The Death Stranding Games Were A Premium Experience

By Kojima Productions / Sony - https://www.giantbomb.com/death-stranding/3030-54232/, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=61353418

I have long delayed trying to play this game, but I saw Death Stranding on sale for $20 on Steam, so I decided to pick it up and play one of the most talked-about video games in recent memory. Death Stranding is an action-adventure game released in 2019, and it is the first game from director Hideo Kojima (most famous for the Metal Gear franchise) since leaving Konami. I admit to having some preconceived notions prior to playing this game where I thought it was going to be rather boring and be a walking simulator delivering cargo to different people. When I played this game, all my preconceived notions came true, but I ultimately still enjoyed the experience.

There is no doubt that with a Hideo Kojima game, you are getting a high-quality experience. The voice-acting, cinematics, and soundtrack are all excellent and there are some familiar faces performing as the voices. The overall story is quite good as well, even if there is some of the all-too-familiar nonsensical and confusing Kojima storytelling. When I played the first Death Stranding game, I immediately thought about my time playing The Last of Us. Both games have this story and narrative-focused approach which gives the gameplay less importance. I still prefer the story of The Last of Us over Death Stranding, but I enjoyed the gameplay of Death Stranding more that The Last of Us.

With that said, the gameplay of Death Stranding is not everyone's cup of tea. Most of the gameplay consists of delivering packages to various colonies and connecting them wirelessly to establish a communications network after an event nearly decimated the population. I found the act of playing as an Amazon courier to be peaceful, as I can shut my mind off while delivering packages from place-to-place. There are also combat sequences and bosses to fight where you need to use your guns and grenades to overcome any obstacles. You can also build structures on your own to help you traverse through the land, such as bridges and generators. I also like the implementation of the social elements of the Death Stranding games, where other players going through their playthroughs can use your structures and pick up your donated packages/weapons (and vice versa). 

I also played Death Stranding 2 (while writing this post) and the second game plays just like the first game but with more combat and a more streamlined experience with taking orders and delivering packages.

The Death Stranding games felt like premium, high-quality gaming experiences which is what you would expect from Hideo Kojima as a director. However, the issues with the Death Stranding games stem from the fact that they are games from the mind of Hideo Kojima, with the sometimes-convoluted storytelling, too many (and long) cutscenes, and polarizing gameplay (with the "walking simulator" criticism). Personally, I enjoyed the gameplay of the Death Stranding games, even though some gamers may want more of an action focus. I would recommend playing the Death Stranding games if there is a sale, but I also would not blame you if you end up not liking the games at all.