10 Amazing Video Games You Should Only Play Once

Death Stranding may ultimately have been one of the most divisive AAA releases of the last few years, but for those who vibed with it, Hideo Kojima's unconventional action game offers a mesmerising experience like nothing else out there.

Jokingly referred to by many as the world's most elaborate walking simulator, Death Stranding pushes its action to the background for the most part, focusing instead on the deceptively simple act of traversing a post-apocalyptic United States and delivering packages.

The result is an intoxicating puzzle game where the challenge lies in navigating increasingly tricky terrain without damaging or outright losing your cargo.

Without a major focus on combat, it would've been reasonable to assume that the core campaign would be relatively short, but lo and behold, Death Stranding ended up being by far Kojima's longest game to date, with even a critical path playthrough lasting upwards of 30 hours.

Even the game's biggest fans likely won't disagree that it's a little long in the tooth overall, that it could've lost not a sliver of its emotional impact by cutting down on the repetitive transport missions and clocking in at, say, a more reasonable 20-25 hours.

As such, when there are so many new games out there waiting to be played, it's tough to prioritise replaying one that doesn't have a massive amount of respect for the player's time, even though it offers such a uniquely compelling gameplay loop.