Death Stranding Review: 9 Ups & 3 Downs

6. The Open-World Is The Game (One Big Level)

After the N64 showed off Super Mario 64, the industry started showcasing the fun and engagement of exploring 3D spaces. Platformers did this the most, but we also something like Tomb Raider, where climbing and conquering a towering environment WAS the game.

Then Metal Gear Solid came along, and for the most part, the industry started chasing Hollywood spectacle, with cinematically-rendered cutscenes coming in abundance.

All the "what's it like to make 3D the focus" stuff went away, and largely still is, apart from something like Grow Home or Zelda: Breath of the Wild restoring the notion of exploration being worthwhile and encouraged.

Cut to Death Stranding, and 'getting from A to B' might be the overarching mission "type", but actually doing that requires a ton of skill and investment.

The way this version of America is rendered, you'll encounter bodies of water that need careful navigation, ladders, ropes and ziplines can open up pathways you might otherwise miss, and you'll forever using the shoulder buttons to balance Sam, depending on what you've picked up.

Think about it: How many open-world games treat their travel mechanics as boring busywork in between more designed content?

Death Stranding inverts everything, and gives you a level the size of an entire world.