Death Stranding comes out in just a few months and it has yet to become clear what exactly you will be doing when you actually pick it up. There has been no shortage of trailers showing both cinematics and gameplay, most recently at Gamescom 2019 in Cologne Germany. There, Hideo Kojima showed off both extended gameplay and revealed some exciting news about some new character appearances.
Even with this, it can still be pretty confusing as to what Death Stranding will play like over the duration of its runtime. That picture got a bit clearer during Gamescom where Josh West of Gamesradar got a deeper, behind closed doors, hands-on session with Death Stranding. His own words do a fantastic job of shedding some light on what Death Stranding will be like. Here is what he had to say:
As Sam Porter Bridges (or as you probably know him, Norma Reedus trapped in the uncanny valley), you are tasked with walking from the East coast of America to the West, reactivating various communication nodes along the way in an effort to spread a message of hope to a nation that has become fragmented and disconnected, taking the idea of unity to pockets of an isolated populous that trades in ambivalence rather than love. That is Death Stranding.
So this lays a solid groundwork for the story of Death Stranding. Norman Reedus is on a mission to connect the country in hopes of spreading a message. Seems simple enough when put that way, whereas the recent trailers have raised more questions than answers. West went on to say:
And so you will walk. You will retrace the steps of Amelie, daughter of the President of the United Cities of America, who embarked on her own East to West journey with a convoy sometime before the game kicks into gear. She did this in an attempt to establish a network of communication relays across the country, a network that could deliver a message of unity from her mother, Bridget, who also happens to be on death’s door. That message is that every problem in the world needn’t be solved by force; instead, it is hope that can bring us all together.
This is pretty much in line with what we have seen from gameplay, and that might be concerning for some. It seems that Death Stranding will be more about walking and exploring than actual fighting or shooting. This is a large departure from the likes of Metal Gear Solid, which focuses heavily on stealth combat. That isn’t to say that isn’t present in the game, it just seems that it’s not at the forefront here.
Death Stranding launches on Playstation 4 on Nov 8, 2019.