This was the first game I experienced after my life fell apart in the early throes of the pandemic. Most games grab you by the heart, or by the balls. This game grabs you by the brain. There are so many easy shots you can take at Death Stranding, if you try it for a second and it's not for you - or if you've never even tried it but you want to sound cool at a (nerdy) party. Haha, it's just like, UPS Simulator, man! HUYDYDFHYDFYHD. slap , slap Shuttup b*!

Give it a chance. Like, REALLY give it a chance. Play it alone, in a very comfortable room, and don't put it down for a couple hours on your first outing. Embrace the math, and the balance system. Take the gear seriously. Try things out. Be creative, be clever, be intelligent. You will be SHOCKED how often you feel rewarded for your efforts.

And the first time you crest a ridge, and an unexpected vista yawns open before you, and the soundtrack kicks in? Well, now you're hooked, sailor.

Seriously though there was something about this game, around the halfway point, where I realized I was beyond addicted to its formula. It gives the player so much agency, yet it guides them ever so gracefully towards its major turning points. It was a brilliant, wonderfully-rendered outlet for my OCD tendencies. It was a mental and emotional vacation from planet Earth.

It was a work of genius.