DEATH STRANDING DIRECTOR'S CUT

This is a great game that isn't for everyone. Not in the sense you need to have a master brain or transcended human condition to appreciate it, but because it's a slow burn, has a repetitive gameplay loot that will be interesting for *some* people and mostly because it wants to be played a certain way and much of the online discourse around it comes from people who were unwilling do to so. It's a very Japanese game in the sense that it invites you to find joy in a tedious job and the mastering of it. You're a porter, someone who delivers cargo to often isolated survivors. This is in part inspired by the real world profession of 'bokka', masters of the same traversal and backpack tetris you're required to do in the game. The Japanese concept of 'Ikigai' also plays a huge role in the game and it's about finding purpose not only in your job, but in life in general, something that happens with both protagonist and player during the game. It's not a walking simulator in the sense most use it. It simulates walking (and climbing) with the obsession of a hyperfocused ADHDer, but it's not really that complicated. People complaining of falling down and dropping cargo all the time are simply not paying attention to the game prompts and haven't learned its systems. The Director's Cut in special is very accomodating in terms of quality of life and not over-burdening those players who don't want to engage with its various mechanics, but it's in playing on the hardest difficulty that most of those mechanics and systems coalesce into something that has meaning and use. If you're on the fence on trying this game my advice is to clean your head of the negative comments you've read about it and try to keep an open mind. Engage with the game in its own terms. Trust that the initial friction will be adressed. Stick to the main story until you get to Chapter 3. If by Chapter 5 you don't like the game then it really isn't for you, I guess. All I can say is that I was one of those that scoffed at Kojima's walking simulator and now I've been completely obsessed, playing more than 300h in less than a month. I wrote a little guide on this game: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3489068498

I really see why people don't like this game. I absolutely see why people cannot get into it, find it boring, find the story is nonsense. I completely see all of it... but if you're a certain type of gamer, this will be an amazing and unique experience that you likely will not see again for a looong time. Thank you Kojima. From all the weirdos that love this game. Hopefully DS2 gets PC release soon.

Death Stranding is 50's French Art Film but in a video-game form. It's an experience that takes some effort to get into and isn't really for everyone. But if it's for you - it's a magical unforgettable story that'll stay with you forever. It's one of the few games that wouldn't work as a movie or a book. It's hard and frustrating at start but unlike many games where frustration is a result of Developer incompetence or a scheme to get you to pay money to skip it - in Death Stranding it exist for a clear reason. Not to make you "git gud" like the Souls-like games but to make you appreciate what comes after and to appreciate the help of other people around you. In the game and in real life. After 90 hours and one hell of a story I can say that it's one of the few games I can safely recommend at full price and double-recommend while it's on sale! You recieve +1 Like frome me.

Created by Hideo Kojima Written by Hideo Kojima Directed by Hideo Kojima Level Design by Hideo Kojima Produced by Hideo Kojima Chiral Network by Hideo Kojima Chiral Printer by Hideo Kojima Q-Pid by Hideo Kojima 10/10 A Hideo Kojima Game

Death Stranding is incredibly weird. The plot becomes increasingly more convoluted as you progress through the game and I sometimes found myself wondering if I was trying to make sense of something that didn't make sense to begin with. There certainly are some examples of horribly written, cringe and forced dialogue but by the end of the game I was completely invested and I'm really excited to see where the story goes in DS2.

"A delivery game ? How is this not boring ?" You ask ? Well, you see ... this is not a walking simulator, or a stealth game, nor an action game either even though it does have forced combat sprinkled in from time to time, I think these are actually done well. It's actually a management game that lets you choose how you approach each scenario with a surprising balance in viability in each angle. If you played through MGS5 before, this game shares ALOT of its DNA, but at least this one is finished :v Sure, if you're looking for a game as action-packed as Ultrakill and the like ... just look elsewhere okay ? It's an extremely story-driven and contemplative game, and as such, you'll be watching ALOT of cutscenes and watching Sam's back as he walks through wastelands alot. BUT it's not like you never have something happening either ! I vaguely recall playing through MGS4 in comparison and being SO BORED before even the end of the first act that beating it was a chore, only to learn the hard way that the best rank can only be achieved on the max difficulty, which is locked behind beating the game to begin with. This game however ? I played through it once on the regular version (now gone from steam, but more on that later) where I got all achievements, a second playthrough on the Director's Cut where I mostly dashed through the game to see the new content, and I just started a third, offline playthrough this time. "Offline ? How could a single-player delivery game have online elements ?" Well I hate doing that comparison, but see the message system from Dark Souls, Elden Ring and the like ? Well not only does it have something similar with signs, but any structure placed by an online player can be shared with you ! a ladder someone placed on their mountainside can show up in other people's game as long as they progressed the story in that area. Using that item rewards the player who placed it with "likes" the game's half-satyrical experience system, if one is particularily helpful too ? you can send as many likes as you want in a short time frame. So alot of the game relies on online indirect cooperation, with players leaving ressources, signs, roads and structures around that can help other players overcome the many obstacles the game has to offer ! And oh boy does this game have obstacles ! Starting with even just the environment, where something as small as a rock or moss on the ground can make the ground unstable and leave you tumbling down, all the way up to mountains, rivers and more you have to figure out how to cross, go around etc, all being able to lead to mistakes taking the risk of damaging your cargo, and even yourself should you blunder hard enough ! But if you thought only the geography would want your death, the few animate things still out there could be after your hide - or your cargo ! Some cargo bandits have set up base around some well-traveled areas and would love nothing more than to beat you up and leave you unconcious, empty-handed and sometimes even without your boots. Notice how I didn't say "living things" previously ? Well that's because this game also has a ghostly post-apocalypse it's gotta deal with, and as such, leaving you to sneak past the spirits of the dead, taking the risk of leaving a crater the size of a major city (or even a state, in some cases) on the already Swiss-cheesed surface of the north-american continent. And both of these threats can be snuck past or fought through with enough skill and/or equipment. said equipment being rewarded to you as you progress through the story, which ranges from structures, vehicles, weapons, and various other tools of the trade I will not spoil here, but every person you help brings you help back toward the big journey ahead. Said big journey involving the main character trying to reconnect the survivors of a former USA under a new banner, network and infrastructure, one delivered package at a time. and although I have to say some parts of the story outstays its welcome, it's still a very well thought-out universe filled with heartwarming and touching moments, from the simple emphasis of a customer thanking you for a package delivered well all the way to helping the country as a whole. In general ? I really like this game, I don't like how pompous it gets at times, and some parts of it gets boring/ridiculous around the last quarter of the game, and some physics interactions being weird (mostly around slopes and vehicles) but is still an overall thoroughly enjoyable experience. Now as I mentioned before, the game is now only available as the Director's Cut, which adds a mixed bag of new features to the game, both in variety and quality. First is all the collaborative content that was added through updates to the original game is now all available in a single package. its rewards range from something as silly as a red Valve sticking out the back of your head all the way to a very useful upgrade to your compass - Cyberpunk 2077 style. All of it is very good in my opinion, doesn't break the game but still adds some depth to it. Then there's brand-new hand-to-hand combat moves -jumping attacks to be specific- which is the greatest way to make use of the already-complex movement system under the hood, and letting the player use their speed to knock out a hostile with a drop-kick is always satisfying. The game now also has a bunch of brand new structures for players to use and leave around the map. None of them feel too game-breaking (especially compared to some late-game stuff), but a couple of them are rather silly. A Firing Range where you can test out weapons and do legally-distinct VR Training missions. Also a very good addition, since you don't get to try out weapons very often outside of combat encounters, so giving you a sandbox of sort to experiment with them adds a welcome stepping stone to the game's learning curve. Now there's also new things I have mixed feelings about, like new weapons and tools introduced way too early, essentially breaking the progression of the game, a whole new quest line that has you sneaking into the same stronghold ...3 or 4 times ? I don't recall, but it's essentially baby's first stealth mission, which is supposed to serve as an introduction to combat but it's trivialised by the new tools at your disposal, and the added story doesn't add much to the already bloated lore. I never used it, but apparently the new DLSS is great. I enabled it once then disabled it instantly when I noticed some terrible ghosting around my screen, and all the other AA options are still just as terrible as before. This game and Monster Hunter World made me switch to 4k just so I wouldn't have to use their dogwater anti-aliasing and I'm never going back. The new road is a curse in disguise since it gives you so much more to grind through in order to build it, even though the parts it connects are nice, the effort you have to go through to build it is such that you're so far into the game you've already unlocked everything to make travel faster. Then there's a racing track hidden off somewhere that you have to rebuild, but honestly the driving is just so meh, adding a racing track only shows how much the game could have benefited from a proper vehicle physics system. And of course, all the cool scoring parts of racing, firing range and replaying bosses has already been cheated to hell and back so there's no way for you to get a worthwile scoreboard except with friends. In the end, the Director's Cut is nice, but it could have improved on a bit more than what it currently does, and I'm grateful the upgrade from the base game was rather inexpensive (I'm looking at you, Dark Souls Remastered's 20€ downgrade !)

Death Stranding is a game which accurately emulates the life of a delivery person, where in you get a maximum of 2.5 stars rating for the delivery even if you delivered life saving medicine to the customer. Jokes aside, the graphics, the acting by actors, the voice acting, the lore, the music used are fantastic. The story of the game is a bit convoluted but good. However I feel like this game is not recommended for most players. I enjoyed the first 30 hours of gameplay, trying to maximize overall delivery ratings for each npc before I got tired of it. There are some complaints about the game that I feel is justified according to me at least. 1. Too much repeating dialogues by npc 2. Vehicle control is really bad unless you are on the constructed road and even then its passable. 3. Cover shooting didn't work correctly and then I figured out you would get two cross hairs when in cover. The closer cross hair should not point towards the cover and the farthest cross hair should be red when pointing at enemy to hit them. This make the cover pretty much useless as you have to move away from cover, which would allow the enemy to hit you. 4. There are two types of enemies. Human enemies and BTs. If you kill Human enemies, voidout (games definition of a nuke) is caused and the area is now a crater (which possibly resets, however I didn't test this). So you need to take the humans bodies to the incinerator if you don't want to cause a voidout. Thankfully, there are weapons to incapacitate them. BTs are another story. The first few times they are alright to fight. But then it becomes just annoying. Also the rewards are not that great for killing BTs. Going to a BT area and getting caught is nice way to summon a boss, kill it and clear the area temporarily, but this never worked for me. The BT area would get refreshed within 1-2 mins as far as I observed. 5. Construction takes a lot of materials. But other players can help you build structures as the structures are shared across worlds. Easy way to get materials is to raid human enemy camps. Just incapacitate them and then loot the area. Downside is it takes a while for the enemies to wake up and the area to get refreshed for loot. So building things alone is a sure way to play this game for hundreds of hours. 6. There are gameplay sections in some chapters after reaching the snowy mountains where you are forced to explore that region. Those missions are mandatory. Walking is a pain in that region and takes a lot of time and as I have said previously vehicles are jank outside the roads. This is not just 1 or 2 missions but a whole lot of them. On top of that there is a mandatory mission where you have to take a fragile anti matter bomb to a far location through the snow mountains. Vehicles cant be used because the container can be easily damaged. Lots of damage to the container can cause the bomb to explode. So you are forced to walk here. 7. Vehicles freeze when reaching BT which was the highest cause of me being forced to fight across the region. Reloading the save and moving around the area is time saving. This wouldn't have been a problem if the fight was fun or rewarding. 8. Lots of times you are forced to stop what you are doing and listen to npcs talking through a call. It would have been better if the dialogue was in background. 9. You get lots of emails from npcs that you have connected. Most of them felt like fillers when I read them which might have caused me to miss some important lore when I stopped reading emails mid way through. 10. Lots of cutscenes. I mean lots. Some are way too long too. Most of the time its characters just repeating things already said previously by other characters. 11. Unskippable end game credit sections. This is by far the worst thing in the game. You are required to walk around for a long time to progress with the story. 12. I wont complain about the UI but its only ...acceptable 13. The Higgs boss fight was downright bad 14. The gameplay section where you had to go one end of the map to another end without fast travel. Thank god I got a vehicle some one left there. Otherwise I would have just quit right there. 15. The character loses his balance really easily. No idea how he became a porter. 16. The access violation error that prevents the game from even starting. 17. The needless exposition dumps and transition cutscenes everywhere. 18. Mindless amount of clicking required while accepting and making deliveries. There are so many other things that are downright annoying or bad decision as gameplay perspective and I think listing them all will make the reader lose interest in the review just like what happened for me with regards to the game. I feel that this game is not for an average gamer or to someone who doesn't have lots of time. It would be better to just watch youtube videos if you want to know the story and that too will take up around 8 hours of your time with needless bullshit. I think Kojima has some good ideas. But what he really needs is someone to manage him and not a yes man who agrees to everything he says. If you still want to play the game, I recommend doing the bare minimum to progress the story, then come back after the end of the game to do the rest if you are interested.. So I am not recommending the game even though the first few hours were fun. The gameplay loop is not fun after the novelty of it passes in a few hours.

I was sold on this game by the positive reviews. I won't lie. Many writing about their experiences did a good job. Ultimately, this game is a disaster. It is a convoluted mess, and while some players have taken it upon themselves to defend it, there is nothing they can do to change the player experience. Kojima's claim to fame, as most know, is the MGS series. The first few were great, and if everyone is being honest they scale down pretty hard after those. On top of that, the MGS mechanic is outdated. I'm sorry. It just is. It was fun in the 90s and early 00s. Instead of developing new, interesting mechanics, Kojima has doubled down on them, and given more attention to creating pretentious stories full of melodrama and inconsistencies. Death Stranding requires a lot of walking. That's not the problem. It also requires planning. That's also not the problem. The problem is that the main source of conflict for the gaming experience, what is supposed to grip you, the challenge, is the mundane, redundant, and inconsistent shit you put up with on the way. Losing your balance? A crying baby that can be consoled by flicking the joystick, which works sometimes, and other times it does not. You deal with music randomly turning on, songs that are in some cases totally out of place for the scenario you find yourself in, so much so that it's annoying. Now, at the outset, the game suggests you will develop certain devices and secure certain technologies that will make life easier. But what you quickly find, like with a vehicle, is that you're constantly bumping into every little rock, every little seam in the map that creates minor slope, anything. Guns? Sure, you'll get plenty. Can you carry ammo? Well, no of course not. You just have to throw your gun away and make an entirely new one. Makes perfect sense. How about large vehicles, like trucks? You damage them, sure. And of course the time-fall (aka weird, convoluted acid rain that slowly destroys everything it touches) damages them fairly quickly. Can you repair them? Well yes, but you have to put into the garage, then take it back out of the garage- why? Sorry, you can't use the device that repairs things (this also includes repairing guns, because, while you can't get additional ammo for them, you also can't repair them). None of this makes sense. It's lazy. Lazy writing around a world that is so overly complicated that they had to introduce these elements to make the game challenging, which just means they are making this a very tedious experience and hoping you'll be satisfied with it. Once I began feeling like this, around the second, central area of the game, I found myself spending all my time building the main road that runs through the map as an act of defiance to Kojima and this game. I refused to walk. I wouldn't do it. No more driving through a gazillion rocks. The whole world is just rocks everywhere. And so, my whole reason for playing was finding ways to overcome the way the game was intended to be played. The funny thing is. Roads don't seem to deteriorate due to rain. If they do, I didn't see it. The distribution centres you deliver packages to, they also don't deteriorate with rain. Why? WHY! The inconsistencies started driving me crazy. But I had to see this through. The story was going to be the payoff. So, I make it to Mountain Knot City, after once again, the game forces you walk by giving you a delicate bomb that will explode if you fart the wrong way. No way to drive. No way to really even run. You're walking. And while I am walking, I realise I hate this. It's not fun. Not because the walking itself. But because the game feels like its designed for Kojima to tell his ridiculous story and the game play itself is just something peripheral. The enemies - MULES or the ghosts (aka "BTs") quickly become a nuisance, they are not hard to deal with, and it's just an another element of mediocrity on this developers part. Because the game is about avoiding things, about "planning your routes" on a map that is a nightmare for a person with ADHD, while using a menu and UI that is rage inducing. Once I get to my destination, I'm told I need to go back and talk to a main character. Wait. What? I have to walk all the way back to talk to someone who has literally been talking to me through a device on my wrist THE ENTIRE GAME? The laziest freaking writing I have EVER witnessed in game. "No", I say. "I'm not walking back". I elect to use the fast travel option and just leave my gear behind. Oh, but wait. I can't use it here at this distribution center. Every other distribution center has that option. But of course this time, you can't use your private room. BECAUSE THE GAME WANTS YOU TO WALK. Even after you've advanced your tech and progressed the story to have access to certain privileges, Kojima WANTS you to walk, so you can see this beautiful world that is empty. Empty of anything interesting to interact with. With only two types of enemies, both of which are no more than a nusiance in your path. All so he can tell you a story. It was here I quit. I'm glad I got this game on sale. I will watch the cutscenes on Youtube and be done with this - thankfully. Good riddance to this pile of trash.

Gameplay itself is perfectly fine. Eurotruck simulator on foot with non-friendy roadblocks. Scratched my itch to zone out, build infrastructure and see numbers go up. The story however unfolds like a fever dream. So much open for interpretation, which isn´t stricktly bad mind you. However a lot simply requires interpretation to make the slightest amount of sense. The "main" protagonist is a puddle, every "main" NPC is just weird and cringy. The dialogue doesn`t help. Norman Reedus as stoic protagonist is all well, but everyone else vomits purpose, unity and "Murica" on him. The entire games worldbuilding feels like Hideo trying to prove he is good at scrabble. Some day he noticed "strand" has multiple meanings and has to do with rope, and webs. A "Strand" is german for beach/shore. And thats the entire games premise. Every. Single. Thing. Is some analogy or methaphorical connection to wire/rope/thread/...strands. Yes, yes, very nice. But this is trying so hard to pretent to be deep and artistic, I´d rather go to an actual museum than play Death Stranding 2. I only finished it out of spite. Unfinished games im my steam library could cause me to replay in an attempt to finish them. I didnt want this for Death Stranding.

It's Mudrunners but on foot and with a weird-science plot.

I can't get over the feeling of arriving to a new area with the fov panning high up and hearing one of the low roar songs playing while looking at beautiful scenery. I loved seeing how other players left their mark on the world with their signs, structures or toadstool mushrooms from peeing at the most random places. The world is full of mystery and I love how things get slowly revealed as you play through the game. The customization with badges and accessories was also something I really liked. Also im obsessed with the cast, especially Mads and Léa. 10/10 played it to perfection :-)

I gave it an honest shake, I actually enjoy the general gameplay loop but there are too many cons dragging it down. 1. Early game bogged down by too many cutscenes that explain very little. 2.Constant message spam on how to do basic gameplay. 3. Constant meaningless chatter that you have to spam skip on for every delivery 4. Constant animation locks for Sam to just show his quirkiness that is unskippable 5. Very clunky vehicle controls. Velocity is handled very strangely. Even with no obstacles, your vehicle will often stop and go in a very unnatural way. Also getting stuck on the tiniest shit is frustrating. 6. Losing entire trucks full of cargo because you ziplined away or took a small detour on foot. I get stuff should unload if it's laying around, but trucks owned by you should have a slightly longer timer. Smaller budget games have figured out how to store a small inventory better than this 7. Rarely the game will force you into a rest after turning in a story mission. This can screw you up if you are carrying a dead body to dispose or other time sensitive deliveries. There is no warning of these forced rests. 8. Combat is too easy and boring even on hard 9. Almost forgot the most annoying, unskippable cutscene everytime you start detecting BTs. There are pros which kept me going. Pros being 1. Fantastic sense of progression and upgrades. Each one feels earned and makes the world easier to interact with. 2. The story hook is interesting, but it takes too long see it unfold 3. Road building and PCC structures are really fun and satisfying to interact with 4. Interacting with other player structures and messages is a fun twist that never gets old 5. Pulling off multiple deliveries efficiently is fun and rewarding 6. Clearing MULE camps and taking all their resources is satisfying Overall, the cons just frustrated me to the point of alt f4 and uninstall. Too much time wasting animations, frustrating mechanics, boring combat encounters, and tedious exposition that reveals very little. There is a good game underneath all of that garbage, I just wish I could actually play it without the annoyances.

Perfection. In top 10 all time best games i ever seen. By the way, only soundtrack alone would be worth at least double game price. Visuals too. Could be pure walking sim and would be worth full price. Everyone needs this game in their library. Boss fights are bad. Camera movement can be annoying sometimes and work against you. Other then that perfect game. Very high replayablity value. To much stuff to do, can go back to this game year after year.

This game was definitely one of the most unique and beautiful experiences I've ever had. Ever since it came out, I had been prejudiced against it calling it a walking simulator or a cargo simulator but now I realize how wrong I was. With its characters, story, atmosphere, and graphics, it had me hooked from start to finish, and I played it without getting bored for even a single minute. The only thing that occasionally bothered me was the car and motorcycle getting stuck, but everything else was so perfect that I didn’t really mind those minor issues. If you’re like me and haven’t given this game a chance yet, you absolutely should. I truly hope Death Stranding 2 comes to PC soon, so I can relive this amazing experience all over again. If I had to rate the game, I’d give it a 9/10. I only deducted a point because of those little flaws. Huge thanks to everyone who contributed to this masterpiece. ❤️

The extinction isn’t just an ending. It’s an opportunity. Even if we aren’t together, we will always be connected. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3513688597

I took my sweet time before trying this game out because I thought the gameplay wasn't for me But something keeps you playing. I'll make it very short: It is a beautiful game - Amazing OST - Great story - New gameplay mechanics everytime you reach big waypoints - Very good lifespan - You'll never get bored (coming from someone who usually only play fast paced games) - You'll CRY, A LOT

This is a must play for any Hideo Kojima fan this is the biggest time for once you should never listen to media or other opinions from other people might just hate for it being a walk-in simulator is kind of crazy the story is absolutely incredible makes you feel so immersed it’s definitely not an everyone game. You should definitely make sure you like this game before picking it up. Soundtrack is a gem It’s a slow burner, but it’s definitely worth it. The combat is pretty unique to itself. I hope we get the 2nd game soon

Kojima's overzealously misrepresented masterpiece: the collectivist hiking sim with tactical infrastructure action. A hokey allegorical epic delivering traversal-heavy gameplay across a gorgeous Icelandic vision of post-collapse USA. The deceptively simple gameplay loop soon opens up to more systems than you can shoot a rope or shake a stick at. Its unconventional structure truly embodies "journey, not destination" design in how all of the action happens between waypoints versus being segmented by them. Gaming rarely gets more blissfully meditative than this. An unforgettable reemergence-cum-victory lap for the industry's most prolific game designer and his team of hypercompetent artists and developers. The haters have gone catatonic. Rope beats stick.

The general gameplay is okay and kind of interesting in a 10-20 hour way. After that I'm sure it would be somewhat boring. My biggest issue is this game is just endless cutscenes. Sure there's endless cutscenes for the gameplay and story (im told this is better in the middle of the game)...thats whatever, but why does there have to be cutscenes for every little interaction. A cutscene for accessing the delivery interface, submitting a delivery, delivering lost items, putting items in storage, ending the use of the delivery terminal (and usually gameplay cutscenes interrupting your use of the deilvery terminal), a cutscene for going to your room, a cutscene for interacting with everything in your room (including TWO for taking a shower). The "auto skip" feature for completing deliveries has to be initiated TWICE for every delivery instance, each time you make a delivery. All these unessesary cutscenes leave me frustrated with the story cutscenes as well. Also when picking up items in the world there is no way to reorganize things on the fly. You either slap items on in a way to make a Tetris player cry in frustration and leave it, or you pick items up haphazardly, then drop them on the ground, and use the buried cargo menu to reorganize everything. Also the save feature is buried like most other things in the menu chain.

Beautiful game but incredibly boring. This is supposed to be a "walking simulator"? You walk like a drunk baby half the time. I love the avant-garde nature of the story but it does cross the line of being weird for the sake of weird. I guess it's just not for me.

Most accurate representation of Iceland's nature in a video game.

I tried to enjoy this game, I really did. I played it for 36 hours, thinking I could get through the slog and even though I had many upgrades and even the ziplines (which made the game very easy) the gameplay loop is simply not fun, at least in my opinion. :(

at first i think this game would be a little bit boring cuz it's just a walking simulator..... but turns out this game is soooo packed with amazing details and full of intense moment through the gameplay, not to mention the music is also banger. truely PEAK, praise kojimbo

Death Stranding is one of the most unique games I’ve ever played. The gameplay is unlike anything else—it’s strangely satisfying, almost meditative, and keeps you thinking the whole time. It’s not about fast action or constant combat, but about connection, endurance, and the journey itself. The story is eerie, emotional, and deeply captivating. You’ll probably be confused at first, but it all comes together in a way that’s surprisingly impactful. The atmosphere, music, and world design are incredible—quiet, haunting, and beautiful. Not for everyone, but if you're open to something different, this game will stick with you long after the credits roll.

runs great, looks beautiful. great acting from main characters, writing is captivating. my favorite game to watch on youtube.

This is not a game for everyone, but if you give it a chance it won't let you down. I think ppl were unfair calling this game a walking simulator. Sure the core gameplay is about deliveryng stuff, but there's more than that. After helping some people, they will improve your equipment, making the gameplay more fun. You begin the game in a world in ruins, alone, and start to rebuild/re-connect it, this is something unique in this game, seeing the "before and after" and knowing you were part of it feels pretty good. The story keeps you engaging from minute 0 till the end. Even when you barelly interact with npc in death stranding, u will never feel alone, and the world being a postapocalyptic one, doesn't feel dead. If i would critizice something, that would be the abuse of cutscenes, im fine with the cinematics ones, but there are cutscenes for things you do 24/7 and it can get annoying... Play it on highest difficulty and enjoy, thank me later ;)

The dumbass who rage quit this game all those years ago, because his bike clipped through a rock and disappeared, just finished it today, and he regrets ever rage-quitting

This game definitely caters to a specific audience. Many people might find it boring or repetitive, and I completely understand why. There are aspects of the gameplay that can feel that way. But for me, and for others who enjoy it, there's so much more to it than just walking from point A to point B. It’s the little things that draw us in. Walking with the incredible soundtrack in the background, bonding with your BB, taking a break at the summit of a mountain you just climbed, and soaking in the breathtaking scenery. These small, immersive details are oddly compelling. The story and lore are fascinating, and the game is emotionally powerful. As someone who has experienced feelings of isolation and loneliness, I find Sam, the main character, deeply relatable. The game excels at keeping you curious about what comes next while introducing fresh elements as you progress. It’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey.

It's a walking sim. A damn walking sim. There's a SEQUEL to the walking game. And yet it's fun. Kojima really IS god.

Absolutely mesmerised by this game. Yes some of the deliveries are tedious but they are counter balanced with such a stunning landscape, beautiful atmosphere and a fantastic soundtrack. The story, the lore, the mysteries everything keeps u intrigued and the details in the game are mind blowing. Highly recommend to anyone who has a lil bit of patience and perseverance, you won't be disappointed!

The Metal Gear saga unfolds over decades, weaving a dense and emotional tale of war, loyalty, betrayal, and control. At its heart lies the story of legendary soldiers and the world they helped shape—sometimes for good, often for worse. It all begins during the Cold War, in the 1960s, when a soldier known as Naked Snake is sent on a mission to stop his mentor, The Boss, who appears to have defected to the Soviet Union. Their bond is deep and complex, forged through years of service. In the end, Snake defeats her, only to discover her betrayal was part of a secret U.S. government plan. She was never a traitor, just a pawn. This devastating truth plants the seeds of Snake’s growing distrust in governments and ideologies. He becomes Big Boss, a title earned but laced with sorrow. Over the next few years, Big Boss becomes disillusioned with the way nations use soldiers like tools. He starts building his own army, a force without borders, called Militaires Sans Frontières, aiming to protect the powerless and operate outside national control. But his dream is repeatedly shattered—first when his base is destroyed, and later as he slips into a coma from a devastating attack. When he awakens nearly a decade later, it is not actually Big Boss, but a body double—Venom Snake—created to serve as his stand-in and take the heat while the real Big Boss operates from the shadows. This twist becomes a key moment in the series: the idea that identity can be shaped, manipulated, and ultimately weaponized. Meanwhile, Big Boss continues his long-term goal of creating a nation for soldiers, a haven known as Outer Heaven. In the late '90s, a young operative named Solid Snake is sent to infiltrate Outer Heaven and unknowingly battles Big Boss himself. Snake wins, and again a few years later when Big Boss resurfaces with a new army and another Metal Gear. But Solid Snake begins to question who the real enemy is: the man, or the system that created him. What follows is a downward spiral into global conspiracies. In the early 2000s, Snake confronts his brother, Liquid Snake, another clone of Big Boss. Liquid attempts to launch a nuclear strike using a bipedal weapon called Metal Gear REX, but Snake thwarts him. He also learns the truth about his origins—he is one of several clones created from Big Boss’s DNA under a secret government project called Les Enfants Terribles. Soon after, a new player enters the scene: Raiden, a child soldier trained by the U.S. and used as a proxy in a twisted simulation of Snake’s past missions. Through Raiden, we see how the world has been overtaken not just by weapons, but by control—of information, of history, of thought itself. This control is exercised by the Patriots, an invisible network of AI systems that manipulate everything from behind the scenes, all in the name of global stability. As time passes, Solid Snake ages rapidly due to his genetic modifications. In his final mission, he confronts Liquid Ocelot, a fusion of Liquid Snake’s will and Revolver Ocelot’s cunning. The two face off in one last, symbolic battle. Snake wins—but it’s not about victory anymore. It's about ending the cycle. With the Patriots destroyed, the world is finally free from their grip.

this game's an absolute masterpiece in all aspects, and over time you learn to appreciate the story and gameplay. you get rewarded for how you play, and the loads of equipment is fun to use and shakes the gameplay up.

Yes, it's a walking simulator but also yes, the story is awesome and engaging!

the game starts out really slow but then starts to pick up and I have to say its a great game so far. i did have a access violation crash error for a bit but then i capped my fps and fixed it.

Cannot recommend this game. The user interface is simply horrendous. Every time I want to go back and play I just remember the stupid menu system instead of the gameplay. It's that bad. Why haven't they fixed this issue that everyone talks about in all these years? I don't know, lazyness?? I'm totally done with this game. My little gaming time cannot be wasted navigating menus.

Death Stranding, overall,[i] delivers[/i]. While its more accessible than it may seem, Death Stranding is the definitive "not for everyone" experience. I understand that the gameplay could deter someone from even starting the game, but I'd advise giving it a shot regardless as it is much more entertaining than you may think. It is really fun to plot out the best route and to pick out the right equipment for your delivery and connecting to other players through the shared structures was integrated seamlessly into the gameplay and lore. On a technical level, the game is graphically beautiful and realistically animated, a necessary aspect lending towards the great level of immersion the game provides. Death Stranding's immersive design is the most important trait towards making the gameplay entertaining, and the sharp sound design and soundtrack (Low Roar was a perfect fit) combine very well with the surreal visuals to give the game a unique feeling (though the constant bombardment of menus, messages, and repetitive codec calls from Die-Hardman and Margaret Qualley hold your hand way too much and ruin some of the immersion). Story-wise, Death Stranding is all over the place. There were times when I was convinced I was playing the best game ever made and then it would be immediately followed up by thinking I was a fool for falling for any of it. The game is so hit-or-miss with it's concepts, writing, characters, and set-pieces it gave me whiplash. Tommie Earl Jenkins (especially) and Mads Mikkelsen give fantastically memorable performances, but other actors either phone it in or fall victim to nonsensical writing.[spoiler] Amelie is so frustratingly boring. The choice to have her as the pillar of the story is such a fumble that the ending left a poor taste in my mouth.[/spoiler] The avant-garde writing works best when utilized in the game's slow burn, but it is laughably bad when used in lore dumps. There are many scenes where so much is spoken just to say so little. Depending on the scene, it's either "Kojima is a genius" or "Kojima is a moron", with little in-between, which is probably exactly what he would want to hear. Death Stranding may fall short of it's massive potential, but it's so entertaining and unique that it is worth giving it a try.

Even without finishing the game I can tell it's one of the best ever made. Kojima never misses. Wish I hadn't waited so long to give it a chance.

Well, it is a YES and NO. The game is boring, and this is a fact. The story is ok, but to be honest the only part that i was interest in was in the last 20 minutes after the credits. Controls are Hideous, delivering packages is not interesting and even if I play it on easy (because i am old and tired working) it has its challenges. To be honest the cast is superb, but the game is not fun, and also is not chilling.. I had constantly to avoid BTs and all these stop motion screens..Where is the fun in this? After credits, which were the most annoying credits in game history, for real, I am playing it only to built roads, which are expensive , way too expensive, but i see nothing interesting to do.. I suppose its me, i cant hate it , but i cant love it .. it is a game made with sth particular in mind , I hope you enjoy it, I just wanted this suffering to end.. If you have OCD jut stay away, trust me. p.s. I don't know about Kojima's genius but seriously, a man who calls himself legend or legendary if i recall in a cosmetic item description has some serious issues. I don't know how to make games, I am a physicist teaching science, but seriously if I go to work and say i am The most Brilliant physicist they ll mock me until the eternity's' end..

I will admit that I bounced off of this game pretty hard when it first came out. I just wasn't in the mood to play what seemed to be a walking / postal delivery simulator. BUT, after the encouragement from a couple friends and the release of the sequel, I decided to give it another chance. I'm very glad that I did as it hits completely differently now. Something about the intriguing plot and extensive route planning is both exciting and cathartic at the same time. The slow burn of watching a cutscene, then connecting NPC outposts to the "network", then riding creative vehicles, then having a tense encounter with unique enemies, and THEN finally just cresting the ridge in the beautiful environment just in time for a sick beat to kick in is just gaming bliss to me. I'm glad I've given it a second chance and look forward to finishing it. I highly recommend anyone that bounced off it to give it another try.

Played the first time on the ps4 and had tons of fun there BUT at the time I didn't experience the most satisfying thing to do here which is of course deliveries and helping others, back then I went straight to the story part. I'm glad that I came back, this is one of the games that is just UNIQUE. hyped for the 2nd entry! The only thing that I didn't like tho was the ending, WAYY TOO LONG. I know that the game has a lot to explain as it is confusing as shit but c'mon Hideo, even the gameplay parts become too much, you could had made this ending shorter. Guess they solved this in the next one. Apart from that It's definately one of the most satisfying games to play out there and btw, Hideo HAS to be on the GOLDEN GRASS to be able to have ideas like this, holyy.

The gameplay, world design, atmosphere, and soundtrack are all nice. But none of that truly matters when the game keeps its core narrative until the final chapters, rather than gradually unfolding the story as you play. And when most of the gameplay revolves around delivering cargo, the story needs to be engaging enough to keep me invested throughout.

This game is an absolute [b]trip[/b] so far, not sure what Kojima has been smoking but I'd love to have some. I've played a lot of Sci-Fi games as it's my favorite genre and this has to be one of the craziest stories right out of the gate. I'v probably experienced gameplay/cutscenes from a [i]baby/fetus[/i] [b]POV[/b] at least [b]15[/b] times in the first [u]5 hours[/u] of gameplay. I'll update my review once I finish the story if there is a satisfying conclusion to all the questions I have then I would be impressed.

Please don't quit on the first mission, i may not be very far into the game but its worth it. Believe me.

This is literally Forrest Gump. Story and everything.

Bro what is this game. i’ve been walking for like 5 hours and tripped over the same rock at least 12 times. fell face first into a river and my cargo floated away like my hopes and dreams. 10/10 physics tho. Sam’s ankles are built like twigs and the rain hates me. Norman Reedus is out here delivering amazon prime packages in post-apocalyptic ghostland and for SOME REASON i’m into it?? the terrain is my worst enemy. Also, i peed a mushroom into existence and people started liking it. like social media but for urine. the story? absolutely bonkers. Its like a Christopher Nolan movie. It’s beautiful tho. Makes me wanna hike IRL until i remember i’m lazy and there’s no BB strapped to my chest crying when i fall down a cliff. strangely therapeutic. weirdly lonely. occasionally terrifying. 90% walking, 10% existential crisis, 100% a masterpiece. not sure if it’s a game or a spiritual experience but i’m def playing more.

"Access Violation has ocurred in thread "Main"" It crashes a lot with that specific error. Nvidia 3090 24gb of Vram, only game that crashes with that "violation" error.

Game would not progress after chapter 1, kept getting crashes with the same problem An Access Violation (C0000005h). This has been a issue since launch and they have not fixed it. Before buying the game be aware it is very possible the game will be completely unplayable.

Just finished Death Stranding: Director’s Cut, aka UPS Simulator: Kojima Edition, and honestly? I’ve never been so emotionally attached to a jar baby and a backpack full of expired Funko Pops. I walked. I tripped. I fell off a cliff. I delivered a pizza 4,000 meters without tilting it. I crossed rivers, scaled mountains, and punched ghosts in the face with a briefcase. Peak gaming. The story? Oh, it’s all there. Kojima didn’t just spoon-feed it—he backed up a narrative dump truck and unloaded existential metaphors straight into my skull. I understood everything and simultaneously nothing. That’s art, baby. Graphics? So good I tried licking a rock thinking it was real. PC port runs smoother than Higgs monologuing in slow-mo. 11/10. Would trip on a pebble and cry about America again.

Great game, can't wait for Death Stranding 2 to release on PC now.

BEFORE YOU READ: this review doesnt show much about the game, but more about the metaphor it is showing with a particular system in the game, so if you dont care about such rhetoric, then thats ok, basically the game is great, buy it, but if you want to dive further into how the game might better yourself, read it; and if youre Mr. Kojima, then you get to read what your creation can do for the world, because in this day in age, it is a game that will save us. the only reason ive ever got into this game is because i wanted to start a journey in music rather than what my original plan was going to be, which was video game creation. that is not to say this game made me switch back, but its to say i wanted to play this game because of what everyone thinks of it as, a walking simulator. ive been having trouble for years with myself being very hard to try something new, or to stick to something that i know i want to stick with. as of right now, i havent made a single song yet, and i keep saying i want to work on myself or some stupid reason like that, but i need something to show me that im able to stop this cycle of torment im putting on myself by playing a game that seems like a boring and needless job/hassle, almost like how the movie holes builds character for the kids (as ironic as that is, it has some meaning and truth to it). knowing that this game is good by almost every single review on the steam page, i went ahead and bought it for 16 bucks on sale, after playing several hours of it (and at this very moment, not yet beating the game) i have to say, it is a game that i am completely falling in love with. the rhetoric of this game spoke for itself without any lies being told to the player, you are solo, you deliver packages, you get help but not the kind that you expected, and on top of this is a story that is, while weird, a very satisfying progression. the amount of times ive been astonished was more times than i have hours (currently) and every single step of the way has been rewarding, not in the sense that you get better things (which you do by the way) but because every single time you build a road or deliver a package, you get a like, yes, a like. these likes are in no way, shape or form a thing that you need in the game, but it is purely a booster, possibly in moral? in confidence? in integrity? yes, but more importantly, in dopamine. it is a symbol of no meaning, yet it feels so important to you, why? take a look at facebook, those likes dont mean anything to anyone, it might possibly resemble our popularity, but the likes are there to make you, as mark zuckaburg said, feel good; dopamine. its that dopamine you feel when you get a like, or multiple. you are striving for a like because you are striving for that drug built into your brain, and that strive, while a side objective in death stranding, is also a side objective that gives yourself a reflection on what we are indulging in today with tiktok and youtube. that metaphore is the most important i see in a video game, because it shows us that we are chemically bonded to whatever is feeding us. if you are getting these short dopamine hits with tiktok and such, then you are being fed by an evil product with a hard escape, as it literally is binding your brain to its app. as i go along this review, i am realizing every single like has a purpose, while content creation of short form content creation apps have likes to give you a boost for doing almost nothing, this game gives you a sense of reward for completing a task. this game literally rewires your brain to give you dopamine hits when youve accomplished something for a player or for the people trying to get by in this disastrous world. little by little, this game shows you that you are addicted to these short form dopamine hits, but it doesnt tell you that, you either need someone (like me) to tell you that or figure it out for yourself (which i have, but no offense, it isnt your job to figure it out unless you really want to), so take this message as a way to say that short form content is killing your head by stuffing its garbage in you so it can make money, and that this game is the biggest baby step you will ever take to recovering it back. and once you know this, then the game is your key to a better life.