With the director's cut version of the game set to release today on Steam, i believe there cannot be a better time to do an "on point" write up about this game. Also since most people prefer a video format as opposed to a text format, you can just watch skill up's review of the game instead of my opinion post but do know that skill up is a critic and I'm just your average avid gamer on the subreddit so my perspective is closer to that of the audience.
I'll just get straight to the point with the 2 most frequently asked questions in the indian community when it comes to death stranding because doesn't matter how many copies this game has sold outside of India, in our community it's still a niche by appearance.
Question : "Isn't death stranding a walking simulator? i prefer action games instead of walking sims so why should i play it"
Answer : Categorising DS as a walking sim is not completely wrong but this lacks context. it's basically tearing down a game to one of its components and then only talking about that component as a running joke. you can generalise any game that exists in 2-3 words. example - if i say red dead redemption 2 is a third person movie, will that define the game? If i said Tomb raider is a climb & shoot simulator or if i said that yakuza is a run & button masher, would that define it? NO it wouldn't because all these games are so much more than that. video games are experience that you can never sell in two or three words unless the game is proper horseshit. When you do a fetch quest in any open world game, you pick that item and deliver it to some xyz place. In DS, you do the same but it's not boring because the game uses all its depth to make you feel the beauty of the delivery in a harsh world. It's about the journey not the goal
By its genre, death stranding is open world + action + walking/driving/hiking sim + sci-fi + survival horror and stealth. A mixture of different genres make DS what it is. There's a BT boss fight every 100 meters if you want the game to be a constant action fest but making your way through those BT's with your delivery intact without alerting, is a far better and rewarding feeling than taking the fight (even though there's a shit ton of weapons & grenades at your disposal by the time you're midway of the game). I'll go into more details in the next big question but if i have to be precise to casual players, the game picks up pace in terms of action from chapter 3
Question "So why should i play DS. the game looks weird to me and so does the story. i love open world games filled with a lot of NPC's and a linear storytelling. What's the selling point of this game"
Answer : DS implements open world like no other. It's not only unique, it eliminates the problem of open world bloat that is plaguing video games these days. The environment in death stranding is ALIVE. it's not just there to serve the purpose of good visuals. Every rock, every slope, terrain, every mountain has an impact and purpose. You won't trigger a set of automatic parkour animations to cross these. You have to respect the environment for what it is and when you finally learn how to do this, the game's rewarding factor sets in making it so much fun.
The thing about Death stranding having a completely different and great open world is not even my personal opinion but something that has resonated with a lot of people. here's two articles that explain this better than my words and in more detail
Around the first 15 minutes of the game itself when the music kicks in with track "don't be so serious" (as if the game is telling you to relax yourself from constant action games and take it slow) with a eye catching waterfall scenery nearby that introduces you to a melancholic post apocalyptic world, it all makes up for an unforgettable moment and it's not even a cutscene filled with NPC's or wildlife. The amazing soundtrack of the game delivers and the stunning graphics or details are breathtaking. But I'm not here to talk about surface level things like soundtrack or graphics. I'm talking about how this game creates a memorable experience for anyone who gives it time.
The social strand system and being connected to the other players was something i thought would be similar to dark souls. but this was so much more and so much better. it felt so immersive. that there's other porters out there. delivering what you couldn't deliver, building and their structures will show up in your game. to help you, to warn you of dangers, to like your structures similarly like social media and give you a boost. There's always good people somewhere at the end of the day the system is so simple and yet it left me in more awe than co-op system of other games. as the game progresses, you'll witness the map around you changing to something that looks different from when you started out your journey. The UI of the game will be overwhelming to you at start but as you progress, it's actually really helpful. Also it helps in setting that authentic sci-fi feeling
See, i do not play racing or simulation games these days. i used to play roller coaster tycoon or NFS as a kid, played forza when i grew up and that's about it. and yet here i was, not caring about main story and doing side quests for HOURS just delivering. That's how immersive this game was. Like skill up says in his review, you won't feel like you have a controller or keyboard but instead you'll feel like you're in the game itself
The cast performance is incredible. i went in expecting only Norman Reedus and Mads Mikkelsen to have great performances and i was surprised by how brilliantly the rest of the cast delivers the story even with a complex narrative that will weird out a lot of people. The game won best direction award at 2019 game awards along with best soundtrack and Mads won best performance award.
As far as directors cut version of the game is concerned, all owners of the version on console (as it was released earlier on console) and as well as all reviewers have greatly recommended it. here's an article if you want to know in detail what it has. It adds a lot of fun elements and makes the journey more comfortable.
The photo mode in the game is cool af and helps with some stunning shots An album of some cool walls & in-game photo mode shots from the game thanks to DS subreddit
TLDR - as years are passing, you're gonna get tens of games like grand theft auto or forza or skyrim or horizon. But you're only gonna get 1 Death stranding. It's a unique game that will stay with you once you're done with it. whether the story leaves you in an emotional (episode 14) or confusing mess, the game is worth it. This is not a cash grab or rushed game. Kojima could have made just some simple third person shooter to rake in money but he went out of his way to make DS because he wanted to do something completely different and he achieved it. It's a game ahead of its time like the first metal gear solid back in 1998 and like that game too, DS will age like wine
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