Death Stranding review

Game

As Sam traverses America’s broken shell, the player is greeted with surprisingly deep gameplay. Of course, the main aim of the game is to travel from point A to point B. But such as the player gets there is what makes it interesting. It takes patience, planning, and a little quick thinking to make a successful delivery.

While there are fights in the game, I personally found the offers rather superficial. Anyone expecting an action game similar to the Metal Gear series that Hideo Kojima is known for will be quite disappointed. Combat systems boil down to ranged attacks with your standard pistols, close combat with simple melee attacks, and stealth, of course. Death Stranding simply doesn’t offer extraordinary moments that will make the fight memorable, unfortunately.

When the game begins, the player is expected to learn the dangers of risky terrain. A bad spill on a steep slope can damage the packages Sam is delivering. If a package becomes too damaged, you will face a hefty penalty or the delivery will simply fail. Therefore, you need to be very careful while doing something as simple as walking.

In other games, the player feels comfortable running on any small thing. In Death Stranding, that larger-than-average pebble is your enemy. Fortunately, the game offers ample room for error until you find your starting point. The player is also provided with many useful tools to make deliveries a simple process. However, you’ll need to plan ahead to keep things running smoothly.

Stock management

Death Stranding also differs from most adventure games, making inventory management a challenge. You can’t just take that new package and hide it in an invisible pocket. Each piece of equipment has a place on Sam’s body, visually and technically. If you choose to load Sam too heavily on the right side, he will have a better chance of falling. The logical distribution of packages and tools will help make the journey from here to there much easier.

There will be many people who read that last paragraph and lose interest. As for the reasons for quitting a game, that’s not bad. Inventory management can be boring, and so can travel planning in advance. However, the whole process is simplified quite well. Even with that, the mechanic can still be turned off.

Some people like this kind of in-depth gameplay. Others prefer to go home after a long day and simply unwind with a simple, relaxed experience. In the end, it all comes down to what you want from your experience.