Death Stranding
Walk – Most of the game is about the act of
carrying lots of stuff from one place to another, with tricky terrain in
between. Walking is so much the focus that you even need to pack extra pairs of
shoes because the ones you wear degrade over distance.
Run – although this is rarely possible or
recommended. Only when you have hardly any packages on your back should you
run. And even then you risk falling over depending on the terrain.
Stumble – as your balance shifts due to the varying
weight and distribution of packages and materials that you decide to take with
you on a delivery. This isn’t like other games where all your inventory is
magically stored in a pocket universe. Each ladder, rope, blood pack and pair
of boots has weight and must be distributed about your body – or on your back.
Thankfully, there is an automatic feature that will distribute your loadout for
you. That won’t help you with the total weight though.
Balance - The heavier the load, the more
careful you need to be when moving. Head too quickly down a slope will cause
Sam to shift to a shuffle and perhaps even slip or fall over, depending on the
terrain. Sudden shifts in direction can also cause him to lean dangerously to
one side and you need to rectify this by leaning left or right with the trigger
buttons. I found a good method was to grip both L2 and R2 almost all the time.
This causes Sam to grab his straps with both hands and gives you the most
stable centre of gravity for moving.
Crouch – This is almost a cheat version of
keeping your balance, although you move slowly and so completing the game in
this manner would be incredibly onerous. There are certain times during the
game when you encounter areas packed with BTs, or Beached Things. These inter-dimensional
ghosts will sense Sam if he moves too quickly or makes too much noise. So crouching
is just about the only way to safely manoeuvre through these sections. Even
then, you’ll need to make use of grenades or perhaps even just make a run for
it in order to try and escape the BTs.
Hold – your breath. The R1 button makes Sam
hold his breath whenever BTs are approaching.
Scan – the environment for all manner of
things, including cargo, enemy encampments, and – most importantly – the topography
of the land. A quick scan of a running river will show you the deep areas and
allow you to plan your crossing. You use stamina quickly in deep water, which
runs the risk of you being swept off your feet and losing packages in the swift
current.
Rock – BB to calm it. An upset or damaged BB
won’t be effective in sensing BTs. It will also cry,
so you need to take the time to soothe it. The shortcut button combination to get to this is far from intuitive, but this is just another example of Death Stranding being almost delightfully obtuse.
Climb – over rocks and up sheer surfaces. A
quick climb over a fence can also mean a nice shortcut from having to walk all
the way around in order to enter a town or encampment. Climbing uses stamina,
though, so push it too far and Sam will stumble back down, possibly losing/damaging
cargo in the process.
Forge and Follow – trails. As your
connections grow, trails will appear in the game that show the paths most taken
by players. You also contribute to these, as you’ll often receive ‘like’
notifications from people sending their appreciation for your forging footsteps.
Build – At first, simple structures such as
post boxes, watchtowers and shelters. Later, much larger structures that
require extra resources and even cooperation from other players to complete
and/or add to. Each structure is 3D printed from each construction kit that you
carry and it is consumed in the process.
Contribute – You’ll come across structures started
by others with the option to contribute resources to make them more completed. For
example, in the case of roads, you rock up to a terminal, hold the Options
button and choose which resources you have on you you’d like to donate and how
much. A total then builds up as multiple players work to add new sections of road
over difficult terrain.
Like – structures, ladders, ropes, paths and
all manner of other things from other players (yes, this includes mushrooms
that grow from them taking a piss in their world). All it takes to give a like
is to click in the touch-pad and as you gain porter levels the period of time
in which you can spam the button to give out multiple likes for the one thing
increases. It’s all wonderfully positive and the feeling is great when there’s
a constant influx of messages on the screen informing you that other players
have liked all manner of things that you’ve built or contributed towards during
your play time.
Attack – BTs with blood grenades, which
destroys them and leaves behind valuable resources for you to collect. When it
comes to human enemies, you need to be more careful, as dead bodies are a no-no
in this world (they basically become nukes if they come into contact with BTs).
Non-lethal options include a cool bola gun and then, later on, guns with
non-lethal rounds. Each weapon is easy and intuitive to use once equipped.
Timeline - how long to beat, any trophy/achievement issues, how
much is left after passing?
Golly, a long time. There is almost endless potential to just enjoy
this world, building up your delivery status with each settlement after
completing the story. I wouldn’t be surprised if it takes 150 hours to get a Platinum
Trophy.
Saving Frustration - any issues with the save system for parents/players
with regular interruptions?
You can’t choose discrete saves, so this might be an issue for
those who like to manage their saves. Story scenes pause easily and can be
skipped. The game will often log you out of online mode whenever you awaken
your console from sleep mode, but it’s very easy to reconnect via the menu
without needing to restart the game.
Patchwork - how is the game being supported with updates?
I believe there was a day one patch. The 1.05 came soon after. This
fixed, according to the official press release, “various performance
improvements”. While that incredibly detailed list is not too helpful, I’ve
found Death Stranding to be a very stable game with no bugs experienced.
Online - any online details and population trends
Asymmetrical co-operative aspects. You do not
actually see other players, only their ghosts, structures, signs and footprints.
No aspect requires PS Plus to work.
Summary - an elevator pitch to sum up the experience
Death Stranding is a mudslide-slip-and-dip-check-your-weight-twist-your-ankle-slow-your-descent-find-shelter-grip-your-straps-hold-your-breath-sink-your-bike
ride! It is unique, beautiful, harrowing, sad and positive. Some will hate it,
but for those of us who love it, that love will burn inside you until all you
think about is the next footstep.
The next connection
The next delivery.
The
next vista
The next journey.
