I haven't beaten this game. I don't know if I will. But it's lived rent-free in my head for years and I haven't decided if that's a good thing or not. I have almost nothing to say about Death Stranding, but simultaneously too much to think about.
This is QWOP mixed in with being a mailman. There's combat and enemy encounters, but it doesn't feel ancillary to the experience; if anything I would say it's the least fun to be had in this game with how clunky the controls can be. But playing Death Stranding, the definition of "fun" was challenged throughout my 10 or 15 hours of playing. Is awkwardly walking from place to place delivering packages and managing your carry load fun? To some people it probably is. Is building a complex network of highways, vehicles and communication fun? I think to a lot of people, that's going to be the major sticking point about Death Stranding; is any of this actually fun? I think it's compelling for sure, but listening to music while huffing and puffing through the mountainside delivering old records and food supplies sure is strange. It's like they turned those boring sidequests in a lot of games into a full-fledged experience, and some people enjoy that kind of busywork. I know I do.
The story is nonsensical and utterly fascinating. If you're familiar with any of Hideo Kojima's work, you know what to expect here theatrically but will have no clue where the story is going. Having bizarre names like Dank KushMan (parody) tell you the president's body needs to be incinerated or else it'll blow up the entire capital is something that actually happens, and no the context does not explain things better. Context is for cowards.
You know what isn't for cowards? Death Stranding. It's one of the most beautifully designed games for nobody, and the balls it took to make a AAA game on this scale of this absurdity is nothing short of commendable at the very least. It's worth playing, even if I'm confident a lot of people will hate what it's doing. I feel compelled to play more as of writing this. It's truly a remarkably weird experience so far that's already made such an impression on me so early.
This is QWOP mixed in with being a mailman. There's combat and enemy encounters, but it doesn't feel ancillary to the experience; if anything I would say it's the least fun to be had in this game with how clunky the controls can be. But playing Death Stranding, the definition of "fun" was challenged throughout my 10 or 15 hours of playing. Is awkwardly walking from place to place delivering packages and managing your carry load fun? To some people it probably is. Is building a complex network of highways, vehicles and communication fun? I think to a lot of people, that's going to be the major sticking point about Death Stranding; is any of this actually fun? I think it's compelling for sure, but listening to music while huffing and puffing through the mountainside delivering old records and food supplies sure is strange. It's like they turned those boring sidequests in a lot of games into a full-fledged experience, and some people enjoy that kind of busywork. I know I do.
The story is nonsensical and utterly fascinating. If you're familiar with any of Hideo Kojima's work, you know what to expect here theatrically but will have no clue where the story is going. Having bizarre names like Dank KushMan (parody) tell you the president's body needs to be incinerated or else it'll blow up the entire capital is something that actually happens, and no the context does not explain things better. Context is for cowards.
You know what isn't for cowards? Death Stranding. It's one of the most beautifully designed games for nobody, and the balls it took to make a AAA game on this scale of this absurdity is nothing short of commendable at the very least. It's worth playing, even if I'm confident a lot of people will hate what it's doing. I feel compelled to play more as of writing this. It's truly a remarkably weird experience so far that's already made such an impression on me so early.