Death Stranding is trending again — and with Kojima teasing Death Stranding 2 for 2025, I’ve gone back and played the original. And I gotta admit: I was wrong about it. So, so wrong.
The First Few Hours Suck (And That’s the Point)
Look, Death Stranding doesn’t open with a bang. It opens with baggage. Literal baggage. You’re Sam Porter Bridges, a glorified delivery guy who trips on rocks and pees on mushrooms while haunted by invisible ghosts.
The movement feels heavy. The dialogue is cryptic. And the world is empty in a way that almost dares you to turn it off.
But don’t. Please, don’t. Because at some point — somewhere around the second region — everything clicks. The silence turns into serenity. The terrain becomes your enemy and your puzzle. The feeling of connecting one remote shelter to another starts to feel less like a chore and more like a mission. A responsibility. A calling.
Kojima’s Weirdest Game Is His Most Human
I’ve played all of Kojima’s masterpieces — Metal Gear Solid changed how I think about storytelling in games. But Death Stranding? It’s the most personal thing he’s ever made.
This isn’t a game about war. It’s about isolation. About trying to connect in a world that actively pulls us apart. The timing of its original release (2019) felt weird. But post-pandemic? It makes painful, poetic sense.
Sam doesn’t talk much. But through every long trek and quiet delivery, you start to reflect — on purpose, routine, relationships. On the way we chase connection but run from vulnerability. I know that sounds deep, but this game actually made me call my mom. I’m not kidding.
The Multiplayer That Isn’t Multiplayer
The social system in Death Stranding is genius. You never meet other players directly. But their ladders, bridges, zip-lines — they appear in your world. They help you. You help them.
No leaderboards. No K/D ratio. Just quiet, passive kindness. And man, it hits harder than any 360-no-scope lobby could ever deliver.
I once struggled up a cliff with 150kg of gear. Next time I passed through? A perfect staircase someone had left behind. I hit that like button like it was oxygen.
Death Stranding 2 — Why I’m Hype (Cautiously)
Kojima says the sequel will explore connection in a new way. That alone excites me. The world today feels even more fragmented. More online, yet lonelier than ever. If DS1 was about rebuilding broken America, DS2 might be about facing ourselves.
I want more Sam. More Fragile. More BB. But I also want answers. I want tighter controls. Better pacing in early hours. Maybe an option to skip some of those 90-minute cutscenes (no offense, Kojima).
But I trust him now. He earned it.
My Advice to First-Time Players
- Stick with it past Chapter 3. That’s when the real loop opens up and you’ll start to feel invested.
- Don’t rush. This game isn’t about speed — it’s about space. Let yourself settle into it.
- Build stuff. Ladders, generators, highways — they matter. And someone out there will use them.
- Turn off podcasts. No distractions. Let the silence speak.
- Say yes to weird. Because this game is definitely weird — and that’s why it’s beautiful.
Final Thoughts
I’ve played louder games. Flashier games. Games with faster combat and prettier loot.
But Death Stranding stayed with me. It’s that one game I keep thinking about when life gets too fast. When I feel disconnected. When I need to slow down, load up, and keep walking.
If you’ve never played it — or gave up too early — maybe this is the sign to try again.
See you out there, porters. And if you leave a zip-line near South Lake Knot City? I owe you a like.