A generation-defining game.

"Once, there was an explosion, a bang which gave rise to life as we know it. And then, came the next explosion. An explosion that will be our last."

Death Stranding is a game that I've spent hundreds of hours exploring its Irish-inspired world that Hideo Kojima and his talented team at Kojima Productions delivered. I still remember the serenity it brought to my TV screen and how I used the 'sleep' feature to just observe the long valleys and the remnants of mankind.

I don't even want to ask what it took to come up with such a world. A courier carrying a baby in a post-apocalyptic world full of specters while using various machines and gadgets to help him traverse through it with ease. They definitely created a game that wasn't for many, thus multiple journalists and gamers didn't take it lightly and judged by the lack of content Death Stranding offered. However, the game wasn't another play-it-safe sequel or a service game to keep players active with the same repetitive side missions and activities in its world. Instead, Death Stranded created a whole new genre for developers from other studios to build upon, and continue embracing creativity outside of the already existing genres. It certainly wasn't just another FPS shooter with a Battle Royale mode.

The overlong cutscenes of the game and the use of Hideo's celebrity buddies did indeed help to set his imagination free and make a well-established world after the disappointing cancelation of PT. With Norman Reedus, Margaret Qualley, Tommie Earl Jenkins, and Lea Seydoux in your cast, you surely would set expectations high and deliver a game like no other. And he did, even after all these weird trailers and riddles he unleased. I'm not even going to talk about the spectacular performances and boss battles, because I would need to write a whole new article entirely.

A hideo Kojima Game: Death Stranding (2019)

Even from the very first cutscene, the game welcomes the player into its rugged world and the potential challenges he will go through to reach the credits. Surely, Hideo Kojima and his team were positively confident that their game would be far from boring. And such confidence convinced Sony to invest millions to create this new IP, and while it looked like an Indie game, Death Stranding was massive in scope. The colossal publisher trusted the beloved creator and his vision and it paid well.

You may think Death Stranding is either just another boring walking simulator or a masterpiece. Either way, the game delivers a strong message about the current state of our society and the need to come together in order to survive.

Death Stranding Director's Cut is available on both Playstation 4 and 5, PC, and Xbox Game Pass PC.