Death Stranding

⭐ 8.0/10

(Originally written by Joseph)

I played this game some 90 hours so naturally I have a LOT to say here. But basically the TL;DR version is I love so much about this game from an atmospheric and aesthetic standpoint, but the uneven, anime story combined with some frustrating game mechanics keep this from being a masterpiece.

This is a sci-fi post apocalyptic game that features not only the voice acting of some pretty famous actors, but is a rare case of including their likeness as well. You play as Norman Reedus, who was great in this game, and includes great performances by Tommy Earl Jenkins and Troy Baker, and a truly breathtaking performance by Mads Mikkelsen. This game has a super empty world devoid of life as humanity is going through a mass extinction, so you truly feel alone in this game. The whole gameplay loop is delivering packages from bunker to bunker, contending with thugs, undead monsters, but most difficult of all, an uncharted terrain. I had no problem with the gameplay, as I found it relaxing and therapeutic at worst, and exhilarating at best. There is some jank to be sure, but I'm willing to overlook it because the game is trying to teach you to be patient and strategize your route.

Aesthetically, this game is incredible. I posted a screen shot because I think the art direction is so cool, and it is up there for one of the most technically impressive games I've played. It has a similar atmosphere to movies like Interstellar and Inception, using jarring noise and loud, futuristic sounds, but it's also quiet and serene at times. The music is undoubtedly the best video game music I've come across, mostly because it has fully vocalized songs which do an amazing job to set the mood.

The story has so much potential man. The world here is so cool and unique, and I'd love to see a movie. But it's also just so convoluted, confusing and silly at times. It has a bunch of lame anime tropes which I hated, and it just doesn't mix with an American cast in a game made for an American audience. I really don't know how half this stuff made it past a table read. It's written by Kojima, who is a god in the video game community, but I don't know his other games so I can only judge this one. The writing downright sucks at times.

I tried to 100% this game, but I think I'll fall short as it gets too tedious and frustrating. There are a lot of mechanics similar to Zelda rain that just feel annoying, dumb and not rewarding. I wish I would have not spent so much time already trying.

So yeah, this is a game I'm glad I played and won't soon forget. But there is just too much BS and too many flaws for me to give it anything more than 8.