CRISP. Gaming: Death Stranding Review, Playstation 4

This is Hideo Kojima’s hugely anticipated first game since his acrimonious departure from publisher Konami, ending a 30-year relationship that birthed the iconic Metal Solid franchise.

Death Stranding has been out for just over a week now and opinion is incredibly divided on the internet. Some say it’s boring, overly long, confusing and a bit self-indulgent, whilst others (mainly the loyal fanbase) will wax lyrical about the depth and diversity of the gameplay, the complex story with real-world parallels and an outstanding cast throughout.

Nonetheless, everyone is talking about it, so we took the opportunity to jump in and see what all the fuss is about.

Stepping into the well-worn shoes of Sam Porter Bridges, we experience the story through his eyes. Sam is literally a porter (as his name suggests) that is tasked to link the remnants of humanity.

He also must help the world by delivering goods, medicines, literature and building materials from place to place, ala Kevin Costner in 1997’s banger ‘The Postman’.

We join the story years after this near world-ending catastrophe (the Death Stranding) has left the world on the brink of extinction. Leaving the remaining population has been forced to live below the surface of Earth, desperate, isolated, and hopeless. An Institution known as bridges has stepped up to reconnect the fractured cities of North America by connecting the entire continent to a shared network to build a new America.

But there is only a handful of people in the world capable of travelling across this deadly world due to the ever-lurking presence of BT’s. Which are creatures from somewhere in a realm between life and death roaming the open world, looking to pull any living thing into abyss. At first, Sam is massively underpowered to deal with them.

All he has to assist him is his BiBi (or bridge baby) a foetus in a makeshift womb attached to your chest that can detect the Presence of these near-invisible ‘Beached Things’. Not much can be done to defend against these terrors, until you learn some intuitive uses for Sam’s bodily fluids that seem to keep these creatures at bay.

On top that, throw in various mobs of nefarious humans and deadly environmental hazards you’re sure to be on the edge of your seat for large portions of this game. One such hazard is ‘Timefall’, rain which fast-forwards the aging process of anything it touches.

It damages Sam’s cargo and equipment, so it’s worth taking a moment to figure out where you’ll be travelling and how plus under what kind of weather conditions before heading out on a mission; as preparation is key.

Travelling through the world it’s hard not to stop and take in the dynamic environment, from its snow-covered mountain tops, deep forests and vast open grasslands. Getting around is treacherous…walking is not easy, and simply traversing the varied terrain is half the challenge, as any misplaced step could see you face plant in comical fashion and damaging your cargo in the process.

Keeping your balance and weight distribution centred is the be-all for successful travel. It is the core mechanic when trekking the long distances between various story checkpoints with nothing but your destination in the distance and the beautiful landscape around you. Which feels dense and alive but empty and isolated at the same time.

The story gets very convoluted (as is Kojima’s style) but is essentially a thought-provoking tale, with plenty of social commentary, and evocative themes interweaved throughout. You are nudged so slightly to get a bit contemplative during these long quiet excursions. Combined with a perfect soundtrack that slips in and out at the most appropriate times right on cue, it’s hard not to get caught up in your thoughts.

As the game opens you gain new abilities and materials that can be upgraded to help make traversal much more fun and efficient. You will also have access to your handy 3D printer that can fashion all kinds of deadly weapons that will help deal with the roaming gangs of Cargo Thieves (Mules) hell-bent on stealing everything from everyone.

You are eventually given plenty of mechanics and options to take down your foes however you are hugely encouraged to go for non-lethal means of dispatching them, because all deaths in this world matter and affect the game environment in interesting ways.

A theme running through the game is that of connections. Not only connections between the games NPC’s, but also amongst the gaming community playing, as the effects of one person’s game can directly alter another’s experience.

Building structures like roads, bridges, rain shelters, and post-boxes, can be seen and fully interacted with by other gamers in ‘Death Strandings’ asynchronous online play. You are incentivized to help others by picking up their lost or dropped cargo, completing deliveries, leaving warning signs and directional advice, in addition to sharing supplies, all without physically crossing paths with anyone. You acknowledge each other by leaving ‘likes’ for them which help play into the progression mechanics but it’s also a simple way of tipping the cap to a fellow porter.

Graphics are magnificent, as can be expected. Playing on a Vanilla PS4 with a modest LED TV did not detract at all from the majesty of the stunning world created by art director Yoji Shinkawa. If you are living your best life and experiencing this on a PS4 PRO in 4K… my friend, are you in for a treat.

There is an all-star cast of actors involved to bring this mad world to life, including Norman Reedus of course as protagonist Sam, Mads Mikkelsen, Lea Seydoux, gaming voice-over veteran Troy Baker and the original ‘Bionic Woman’ – Lindsey Wagner.

Not to mention a few odd but excellent cameo appearances spread throughout the 40+ hour playthrough. The incredible graphics, motion capture and solid performances really add to the captivation of the world and the story.

A fair internet criticism seems to be that the game is slow, not much happens and difficult to get into. This is a just observation because ultimately the game’s core mechanic is ‘carry the thing from this place to the other place and don’t damage it.’ Obviously, there is much more to the gameplay, but it takes a fair bit of time for the game to really become ‘fun’.

The first portion of the game is a slow burner, as plot exposition takes the reins. There is so much new terminology casually thrown out, that parts of the story can become a bit confusing. At points, it can make the early parts of the game feel a bit sluggish.

The menu screens will take a good while to get used to and can be a bit intimidating at first due to the sheer amount of information thrown at you early doors. The thing is you’re going to need to know a lot of this information, so kind of feels like you are forced into learning this wealth of inventory menus and options that are not so easy on the eye, at times it feels like reading the Yellow Pages upside down by candlelight due to the poor font and density of information across the user interface.

In closing, should you play Death Stranding? If you are big into the Metal Gear games and its storytelling style then absolutely, it has enough throwback mechanics for you, and a plotline so dense and confusing it will make Sons of Liberty look like Super Mario Bros.

You are tasked with fetch quests and the occasional camp stealth infiltration, but the difficulty and intensity of your journeys give a real sense of accomplishment that spurs you onwards when the going gets tough.

This is not the frenetic and fast-paced action of your standard action RPG. It’s a methodical thinker of a game that rewards patience, preparation and execution. You can extract so much from this game that we believe it is worth a gamble at £50.

Remember, ‘Tomorrow is in Your Hand’.

Death Stranding is available to buy on Amazon now – BUY NOW