Death Stranding: Fans React to the First Few Hours

The wait for Kojima Production's Death Stranding is finally over, and fan reactions to this unique, existential delivery simulator are starting to roll in. Predictably, reactions to its first few hours have been mixed.

[Hardiman]

Having so much fun! Digging the game world, lore and the characters. I wasn't expecting the BT encounters to be so scary but damn if it isn't. Also I thought the first ten hours were boring because I'm a few hours in and I'm having a ball!

[Veneno]

Respect. If you could, would you explain into detail all the things that make the game awesome? And explain what is not so great, if anything. Don't worry about spoilers. Just explain why this game deserves our attention.

[Hardiman]

Can you explain why your comment and request deserves my attention?!?! Sorry bud but I'm jumping back into DS! Catch ya later dude.

[SinisterKieran]

first off, this game isn't for everybody at all. but its 100% a game.
there is a great sense on immersion in the game, people call it a walking sim but you're going through the world looking after equipment climbing and decending cliffs. i love that kind of stuff. you really have to plan your route. and i love survival stuff..i kinda wish there was a hunger system too. but stamina is enough to worry about tbh.
coming into contact with BT's is also amazing, not just the sneaking part with the tension but the boss like battles with them also. and troy bakers character higgs is so cool and charismatic.
i'm also enjoying the social system where people help out and rate each others structures. really helps out..maybe too much but its optional. i like the overall mesage of the game. "you can do more together than you can do on your own. life is harder alone."

some things i hate are the bikes..or trike or whatever. it still helps out a lot and makes the journey shorter but it gets caught too easy on rocks and rivers and even if its realistic, its very annoying.
another thing is i got a good grasp of the story but its just recently really confused me again. i thought sam was in lvoe with the women but i'm not sure if its his mum..or wife or..god knows. i CAN explain whats going on if you need me but things around the story confuse me and sometimes i don't know whats real. thats my kind of story though.
one more thing is lack of weapons but i think thats gonna change..i need a gun. not just grenades.

[Hardiman]

@Veneno I have to apologize! I'm on here talking about how the naysayers never ask objective or constructive questions and that's all I've been getting. To tell the truth I didn't even read your full question but I just did and I also read Sinister's analysis and I see you were actually interested. I'm sorry and Sinister touched on pretty much the sum of it. Must say my feelings line up with his/hers.

I'd say give it an honest go if it's in your budget because I think you'd enjoy it. Again thanks for actually acting like an adult and I'll do better at practicing what I preach! Cheers!

[IamTylerDurden1]

The atmosphere and artistic delivery is incredible. The prologue cutscenes are among the best I have ever seen.

The sheer creativity on display is breathtaking. It is high brow science fiction mixed with slight horror notes.

The traversal mechanics are actually a huge, compelling element of gameplay to a degree I have not seen since perhaps Grow Home.

Deliveries are more than just walking simulation. Mapping your route, managing the load/inventory, building helpful tools, avoiding danger, exploration, and attempting the best possible rating upon completion.

The early game is a slow burn, but it opens up as the games moves on. The stealth is innovative and at times horrifying. From reading your scanner, to calming the baby, to holding your breath in order to save yourself from an approaching BT.

There is gunplay, melee, and combat, however, it isn't really about that.

I love it thus far. It's a cerebral, artistic game with fascinating subject matter, high production value, gorgeous visuals, and intriguing characters.

[Kyizen]

The walking mechanics imo. If you go on an incline and the cargo is not you have to balance yourself. Now add that to include timefall degregation, mules attacking amd BT encounters and its a ton of fun. I almost got caught by BTs cause I needed to rest. My BB was going though Autotoxia and shutting down, and I had my legs grabbed and was being pulled to the underworld. I barely made it and seeing them by hand prints on the cargo and Sam barely standing it made the journey worth it.

[Veneno]

Fair enough. Why does my comment deserve your attention ? That's for you to decide. You need me to make your decisions for you?

I meant nothing personal by it but if that freaks you out then fine. Go enjoy your game.

[Hardiman]

Guess you missed my latest reply. I must've misread your sincerity!

I mean you asked me "why it deserves your attention " so I guess I could ask why do you need me to make decisions for you.

Either way it was a miscommunication and you are the first in Days of disingenuous people asking about DS so I figured you were the same as them. Also I've broken down what's awesome about this game multiple times already, several just today so that was another aspect.

[Veneno]

Props to you Sinister. You hit all the points I was wondering about especially the themes of the game which is most important to a project like this.

[CaptainHenry916]

BT encounters are scary

[Hardiman]

They really are and I love the tension that comes with those encounters! I can't believe I'm actually able to stay put and hold my breath when one is right on me. I love horror and this strikes a nerve in me I rarely feel in games.

I also love how other players have signs that warn you of BT's , timefall and Mules. I think that's one of my favorite aspects is the community working together for the greater good!

[KickSpinFilter]

I’m a little skeptical jumping into this game some of my favorite games this generation have been Inside, The last guardian, Shadow of the Colossus, GOW, HZD, Driveclub, as well as COD WWII, MW, Resogun, Hellblade, Daysgone. Some of my least favorites have been RDR2, The Order 1886. I’ve also never really been a fan of metal gear games. So I’m kind of on the fence on this one. I might just do a Redbox rental to see if I like it. Do you think within a day I could store to get a good feel if I like it or not?

[Hardiman]

Redbox would be a good go to. Though to this game has more in common with Hellblade, SOTC Zico etc than RDR2 because it's more cerebral and atmospheric.

A day of playing will definitely give you the answer you're looking for.

[Veneno]

It seems that the cynics of the game are better explaining why they dislike the game. The ones that claim they love the game cannot explain what makes it so great. The cynics are very clear and point out many, specific examples. While the lovers are throwing out what appears to be excuses like " it's not for everyone." " It's Kojima." " It's different therefore it's amazing." " You called it a walking simulator therefore I can ignore all valid criticism and continue to live in my bubble."

I still haven't played the game. I'm rather broke right now. But I will. But there is an advantage to that as well. It means I will play it after all the drama has passed its peak and it will really be a test as to whether or not the game can stand on its own 2 feet as something as extraordinary as many claim it to be.

Because I absolutely love PT but I completely loathed MGS5. So this could go either way for me.

[MasterChief3624]

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain is about where I tendered my Kultjima resignation. The gameplay was great, obviously, but the story left so much to be desired. And the fact that Chapter 2 consisted mostly of the stuff I had already done but with lazy new parameters, made it feel like such unnecessary busy work. There's no doubt Kojima is talented, but he is not perfect, and Phantom Pain is where I started noticing that.

[TheKingKratos]

This is where i am at now... i am no longer a fan of his work

[JackBNimble]

If you really want a sense of what this game is , then go watch walk throughs on youtube.
There are hundreds of hours of game play footage and believe me there is no way that you won't decide if this game is for you or not.
It's not for me .

[Veneno]

I think that I will end up enjoying it but it will become a slog after a while.

[Ddog45]

Why are they cynics? Could it be possible that they expected more or something different and just don't enjoy it all. If people like it and defend it great but if people don't and say why then great too.

[Hungryalpaca]

No they’re not. All they do is say you walk. What they’re doing is saying all you do in Mario is jump or all you do in Forza is drive in circles.

[rainslacker]

BS. All the cynics do is parrot the same crap that they claim to have read from all the reviews...even the positive ones. The cynics haven't changed their criticism of the game since the first review, and many of them were making those same criticisms before the game even launched.

How can all these cynics possibly explain why they don't like the game before they ever played it?

It's not that you called it a walking simulator. It's that you ignored every other aspect of the game play to be able to call it a walking simulator. it's the fact that you use "walking simulator" as a pejorative. It's the fact that you can't offer up anything other than the most cursory of criticisms without any detail to back up the claim, or even show that you have played it....which made sense before the game was released.

Sorry bud, but you have in no way shown that the critics of the game are any more reliable in their view of this game.

You can't even explain why you think the game is a walking simulator. But above you want others to explain why they think the game is awesome? Guy said that the BT encounters were intense. Said he loves the lore and characters, and digging into the game world.

That's more information on why someone likes it, than the ubiquitous, "it's boring", or "it's a walking sim that I've seen come from you.

At this point, most of us would actually prefer not to have your attention, and would prefer your attention be diverted to another game given that you only want to say this game is bad.

Props to those who actually explained what they like about it though.

You say you want to play it after all the drama has passed? Why? How does that drama affect your game play? If you don't want drama, why are you so keen on promoting it in the first place? If you admit to not playing the game, then why are you here saying your criticisms are valid?

[angelsx]

kojima make beter trailers then games

[smashman98]

I only played for an hour or so last night I had to turn it off because I was falling asleep during a cutscene and I don't want to miss any story bits. With that being said I really enjoyed the opening moments and the soundtrack was really awesome!

[MrNinosan]

The cutscenes aren't even that long (yet).
I played over 30h and just got to Episode 4.
Still no cutscene has been close to as long as in any of the MGS games.

Even thou I love long cutscenes I love this gane as of now, and can't get enough of it. Only time I take a break is like now, when I need to visit the WC quick.

[smashman98]

Oh yea I'm not saying they were I was just super tired after working 3 doubles 3 days in a row with a 4th on the way. At the same time I had been anticipating this release for a while and really wanted to at least boot it up even though I was exhausted.

I hope no one got the wrong idea. If so. My bad.

[DanielEndurance]

The dialogue is my biggest complaint. Holy crap is it awful.

[MrNinosan]

Nah, it's not

[Smokehouse]

I’m enjoying it so far after the first few hours. I usually can’t stand heavy cinematic games but I didn’t mind it or find it boring yet. I just put the controller down for 10 minutes at a time lol. It’s highly unusual for me to like games like this but it’s strange enough to hold my interest. With the slow pacing and cinematics it will take me a long time to finish and I might not finish but it’s not because I don’t like the game. For a glorified fetch quest game I’m surprisingly impressed.

[Hungryalpaca]

Exactly. I didn’t think I’d like it but The more I play the more I do like it. It’s one of those games you need to actually play to get. Watching it isn’t the same.

[Smokehouse]

I mean half of what I have played has been watching but at least it’s interesting. It’s not a half assed cutscene where you walk slowly or press at QTE and pretend that’s gameplay. You just set the controller down for a minute and relax. It’s not a binge type of game imo. It should take awhile. The gameplay is a mix of ultra realistic and crazy supernatural. It is a walking simulator but it’s fun somehow. Traversing is the game.

It’s hard to explain and it definitely has to be tried to properly judge. I have only knocked out 2 people in my 2 to 3 hours of play. Hearing something like that would make me skip a game entirely. That’s why I don’t read reviews often or put much weight on it for the games I buy. I just gamble on cool looking shit and I’m glad I did this time.

[Overwhelming]

I'll wait for the PC version. By then, the hype will be gone and will be able to know if the game is really good or not. Right now, opinions are too polarized. I've opted to buy RDR2 for PC, instead.

I've made several mistakes about trying to play games with poor gameplay, just for the story... And never finished those games.

[GrmpyolGamer]

Kojima is overrated

[MrNinosan]

So are fat boys in 3d

[GrmpyolGamer]

I only have one response to that......Kojima is overrated

[MrNinosan]

So many of those so called reactions to the game are trolls.
According to the trophylist over 90% of the players have already achieved trophies you get after 6-7 hours gameplay, and that seems strange if your compare to how players pretend they have played 1-2 hours and the turned of the game for good.

90% who has started the game has already played at least 6-7 hours since release, and I assume this game already sold close to a million if not more.

Most who played this game, I mean, actually played the game, can't stop playing and are hooked.
That's not what I'm guessing. That's what the trophylist tells me.

People who are bombing the game, downvoting and put upp negative reviews are mainly trolls who haven't even tried the game.

Now back to DS.

Keep on connecting guys.

If you find Swe_nino, do make a Strand Contract with me in the Bridge Link.

Cheers

[bunt-custardly]

About 12 hours in and the game sort of ramps-up a little here. Episode 3 FYI. I'll bite and try and present what I like about it so far.

It's a walking sim on the literal sense. I actually like that. Kojima took the mundane action of pressing-up to move forwards and turned it into a game. I find I am taking in details I wouldn't in other games. I'm thinking about the journey ahead more and what it entails. I am very mindful of the weather conditions. To the point where I dread the rain.

I head outside looking at the objective marker in the hud then shudder at the mountainous direct path I can take. From there I am scanning the topography to path the least hazardous route for myself. Not something I usually think about in open world games.

Once you hit a BT area though the stealth tension ramps up considerably. There is genuine disappointment if I am grabbed or I take a tumble. No other game has made me care so much about my inventory. The skill is keeping it healthy and making that delivery through all the potential hazards.

I like the social media aspect where you're awarded likes for your actions. You can like other players once you connect the area to the network. Using their tools they left behind is a very nice feature. Whilst a solitary game I've never really felt it's just me in the world.

Infiltrating human camps and getting into fights is interesting and better now I have a non-lethal firearm. I find the bandits here quite tough to stealth especially if you get pinged by their radar.

Soundtrack and is really nice too.

This is Kojima and really well-made so far. Stands out for me being brave enough to try all these systems in a world where gamers have too many pre-conceived ideas.