foundation of a game. It is extremely intense at times and may challenge the way you think about things (I know it did for me). It has many subtle and deep concepts that really make your brain think. As well as some just balls to the walls crazy action moments. The story is captivating and emotional. Towards the last few hours of the game I just didn't want it to end but couldn't stop playing/watching.

Overall, I would 100% recommend this game. It is not perfect but even the greatest masterpieces have flaws, and in this case it's well worth the experience. I finished Death Stranding yesterday and can't stop thinking about it.

Death Stranding is... well... an incredible masterpiece. I went into it completely blind, knowing NOTHING about the story, setting or even gameplay. If you as well want to be surprised by gameplay elements, skip this review. I of course will not spoil the story. Anyway, at first the game starts off pretty slow and with some intriguing cutscenes. Honestly it does take a while to get into it and you need to persevere through the first few hours of the game because nothing will make sense. Even though you have no idea what's going on, the cinematography, graphics, and design are spot on. I was expecting a "walking simulator" with some topography challenges and 100% stealth. I was not prepared to start acquiring lots of cool gear that let me do crazy things like skate down a mountain on a hoverboard, ride a zip line, or make grenades from my own excrement. Vehicles are a thing (I had no idea) and after all the hours of walking it was a welcome change to plow through snow in a truck or fly over meadows on a bike. Things really started getting intense a few chapters in when suddenly I found myself experiencing COMBAT IN DEATH STRANDING! I was definitely thrown for a loop, especially because there are quite a few guns as well as non-lethal options, frag grenades, even armor. So, consider that you have long expeditions with hugely varied landscape to overcome, enemy humans, monsters, tons of varying gear you have to plan with, and many weapons as well, suddenly the game becomes huge and full of possibilities. Granted, the combat isn't always perfect and can sometimes be oddly unresponsive or janky. I got frustrated in some battles because Sam would grasp his backpack straps instead of ready his gun, for instance. But these are small annoyances. The game is oddly social as well with buildings you can like and interact with from other players, as well as signs or mushrooms sprouted from peeing. Yes, lol. All I can say is give this game a chance. Yes, it is weird. Yes, it is genre bending. Yes it can be tedious sometimes from a gameplay perspective. But it has all the quality of a movie combined with a very solid foundation of a game. It is extremely intense at times and may challenge the way you think about things (I know it did for me). It has many subtle and deep concepts that really make your brain think. As well as some just balls to the walls crazy action moments. The story is captivating and emotional. Towards the last few hours of the game I just didn't want it to end but couldn't stop playing/watching. Overall, I would 100% recommend this game. It is not perfect but even the greatest masterpieces have flaws, and in this case it's well worth the experience. I finished Death Stranding yesterday and can't stop thinking about it.