Death Stranding - Hideo Kojima's masterpiece blows out its first candle
Let's go and rediscover it: let's rediscover together the game that wanted to unite the world.
Never as current as it is now
Anyone who has been used to following the Japanese creative for some time already knows: unknowingly over the years they have predicted the future several times through events narrated within his games. The most discussed case, as well as the one that has remained mostly in the collective imagination of the players, is obviously linked to Sons of Liberty, a follow-up to that Metal Gear Solid that amazed half the world by polarizing attention on it and on the PlayStation One. What happened with the second Solid is indeed incredible, and to say it today 19 years after its first release is even more amazing: we are talking about a project that anticipated the society we are currently experiencing, made up of memes, fake news and, in general, massive use of the network.In a recent interview, the Japanese creative said he was aware of all this, but he also said that he is not a magician or a superhero, but rather that he believes that, following the current situation of the globe, it is not then so much complicated to anticipate the future. A very humble answer, certainly, but also very wrong, in a certain sense. Kojima, of course, is not a seer nor is he gifted with extraordinary powers, but he certainly has a crazy overview, so broad that it dwarfs hundreds of rather brilliant minds.
But let's get to today, in Death Stranding, because yes, it happened again: the very bad situation we are experiencing due to COVID-19 is not so different from the one described in the game. Of course, fortunately we do not have the donkeys trying to obstruct the couriers and not even CA ready to send us back to the other side. However, apart from the extreme, which is absolutely useful for the purposes of the fiction staged by the production, the points of contact with our current situation are frighteningly many. To give examples, as in Kojima's game we were all locked up at home, we understood the importance of connection, but above all that of bonds. Real ties! Not video chat or simple messaging: we refer to handshakes or hugs, the same ones that Sam Porter Bridges constantly refused due to a phobia.
All connected to unite the world
With the works of Hideo Kojima it is always very difficult to get to the point simply telling the mechanics and gameplay itself of the production, this because even before being video games and being evaluated as such, behind there are many other things that cannot be ignored: elements ranging from waiting for and the release of trailers, to marketing ideas and, of course, to the philosophy that surrounds the entire project. But wanting to pretend that none of this exists, we could tell you that in Death Stranding you will carry packages from morning until evening, facing you with some threats which take the name of Mules and CA. And here it is already necessary to open a nice parenthesis: Death Stranding has been accused of being a terribly boring, difficult, perhaps even a little unpleasant game. The truth? It really can be. Given that it is also up to you to understand the mechanics and accept that the bulk is the path you are going to take, with the addition of the preparation and so on, the biggest flaw of Death Stranding is that of not being at all clear with the player. And no, we are not referring to understanding some mechanical specifications such as recharging the bike. No, let's just talk about understanding how it should be played in full. Let's assume that you are the classic players who can't wait to move on to the next title, perhaps because they are completely surrounded by the now famous and endless backlog. Here, in your case you will come to the end bored and discovering only 40% of what Death Stranding is able to do, because, as the gameplay of the game teaches us: in the end we all get there, but that's what lies in between to really matter, what makes Hideo's game a truly special product.The writer has completed Sam Porter's journey a couple of times but, only starting from the second run, has he really understood how it should be best addressed. Furthermore, once discovered, he did not hesitate to call Death Stranding an excellent and incredibly deep game.
The Internet, we know, is full of people who insult or say how a certain title should be played, or maybe that some people should absolutely not approach that game, because it is not worthy. The latest work by Kojima Productions is actually a school in itself: if in fact it is true that each of us should feel free to play how and with what he wants, it is also true that, with two / three straight, sometimes the experience completely changes. , and this is the case. In fact, let's get to the point: how should this Death Stranding be played? It should be played with a lot of transport, almost to break the barriers that separate us from the game world, and with a lot of dedication to the surrounding activities. The ideal would be to take the main order, check the route and at that point also accept all the collateral orders that do not make you deviate from the main street. By doing so you will get many extra gadgets that you may never see and you will discover the pleasure of playing a gameplay capable of changing almost every hour. Let's not joke at all: the evolution of Death Stranding's gameplay is literally stunning, capable of making you feel constantly obsessed with your new toy, this is because, as a child, you will always want to immediately try what you unlock, and above all to check its effectiveness.
So no! It is not boring and monotonous. It's strange to say, but you just have to know how to play it. And in fact this is the biggest flaw of the game, as we said. It didn't take much ... We needed a simple dialog box that explained all this in the opening bars, something like: "hey, welcome to the hostile world of Death Stranding, I suggest you approach it this way."
On the other hand, the mechanics related to sharing with other players are very simple and from the first hours they transport us very well into the game, even making us discover some terrible sides of our person, or maybe even positive values, why not? In fact, there are those who have discovered that they are a person very ready to help others and those who, on the other hand, have discovered that they are incurable selfish. Regardless, involuntarily a like or a little help you will necessarily give it all, and this little forcing, in its simplicity we find it really commendable. Likes have little value and it is wrong to compete by competing with whoever has the most; moreover, the fact that even the most selfish help players get to the middle is equally admirable.
Moral of the story: strangers, acquaintances, selfish or not: you will connect the world.
Story and gameplay in one track
We have voluntarily decided to dedicate the bottom of this page to the plot, so that these are the last words you will read. First of all, it is important to understand that narration is the cornerstone of this product and that, although it may seem a very playful title, it is actually very serious, rightfully falling into a category of productions that make a little history in themselves: define them as "games-experience."In fact, we are talking about a product that for how it is set up could only exist today: starting from the cast up to the technological achievements, it would not be a gamble to consider Death Stranding a current game, but in the true literal sense of the term , that is, a production capable of embracing and best expressing every single drop of maturity that the video game has acquired over the years.
That said, in the role of Sam Porter you will face a journey that covers all of America, a timeless journey through wastelands that are breathtaking and threatening at the same time. From time to time an interlude sequence will start, but never as in this case will everything seem like a huge interlude sequence. Starting from the very famous and chatted walks, passing through the clashes and arriving at the rooms that act as hubs, everything appears incredibly connected: you will be the absolute protagonists of that story at all times and you will always perceive the story in progress, unlike other products that do relying exclusively on cut-scenes, among other things capable, in Death Stranding, of showing off a directorial ability of Hideo Kojima that has no equal in the videogame panorama, and that is not even far from what we are used to seeing in the hall thanks to absolutely prominent names.
No, no words about the plot itself, no mention of the events: live Death Stranding on your own. The intent of the article is to remind you of what it means and was able to make this video game, learning all this information is up to you alone. However, we hope to have at least sparked your interest and to see your nicknames roam around the bleak America set up by Kojima and his companions as soon as possible. "Tomorrow is in your hands!"
