Death Stranding Review: 9 Ups & 3 Downs

1. There's A MAJOR Time Investment

You do not get an assault rifle in Death Stranding for 20 hours.

Maybe that's all you need to hear depending on where you come down on video games and your personal preferences, but that statement speaks to a wider mentality you need to adopt to enjoy and value the game:

Good things come to those who wait.

Personally, I can say I've loved the game from moment one, but the whole point of this journey to "reunite America" means we need defining beginning and end points.

Death Stranding starts out with humanity on the back foot. Kojima clearly designed the opening hours to represent this, and you'll be making a conscious effort to overcome tumultuous weather and an unforgiving environment. You should feel the struggle here, as it only emphasises how much achievement there is in every other aspect of the game, from community-built structures to story scenes.

And don't get me wrong: All of this IS surmountable, and is not a major challenge. I largely think the people who hand-waved the opening of this away are the same who "got sick of the rain" when climbing in Breath of the Wild**

Regardless, I'm putting this as a "Down" because the story Kojima is telling gets spread across 60+ hours.

Death Stranding is an epic, and it's shooting to put you in specific headspaces and mentalities, just as as much as any story swerves or plot twists.

Know that all of these emotions are intentional - even though gameplay is stellar throughout - and you'll have no problem "getting" the game at all.

--

**Seriously, get Revali's Gale for ginormous jumps, or climb in small increments so you don't slip.