Death Stranding

Death Stranding delivers a fascinating world of supernatural sci-fi, but its gameplay struggles to support its weight.

Death Stranding is dense, complex, and powerful, steadfast in its belief in the power of love and hope when faced with overwhelming adversity.

Hideo Kojma's first post-Metal Gear game is a messy, indulgent vanity project - but also a true original.

Slow, weird, and indulgent, but a true original, and a journey that will linger in your mind long after it's over.

Having been smitten by the core world-building gameplay of Death Stranding, I am stunned to realize that many of the game’s strongest, most appealing gameplay ideas (specifically the world-building and cooperation) are tossed aside in the final acts, in favor of a much more linear, scripted, cutscene-ridden experience. The freedom and sense of ownership I enjoyed while creating this world are dashed in favor of explaining and wrapping up a story that never had much going for it to begin with.

Kojima's mysterious would be epic has its moments but can't carry the weight of expectation.

The pillars of gameplay, combat, and story all bear the mark of creator Hideo Kojima, but none of them stand out or carry the experience

With gameplay that denies instant gratification, Hideo Kojima's unashamedly political game is this year's most interesting blockbuster game by far

If you do manage to hold out, you will be rewarded with flashes of brilliance, it’s just that those flashes are buried as deep as the core story is buried in the endless dialogue.

Death Stranding is not the overly-strange inaccessible walled garden the marketing has made it out to be. It's weird, don't get me wrong! But anyone with a surface-level understanding of surrealism in art should be able to acclimate to what is essentially a playable Hollywood production.