5/5 ★ – asoola's review of Death Stranding.

The last time I played this game was in 2020 and revisiting the game after five years reminded me of how much I love this game and how well written it is. The story is extraordinary, the characters are likable, the gameplay is fun if I say so myself, and the game’s soundtrack is astounding! I’ll talk about the story first, its theme and Sam since all three are connected, the story in this game is fantastic I mean seriously when I first played the game I never realized how many twists and turns this story will have and even when I was replaying it I genuinely felt shocked about a lot of plot points because of how unexpected and well written they are. Death Stranding’s plot twists aren’t just there for shock value because while I replayed the game the plot twists were hinted at and hidden in plain sight. For example, Sam being the first experimental BB still blows my mind by the way, throughout the entire game it seemed that Lou is the BB in the flashbacks but it’s not. It’s hinted at throughout the story and when Sam questions if Lou is Clifford’s child, Deadman immediately responds how it’s not possible before being cut off mid sentence. Every piece of information matters, every detail completes the bigger picture that is the story. The storytelling in this game is absolutely incredible and I loved every single part of the story! The theme in this game is about being connected and whatnot and the importance of connecting to the people around Sam and living in this world is present from the beginning but what made the message hit deep is seeing Sam change as he connects more with people he started as a lonely porter who was suffering of aphenphosmphobia but as the story goes on he genuinely starts believing in connections and opening up more! He starts bonding with people and opening up and most importantly looking forward to tomorrow. I genuinely think that’s a good message and inspiring one at that. Sam Porter Bridges is an inspiring character! Next I’ll talk about the characters I mentioned how all of them are likable and I stand by that, almost all of them suffered a tragedy but they kept on going. Mama lost both her child and her life yet she kept on going she wanted to reconnect with her sister again. Heartman lost his family but despite it all he doesn’t give up and keeps on researching Beaches to help not only with his family’s search but also help his fellow Bridges members. Deadman never felt a connection to anyone but when he did he decided it’s a connection worth fighting for. Die-hardman did a mistake that haunts him till this day but he keeps on going thanks to what Sam tells him at the end. Fragile of course also suffered, she regrets her choice but is still willing to fight for what she thinks is right. Even Amelie/Bridget suffered yet she still believed in a better tomorrow. And of course Sam lost his wife and child, repatriated yet he kept going. Clifford painted as a villain at first was just a tragic character that suffered and despite him dying he was able to save his son because of his connection with him. Like I said all of the characters suffered a tragedy but by making new connections and reconnecting with each other their bonds became a strength for each of them. Protagonist talk time, Sam is a really fantastic protagonist he really is and most importantly he’s a fantastic father. His journey from beginning to end was filled with emotional moments and I loved seeing him become more optimistic and a bit upbeat when he starts bonding more with Lou and by meeting more Bridges members people that understand his suffering as a DOOM. He usually seems uncaring but deep down he’s very caring, Deadman mentions this but he cut off contact with Bridges because people were blaming Bridges for what happened with his wife and as I understood it he didn’t want them to get blamed he hid this fact with the feeling of not being accepted even though he always is accepted by Bridget/Amelie. Overall he’s a fantastic protagonist! Antagonist talk, Higgs is an antagonist I mean come on he is! But to his credit he was kinda asked to do this but let’s be honest he’s not totally innocent either! No sane person would agree to doing what he does. I did like his character and I think he was a fantastic antagonist despite his villainous acts. Amelie did have a change of heart and saved everyone from extinction but she did have a few moments where she was antagonistic so I’m including her here. I do think she’s also a great antagonist I would say I sympathized with her a bit more than Higgs because she never asked for the role she was given so that’s that. All antagonists were great in this game and I loved them. Gameplay talk time, call me crazy but I personally enjoyed the gameplay! The delivering gameplay was so fun and cozy to do unless Sam starts taking tumbles that is! (Which I did lots in my game 😂) I’ll admit sometimes I’ll run out of patience and make Sam run fast to the destination (hence him tumbling 😂) but patience is a virtue and I found myself having fun more the moment I started enjoying the delivery and taking in the scenery and simply enjoying the game rather than rushing a delivery as if Sam life was on the line. 😂 So that’s basically why I enjoy the delivery gameplay, but the game isn’t just delivering cargo nope there’s action gameplay too! Clifford’s chapters tend to be EXTRA action oriented but there is more action gameplay outside of Cliff’s chapters like when you fight a BT (or get caught by BTs) or when you encounter MULEs so I enjoyed the change of pace to be honest. No complaints from me the gameplay is fun. Last but not least is the soundtrack yeah the soundtrack is astounding! The track that plays during an emotional scene with Mama or Amelie were my favorite instrumental tracks but do you know what’s my favorite vocal track from the game? Yes it’s BB’s theme I mean COME ON it’s such a good track even after five years it makes me cry like a BB (pun intended) when I hear it, when the full version plays at the end when you have to you know… yeah I cried and my tears didn’t stop until the game was over. Truly a moment that is already emotional but the emotional song made it more impactful, a moment I’ll never forget in gaming I think. And that’s all I wanted to say really it’s a fantastic, inspiring and impactful game that I’ve been a fan of since 2019 I’m so glad I revisited the story because it made me remember how emotional and well written this game is. I would say until next time but Death Stranding 2: On The Beach is out and I’m so excited to finally dive into it now that I revisited the first game.