Probably one of the last things you would expect a game to be about is delivering packages. I mean, I literally was waiting for someone to deliver me my copy of Death Stranding when the pre-order completion notice hit my phone. Turns out that Kojima Productions had a plan to tie together a task that is mundane yet crucial while providing a story that is gripping and confusing. There is really a lot to say about the game, so let’s just begin.
Story
After the Death Stranding event hit, the world went into chaos. The arrival of the Timefall brought with it the creatures we call BT’s. In order to get a sense of their location, scientists have discovered that removing baby’s when they reach a specific growth point and putting them in the connection pods will give the wearer a way of sensing their location with a visual and audible detector. Just as the use of “The Beaches” is useful yet dangerous, these devices, which came to be known as BB’s, and their properties are helpful, but they are still misunderstood.
Using the knowledge of the BB’s and how they can help people maneuver around BT’s, companies began to create delivery services. From there, the main company that was created by the POTUS, called Bridges, is set out to unite all the cities of America again through the chiral network. In order to do this, they need someone to go to each city and connect them which will require approval. Reconnected the United Cities of America again won’t be easy, but it is a necessary step towards the continuation of humanity. Can we trust you to complete this task for us?
Gameplay
For the most part, this game is all about traveling throughout the land and delivering packages, but truly it is much more than this. You will find yourself planning out different routes, trying to avoid difficult or risky paths, as you attempt to complete various delivery runs throughout the game.
Each run has its own challenge to it, be it a time limit, damage limit, or something else, but once you reach a certain point in the game you can make these deliveries even harder. Once you start getting the Premium service options you will be able to shorten the limits allowed on packages which, if met, will yield a bigger reward. The rewards are typically stat points and likes which attribute to your connection level with each station you are at. The better your connection, the better jobs, rewards, and bonuses you get from that facility.
There are a few different ways to get around the world. The least popular, but most likely to use one is to travel on foot. This is a great option really since this allows you to use equipment such as ladders, anchor ropes, and more. Even if you didn’t bring your equipment, as long as you are within an area that is connected to the chiral network, you can use items and equipment left by other players. In turn, you can also help complete structures, such as bridges, that other players began which will eventually aid all the players that come across that structure.
The other ways to get around is by using the hovering travel cart that you can pull along with you, but this is mainly good for going downhill and if you know you won’t hit anything, or there is the bike option. Using the bike is probably my favorite method as it is the quickest and easiest, seeing how you don’t have to worry about balancing your gear, but it is the hardest when it comes to maneuvering the landscape. However, if you aren’t trying to transport any goods and are going somewhere you have already been, then there is a fast travel option that opens up to you not too far into the game’s story progression.
In order to create the bigger structures, the first thing you need is a PCC that has the blueprints unlocked. Once you place down the base PCC with the chosen structure, you or another player will have to bring the proper materials to it in order for it to complete its building process. This can be ceramics, metals, alloys, or a few other types and it varies on what you are building, be it a bridge, an actual road, or something else.
There is also an inventory system for both the player and each station. When it comes to a player's personal inventory, you will have to hold your items on your person which accounts towards the overall weight and balance to everything you are delivering as well. Planning out what you will have is essential to optimizing your trips while making sure you have everything you need. The good news is that once you have it on you, everything is very easy and quick to grab out. By holding right on the d-pad, you will get a wheel menu that could have pages of items. Clicking R3 changes the page you are looking at, but time is slowed down while you are in there which allows you to set up, but not to spend all day looking through your options.
Station inventory is a base-by-base set up where what you store in one private locker will not be in another facilities private locker. In order to transfer materials and items, you will have to do it manually. This makes sense for the fast travel aspect, but it seems like certain items could have been universally shared.
Before I move on to the action aspects of the game, the last thing I want to note is the balancing and item holding set up. While there are plenty of ways to get the gear to be on your back, your suit, or in the cart or bike, you also have the option of holding items in your hands. When this option is chosen, be ready to actually hold that item because if you let go fo the L2 / R2 button, whichever is holding the item, you will drop it. Also, balancing requires you to use your hand and movement while walking is easiest by holding L2 and R2 the majority of the time as this makes Sam hold the straps of the bag to support it better. Having an item in your hand removes this option and will give you no way to support yourself if you start tipping to the side that has a hand full already.
As for the action side of the game, this can either be avoided or risked. The areas that all of these take place can typically be avoided by taking a long way around or having some kind of equipment help you over a section that would block you without it. These enemy encounters are between the MULEs, which are basically rogue mercenaries that live off theft and crime, or the BTs which are also known as ghosts. Both of these enemies have a different style and approach that you can use to improve your encounters with them.
MULEs are more up front and when you enter an area they “own” you will be picked up by their scanner. You will reach a point where you can counter the scanner with good timing, but if you don’t or can’t then they will know your position immediately and come check it out. You can hide somewhere nearby and try to sneak around, but if they see you then the whole swarm will come in. Then it is run, fight, or die!
BTs are the ones caught in the Timefall that you have to sneak around. You will want to crouch and move slowly then hold your breath when you are really close to them. There is a limit to holding your breath, so be sure to time your breath regains well or you will either hurt yourself or get caught. If you do get caught then prepare to fight a BT creature in an oil ocean field as they will drag you to where that creature is at! Regular weapons won’t do anything, so be sure to have your grenades at the ready.
Graphics and Sounds
All of the visuals are masterfully done. No matter how much detail was going on, how far into the distance I was looking, or how much action was taking place, I never experienced a performance drop throughout my entire experience. Sure, you could say that it is because it is mostly a wasteland filled with rocks and such, but the fact that it didn’t matter if all of the connected players had stuff laid out along the land or I was in the middle of a fight with a BT creature, it maintained a smooth gameplay experience.
While the sound effects were on point and the music choice wasn’t bad, my only gripe with it is that they leave players in silence for a long period of time. In the private rooms, you can turn whatever song you want on to listen to it, but I wish I could do that while I am on my long treks through the world. I am a deliveryman and I need my traveling music!
Replayability
You won’t need to replay this game… there is so much to do that it will take an extremely long time to complete it. But let’s say you complete every mission in the game and want more to do; there is plenty to do after you beat the game. Pick up packages from other players and complete their drops, create a new file and challenge yourself not use anything other players build or left, try different routes to find the best pathways to travel the land, and so much more.
What Could Be Better
Allow the player to play music while they are traveling the game, even from the beginning of their save file. Sure we have to unlock more tracks, but at least let us listen to the music we have while we are traveling the vast landscape.
The map itself is quite large. While I understand the purpose of it being as big as it is, I don’t think it would have hurt the game to have it shrunk in size just a little bit. Most of the time we are traveling on foot, at least until we get things fixed up enough to drive on the bike more often, so this makes travel times quite long.
There should have been an option to connect all the private lockers together so I didn’t have to remember what items were left where. With how much to keep track of in the game, knowing what is in each individual locker is more of a hassle than it is worth. I ended up trying to group together mission items that go to the same guy in a specific area so that when I want to do that side mission I can gather it all up while also trying to leave a few weapons and materials at each stop.
Conclusion
Death Stranding is an oddly enjoyable experience. Providing an overall calm and strategic play style that has moments of intensity was a nice change of pace from what most games offer. I’ve been enjoying all the time I have put into it already and look forward to putting a lot more hours into it.
