Death Stranding Kojima Gameplay Review

Death Stranding Kojima was one of the most anticipated games in recent memory. The anticipation for the game was more than it deserves. We were all scratching our head just to know what is hell is Death Stranding? Now we know. To put it simply it is a game about delivery in a sci-fi setting. The idea of the game is amazingly unique giving it distinctive features. Actually, the theme of the game is loneliness and connections, you will see this aspect throughout gameplay. There is not much combat in the game but it offers a unique setting with some breathtaking events. There is also the aspect of sociality without contact. You can see the effects of other players on the map without even meeting them.

Death Stranding uses some realistic machines that even surpass the mechanics of Red Dead 2. The realism of these mechanics can really get in the way of fun. The bridge link system is a brand new idea and the implication of it could revolutionize future games. It’s a game that lets you find ways in harsh terrain. Throughout the game, you will be delivering stuff form one place to another. Death Stranding Kojima is a movie and a game at the same time. Overall it is a boring game but interesting at the same time. Most of the gamers will go with the boring explanation.

Death Stranding By Hideo Kojima

The game could not have been this much anticipated if it was not the brainchild of Hideo Kojima. When it comes to a new Idea then games of Kojima create hype like none other. Metal Gear was the first stealth game and it was called action game at the beginning. The stealth genre was new so, people did not know what they should call the game. At that time it was a simple explanation. Now people are not sure what genre Death Stranding belongs to. I have already described all this in my previous article.

This time the multiplayer aspect and the overall concepts of the game are new. The multiplayer concept of the game introduces ideas that are new to games. It shows a multiplayer concept where you never meet another player. It is multiplayer in a single-player game which is a brand new idea. The multiplayer of the game will help players to build a world according to their liking. It opens a wide range of possibilities that were not possible with traditional multiplayer. The lonely journey concept of the game is also unique because it makes the plot and setting unique. Death Stranding By Hideo Kojima is a unique concept but it can get boring.

Setting and Plot of Death Stranding are Unique but It Can get Boring

Death Stranding Kojima can be boring for many but there is no denying that most concepts of the game are unique. The setting of the game is creating a landscape that is in perfect sync with the plot. The setting of the game is exceptional, to say the least. Most of the time you will be analyzing your surroundings because it is breathtaking. While I was playing the game I spent most of my first one to two hours looking at the landscape. Everything in the game is detailed which provides an unforgettable experience.

Nearly all of the landscape that you see is empty but that is the case in the initial hours of the game. Once the Bridge Link (multiplayer component) comes into action everything starts to change drastically. Players from all around the world would be building new structures that constantly evolve the landscape. In a sense, the setting of the Death Stranding Kijima is in complete control of the players. Throughout the game, your surroundings will keep on evolving. You will see the deeds of other players without ever coming into contact with them.

The setting is there to provide a sci-fi theme for delivering the packages. In a sense, it is a delivery game in a sci-fi setting. The bridge link is the most intriguing factor of the game which can affect the overall setting experience. In the beginning, Sam is an emotionless character but as the game progress, he will evolve into a different person.

The Plot is Unique and Intriguing but the Lack of Gripping Events Can Make it Boring

The Plot of the game is amazing, I will give it that but this amazingness can also lead to boring moments. The game is all about connections, your character Sam “Norman Reedus” is on the quest to connect America. He needs to do that with deliveries. A catastrophic event has destroyed the planet along with most of the life. The last remaining humans live in bunkers and you need to deliver stuff to these survivors.  The catastrophic event has changed the general landscape to the Icelandic landscape. There are otherworldly creatures or ghost known as BT “Beach Things” and some unknown weather phenomenon. Basically, you have to make deliveries to connect America. I have already explained most of the plot in my expectation article. I won’t say anything that spoils the fun.

Death Stranding is a long game which in itself was a bad thing for me. Even if you only play story missions, you will still need 40 hours to complete it. The plot revelation will keep you going but it is still a game about deliveries. How much fun can such a game be in the long run? There is little combat which not acceptable for players like me. It is just too long than it should have been. It is not a game in which I would want to spend 40 hours. That’s the reality of the situation.

Death Stranding Kojima Plot is Boring and Amazing at the Same Time

There is no denying that the plot of Death Stranding Kojima is unique and intriguing. At the same time, it is boring and retarded which makes you want to give up. There will be moments when you say “Woo Death Stranding is amazing” and there will be moments when you say “What is hell! Death Stranding is boring” both of these statements are true and it depends on which part of the game you are in. The initial eight to nine hours of the game are boring because the bridge link will be missing. Once, you get the bridge link you will also get weapons and then the game becomes fascinating. For the next couple of hours, you will enjoy it but then again the slow pace will break your focus.

The progression is extremely slow. Most of the events happening in the story are just there to put a brake on your pace. The plot of the game feels more like a movie because it is different than the plot of a game. Death Stranding is a story-driven game and the complicated elements are there to prove that fact. Sometimes the plot will become immersive but then it will become boring again. Most of the missions are similar to each other with little variations. You will just hate and love the plot at the same time.

The Realistic Mechanics of the Game are Generating More Problems than Appreciation

Red Dead Redemption 2 was a good game and it had lots of realism. The realism annoyed me and Death Stranding is taking it to the next level. The inventory system of the game is realistic to the point where it creates more problems than solutions. All of the weight will have a visible effect on Sam. Weight will not only be visible all the time but it will also affect the balance and momentum of your characters. This imbalance will transform a small journey into something massive. Even climbing on a hill will be annoying and problematic. You need to keep pressing buttons to keep your character form tripping. Tripping is something that you need to avoid because it will damage your cargo which will lead to less reward.

Balance is not the only thing that you need to worry about because other factors will also affect your cargo and pace. To me, most of the mechanics were there to put a brake on my pace. You will need to rest if your character is tired and take a piss! Seriously these mechanics will waste so much of your time that it gets annoying. I was wishing that all these mechanics would just go away because they just waste time. You can even fall in the water! Yes, that is possible. The rain can also affect your cargo so you need to save it from rain. On top of that If you fall then Baby will start crying and you have to take care of that too.

The reality of mechanics is understandable because they had to make deliveries interesting. What else they were supposed to do in a game of deliveries right?

Even The Most Simple Stuff is Complicated

As I explained earlier there are many annoying elements in the game. First of all, cut scenes are a mess because they are too many. You can skip them but they will keep on appearing every time you perform a specific activity even entering the safe house is full of cut scenes. Most of the time, I would be skeptical to enter even the safe house. On top of that, you will have to deal with annoying fast travel. You need to go to the nearest fast house just to use fast travel. To do that you will need to travel for seven to ten minutes then you will have to deal with cut scenes. Finally, you will get the chance to fast travel and then deal with one more cut scene.

Throughout the game, you will come face to face with BTs. These encounters create tension but it is easy to get past them. The Baby will help you detect BTs but they are just there to slow you down in my opinion. There is also the element of route planning because the game lets you create your own path. The Bridge Link will keep on creating new routes which are a good addition to the slow pace. Later in the game, you will get vehicles but most of the time you can’t use these vehicles on the given terrain. The terrain will make the vehicle driving a back-breaking experience.

There are also back and forth deliveries in Death Stranding Kojima. Most of the time you would need to go back to the place where you just came from. At some point in the game, it just gets mind-boggling and annoying. All the elements of the game are hell bound to slow you down.

There is Minimum and Uninteresting Combat in the Death Stranding

The combat in the game is minimum but there is still combat which is not interesting. In the first ten hours, there is no combat so all you will find on the screen is Sam. These ten hours would be enough for some players to give up on the game. Once you encounter enemies you have to take them down with the hand to hand combat. You can’t kill any human because it will create a carder on the land. Even when you get weapons then all of them are non-lethal. The human enemies will try to take your cargo. Later you will get a sticky gun that can help you take cargo from the back of enemies.

Initially, Hideo Kojima said that Death Stranding will not be a stealth game. I was happy to hear that but little did we know that stealth will be part of the game but it won’t be the main genre. The combat of game shares many similarities with Metal Gear series especially the stealth and non-lethal takedowns.

In the beginning, you won’t have the weapons to take on BTs but later you will have the means to do so. Once you are sucked in by BTs you will have to face their real shape. BTs are big and monstrous in their original form but taking them down is quite easy. Once again Bridge Link plays an important part in your gameplay. During your fight with the BTs, you will have the chance to take them down using Bride Link. You can ask help from avatars of other online players to give you grenades. Defeating Bts is not a problem and the reward for defeating them is also small. Combat is not a fun part of the game.

There are Lots of Symbols and Metaphors in the Death Stranding Hideo Kojima

Death Stranding Kojima is full of metaphors and symbolism. The core of the game revolves around making connections. Every aspect of the game depends on making connections. It starts from the connection between Sam and Baby to the overall plot of the game. There are lots of metaphors in the game describing the importance of connections. The spectacles in the game are intriguing and symbolic.

The game takes the topic of life and death very seriously. Throughout the game, there is symbolism of life after death. The Beach Things are one of the major aspects focusing on the aspect of life and death. The idea of the beach resembles purgatory or life after. Hideo Kojima is trying to scientifically explain the concept of life and death. Death Stranding is giving us a social experience in the form of a video game. Players and NPCs will give you likes that feel like social media.

You will see the other humans without meeting them. I am not talking about other players but rather the general idea of the game. You will see footprints and building suggesting the evidence of life. There are pictures of Kojima Productions on the buildings. Even the names of characters remind me about Metal Gear Heartman, Mama, Fragile, Deadman, etc. just take a look at these names. All these names remind me a lot about Metal Series such as Solid Snake, Quite, etc.

Aside From All the Negative Aspect of the Game there is Also Some Positivity

Death Stranding Kojima has amazing music which is one of its most positive aspects. The music of Death Stranding is performed by some famous band even Bring Me The Horizon had a song for Death Stranding. If nothing else then the music of the game is something to be commended. The music is in complete sync with the plot and setting of the game.

The lore of Death Stranding is intriguing, unique and amazing. The idea of making connections is something new. Making connection provides you new gear and progress the story.  You get lots of praising for your deliveries which can boost morale. Deliveries in a specific category would give you better gear and rewards in that area of expertise. You can increase your skills in a specific area of delivery. This will help you get better gear. You can 3d print anything you want using cryo network as long as you have the blueprint for it. Ladders, generators, guns, hooks, shoes, etc. You can also use your blood to make grenades. Crypto bugs will help you regain your blood.

The most amazing and unique element of the game is Bridge Link. This multiplayer element makes the game something more than a game but rather a social experience in loneliness. I know this explanation might seem a little weird but this is exactly what the multiplayer of Death Stranding is. You will notice as roads start to appear, making the landscape more manmade. Buildings will pop up along with other structures. Basically, everything you do on the map is your contribution. You will build, so will other players. Sometimes the player made structures can create problems but it is different for every player.

Death Stranding is coming to PC

In one of my previous articles, I said that Death Stranding could be timed exclusive for PlayStation. Now we know that it is a fact. You can already see Death Stranding on Epic store and Steam. So it is coming to PC and there is no doubt about it. Sony only has the rights for it as a time exclusive not pure exclusive.

Is it your Type of Game?

Death Stranding has amazing concepts, making it one of the most unique games in recent memory. That’s the only thing about it, Death Stranding is unique and that’s it. The lore and plot of the game are good even the concept is good but it is boring. The playtime of the game is very long which can be a red signal for some. The game is enjoyable if you have 40 hours to spare but the lack of combat is just too much. In the end, it is a game about deliveries in a sci-fi setting.

If you are looking for a game with lots of exploration then it is the game for you. In case you are looking for a game with a new concept then it is still the game for you. However, if you are looking for some action then Death Stranding will disappoint you. Death Stranding is a long game so it might not be for players looking for a short interesting game. Basically, it is a game about deliveries nothing more nothing less.