Video game milestone – review of the game “Death Stranding”

A time of great changes

When in 2015 the world heard the news of the end of many years of cooperation between Kojima and Konami studio, many players held their breath for a moment. The whole situation raised a lot of questions, considering the strange atmosphere in which the artist left the studio. In fact, only both sides have a complete picture of what happened, and we may never be able to know the whole truth. Nevertheless, the most important question that arose after this breakup was: What next? Any fan of Kojima’s work and the Metal Gear Solid series, created thanks to him, wondered what the next steps of the Japanese designer will be. Fortunately, we did not have to wait long for the answer, because a moment after the termination of cooperation with Konami, Hideo Kojima fell under the wing of Sony Interactive Entertainment, with the help of which he opened his own studio Kojima Productions. We could breathe a sigh of relief, as it would be a pity for the gaming world to lose such talent. Fortunately, Kojima has remained true to his promise to keep making games as long as he can, which he made after receiving MTV Game Awards’ first ever Lifetime Achievement Award. This, however, was not exhaustive and the case was still open as it was still unsure what Kojima would do next. What will his next project look like? As he was no longer under pressure from Konami, we could expect absolutely anything. Sony gave the creator a free hand and a lot of money. The effect of his work surpasses all expectations.

End of the world

One of the theories of evolution is that the world was created as a result of the Big Bang. As it turned out, also with the outbreak, or rather several outbursts, it was supposed to end. It was not the definitive end, Earth and humanity did not disappear just like that. It was more about the end of the order as we know it. Life was born and died, humans, plants and animals appeared and completed their lives. This endless circle of existence was, however, unexpectedly interrupted, and death materialized in the form of numerous anomalies. Since the “final bursts”, the Earth has started to pour out of temporal rain that shifts all living matter through time, causing it to age immediately. As a result, most of the plants and animals died, making the planet almost barren. As you can guess, mankind also suffered as a result of the fallout, but in her case it was not the only problem that came after the apocalypse. Emerged, mysterious and deadly creatures have appeared in the world. Worse still, they remained invisible to most people, and only a handful were able to see the threat. These invisible demons were attracted by death, which made every dying person a potential threat to his kin, because each corpse meant the appearance of the Unburied and another decompression, i.e. an explosion. What happened next with the dead? It is rumored that they joined the demonic hosts, so to avoid this, the body had to be cremated. However, not everyone could die, because the disturbance of the circle of life resulted in a very small group of so-called “repatriates” who returned from the brink of death to the living. Nevertheless, yes to them, like any other human being, the threat was still the airborne chiralium that escaped from the dying matter and, of course, attracted the Unburied. All these difficulties resulted in the collapse of the civilization as we know it today, the infrastructure was destroyed, and people locked themselves in small enclaves. It was certain, however, that humanity would not survive in isolation and that only united is able to cope with these difficult times. Fortunately, there were those who shared this vision, including the President of the United States and a group of people from the Bridges organization. One of the members of this association is, of course, the game’s hero, the courier Sam Porter, who initially does not share the enthusiasm of his companions. With time, however, he also changes his mind. This is what the plot looks like the threat was still the airborne chiralium that escaped from the dying matter and, of course, attracted the Unburied. All these difficulties resulted in the collapse of the civilization as we know it today, the infrastructure was destroyed, and people locked themselves in small enclaves. It was certain, however, that humanity would not survive in isolation and that only united is able to cope with these difficult times. Fortunately, there were those who shared this vision, including the President of the United States and a group of people from the Bridges organization. One of the members of this association is, of course, the game’s hero, the courier Sam Porter, who initially does not share the enthusiasm of his companions. With time, however, he also changes his mind. This is what the plot looks like the threat was still the airborne chiralium that escaped from the dying matter and, of course, attracted the Unburied. All these difficulties resulted in the collapse of the civilization as we know it today, the infrastructure was destroyed, and people locked themselves in small enclaves. It was certain, however, that humanity would not survive in isolation and that only united is able to cope with these difficult times. Fortunately, there were those who shared this vision, including the President of the United States and a group of people from the Bridges organization. One of the members of this association is, of course, the game’s hero, the courier Sam Porter, who initially does not share the enthusiasm of his companions. With time, however, he also changes his mind. This is what the plot looks like which escaped from the dying matter and, of course, attracted the Unburied. All these difficulties resulted in the collapse of the civilization as we know it today, the infrastructure was destroyed, and people locked themselves in small enclaves. It was certain, however, that humanity would not survive in isolation and that only united is able to cope with these difficult times. Fortunately, there were those who shared this vision, including the President of the United States and a group of people from the Bridges organization. One of the members of this association is, of course, the game’s hero, the courier Sam Porter, who initially does not share the enthusiasm of his companions. With time, however, he also changes his mind. This is what the plot looks like which escaped from the dying matter and, of course, attracted the Unburied. All these difficulties resulted in the collapse of the civilization as we know it today, the infrastructure was destroyed, and people locked themselves in small enclaves. It was certain, however, that humanity would not survive in isolation and that only united is able to cope with these difficult times. Fortunately, there were those who shared this vision, including the President of the United States and a group of people from the Bridges organization. One of the members of this association is, of course, the game’s hero, the courier Sam Porter, who initially does not share the enthusiasm of his companions. With time, however, he also changes his mind. This is what the plot looks like the infrastructure was devastating and people locked themselves in small enclaves. It was certain, however, that humanity would not survive in isolation and that only united is able to cope with these difficult times. Fortunately, there were those who shared this vision, including the President of the United States and a group of people from the Bridges organization. One of the members of this association is, of course, the game’s hero, the courier Sam Porter, who initially does not share the enthusiasm of his companions. With time, however, he also changes his mind. This is what the plot looks like the infrastructure was devastating and people locked themselves in small enclaves. It was certain, however, that humanity would not survive in isolation and that only united is able to cope with these difficult times. Fortunately, there were those who shared this vision, including the President of the United States and a group of people from the Bridges organization. One of the members of this association is, of course, the game’s hero, the courier Sam Porter, who initially does not share the enthusiasm of his companions. With time, however, he also changes his mind. This is what the plot looks like among them was the president of the United States and a group of people from the Bridges organization. One of the members of this association is, of course, the game’s hero, the courier Sam Porter, who initially does not share the enthusiasm of his companions. With time, however, he also changes his mind. This is what the plot looks like among them was the president of the United States and a group of people from the Bridges organization. One of the members of this association is, of course, the game’s hero, the courier Sam Porter, who initially does not share the enthusiasm of his companions. With time, however, he also changes his mind. This is what the plot looks likeDeath Stranding in a nutshell.

More than just a game

I have summarized it for good reason, as there is a wide range of doubters who without much reflection describe the game as a “DHL simulator” with nothing out of the ordinary to offer. I guess you can’t be more wrong, but in order to get to that, you must of course show some insight and devote a long time to the production. As befits Kojima, the story in Death Strandingit is enigmatic to say the least, full of secrets and written with a fantastic panache. As with the previous games of the Japanese producer, it is not difficult to immerse yourself in the gameplay, completely losing track of time, especially due to the cinematic nature of the production. Long cutscenes, filled with dialogues, emotional charge and fictional premises, seem to be the essence of the game, and the passage of subsequent stages is just a link between them. Communing with this production becomes something like watching an interactive movie, in which we have a large influence on the hero’s actions. However, this is not the level known from the works of the Telltale company. Death Stranding is incomparably higher.

Connecting people

Coming to the point, what is this really all about… walking?
At the beginning of the game, after a short walk, we come across a moment when one of the US cities disappears as a result of the suicidal death of one of the inhabitants. The explosion of course reaches our hero, but he turns out to be one of the repatriates, thanks to which he returns to the world of the living with a little help from the Bridges organization. We also learn that our hero is allegedly the son of a dying president of the United States, and his real name is rumored to be Strand. In this case, as befits Kojima, the matter is also not that simple, but we learn this only later in the game. Shortly after the death of Bridget Strand, Amelie Strand, her daughter, is chosen as her successor, who set out on an expedition to connect the cities. The problem is that, that Amelie has been kidnapped and is being held hostage. Nevertheless, he may contact the Bridges organization. She, like Sam, is unique because she does not age, and all this is due to the fact that her body is on the Beach, which is the edge between the world of the living and the dead. This is where our hero goes after each death. Crazy, right? But whether individual partsMetal Gear Solid weren’t the same twisted? After all, it is thanks to these flavors that Kojima’s games stood out above other titles, and that’s what we love them for. Returning, however, to Death StrandingSam Porter Bridges aka Sam Strand finally decides to hit the road to reunite the United States and free Amelie, his supposed sister. So, we are starting our great journey, during which we will have to transfer various types of loot between individual bases. Along the way, we come across abandoned parcels, for delivering them we will get additional points. What do we need these points for? For additional equipment, such as ladders, ropes or even mobile stations, where we can leave additional luggage. Each of these elements makes it much easier to navigate the hostile, mountainous terrain, so there is no need to save on additional ladders or other such equipment. Of course, there are also weapons in the game, but we’ll end up using them very rarely. All this, of course, weighs in and no matter how powerful Sam Porter looks on promotional material, his lifting capacity is limited. Therefore, it is worth considering twice what to take with you before we continue our journey, especially since the more loads we have on us, the more difficult it is for us to move. If we overdo it, we can simply pass the spectacular “soil” in the world, destroy the packages and make a “cuckoo”. Yes, it is not easy to kill our hero, but it is also not worth pulling the string. destroy the packages and make yourself a “cuckoo”. Yes, it is not easy to kill our hero, but it is also not worth pulling the string. destroy the packages and make yourself a “cuckoo”. Yes, it is not easy to kill our hero, but it is also not worth pulling the string.

It’s not everything

Although Death Strandingis a game strictly for a single player, it has an interesting solution that at times gives the impression that we are playing a multiplayer game. Namely, it is about equipment and packages left by other players. From time to time you can come across scattered loot, left by someone in another game. What’s more, we can give “likes” for the equipment left behind, which is a wink for players (and a big plus for producers). Along the way, we can of course come across Unburied or renegades who will try to take over our cargo, so we must remember to take some caution, but in this case vehicles are very useful, thanks to which we can move goods faster and escape from bandits. I haven’t touched on one more quite crucial thing, which has raised many questions since the appearance of the first reports and advertising materials. The word “gave birth” is not without significance here, as I am going to mention the “portable child” that the hero has with him during the game. What is it and what is it for? While these questions may seem a little out of place, they are best suited to the situation. This child, or rather children, because the specimen of our hero is not the only one, was born by women in a vegetative state, which makes them a link between the world of the living and the dead. As a result, the “Stables” (Liaison Babies) are able to detect Unburied Babies. Anticipating the questions – they are alive and well, as long as the player cares for them, so avoiding deep water, Unburied and overturns. Dynamic running, jumping, sliding on a rope, and gentle rocking are welcome. Humming songs to sleep will also work. Seriously, there is such an option.

This apocalypse is beautiful

The graphic design of the game is an absolute masterpiece. Death Stranding , just like Crysisyears ago, it elevates the visual aspects to an unprecedented level. The world around the protagonist looks simply beautiful, the locations are designed with incredible panache and attention to detail at the same time. Another journey through the endless mountain lands is pure pleasure. Sometimes it is really worth making a detour or skipping a vehicle trip just to climb a mountain and see the area. It is hard to believe that the game can look like this. The change of weather conditions proceeds in an extremely smooth way, and most interestingly, it has an impact on the character. Sam gets tired more quickly, and temporal rain damages packages. Models and character animations also look great. Motion capturewas carried out with an almost insane attention to detail, which makes the characters look like their living counterparts. It must be mentioned on this occasion that the cast itself is very impressive. Norman Reedus, Mads Mikkelsen and Guillermo del Toro are the actors that we would expect for the biggest Hollywood blockbuster, and they play first fiddle in the latest production of Hideo Kojima. The perfect whole is completed by the amazing sound of the game. Dialogues sound fantastic; they are natural and unforced, but it gets even better when we enter the wilderness. The whistling wind, the sounds of footsteps or the echo carried on the mountain peaks sound simply phenomenal and create an amazing atmosphere during the trip. As if that were not enough, from time to time you can hear a slow and melancholic sound in the background.Death Stranding is a real feast for the eye and ear of the most demanding gamer.

Rush bad adviser

Although at first glance, the gameplay based on transferring parcels between points may not look particularly thrilling, especially considering modern action games, in fact it has a second bottom and in order to notice it, you need to spend a longer time playing the game. Death Stranding is not another Call of Dutyor another tapeworm in which we rush at breakneck speed through more or less tunnel maps to shoot as many frags as possible. Here you have to stop for a moment, think about the path we will take, and to clarify the situation in which the hero finds himself, you need to pay attention to dialogues and collect information about the vast world of the game. In this production, Hideo Kojima used a metaphor for interpersonal relationships, building relationships and opening up to other people. Moving between individual nodes, Sam connects the people living in them through an extensive chiral network and this is his primary goal, the delivery of parcels is in fact only an addition. Only together are people able to resist death and oblivion. The transformation of the hero is also important, which as the game develops more and more and shows more and more empathy. The game shows that reconciliation and cooperation is the only salvation in the face of a cataclysm and more.

We would like to thank PlayStation for making a copy of the game available for review.