The main plot point isn't bad and neither is the dialog, but that's the nicest thing I can say about this game. Most of the plot is quite contrived, as are the puzzles. It's like the developer decided on a solution or pathing and then worked backwards, while denying obvious solutions or alternate paths along the way. Overall, a waste of my time.
Excellent game. I played it at the tail end of 2024. I'm not sure how the connected world is handled exactly, so I'm not sure that the state of the game world that I saw in my playthrough would be typical of that which launch players would have seen, or what a lone player in 2035 might experience. Combat in Death Stranding is one of the more minor aspects of gameplay focus, which is atypical for a relatively open world action game. Having said that, combat is certainly one of the main aspects of the game, if diminished in focus compared to other activities like traversal. I also found myself avoiding combat, either by bypassing enemy areas entirely or using caution when traveling through those areas. The combat in Death Stranding is very easy on the standard difficulty (and this is likely directly related to combat being a side activity), but the combat is fun even if not challenging. Most weapons are satisfying (particularly the bola), but some weapons like the assault rifle are quite bland, clunky, and generally unsatisfying to use, partially because of the awkwardness of targeting. (The game also allows non-lethal eliminations of both human and BT enemies, although sometimes the game's logic is contrived, e.g., the "non-lethal" assault rifle, which is the same as its brother except in name.) Overall, the game is instead focused on its narrative and on the traversal and modification of its world, particularly the cooperative nature of the the world. The attention to detail paid to the systems and environments adds significantly to them. While other games have inventory systems and an overburdened mechanic, only Death Stranding makes the overburdened mechanic fun, and only Death Stranding has integrated its inventory system so closely with the game's other systems, such as the movement mechanics. Keeping the main character on his feet can be challenging at times, and this can be made much more difficult by extra carry weight. Besides walking, the main character can leverage several other forms of transportation, such as vehicles. This forms the bulk of the game: moving from point A to point B. The cliche is--it's not always about the destination: it's about the journey, and this game is a journey. It reminds me in some ways of the experience of watching Twin Peaks late at night. The acting and the writing (particularly the dialog and the design of the characters' identities themselves) are both top notch. Clearly, the game designers used a lot of high quality motion capture. The overall presentation was striking, from the in-game UI to the episode title cards. Additionally, the audio of Death Stranding is excellent. The audiovisual aspects remind me a lot of Dead Space in some ways. While Kojima claimed to have invented a new genre of game, the Strand game, he built a casual open world survival horror crafting game in order to deliver a strong story line with high production value. Death Stranding is above all a game, even if the cut scenes are long and numerous. One of the strongest aspects is how well the story beats are woven into the game. The flow from the game world to a story section is very smooth and natural, just like the systems at play in the game world. This is a game where you'll combo a lot, for instance, "LB to bring up vision, while holding LB press D-pad Down to check on BB, while holding Down, press X to unhook BB from your rig, then while continuing to hold LB rock the L analog stick back and forth to soothe BB. Then press X again to stop soothing BB." Management of your environment, such as BB, your equipment's range and/or durability, or craggy peaks, is the main goal in Death Stranding, and the player is given a wide berth in deciding how to do so. My impression is that Death Stranding can be played in many ways, depending on the style of the player, and that many varying solutions and paces can lead to success. Overall, I would strongly recommend Death Stranding to players who enjoy various genres, including players of every experience level.
Horrible, cheesy, Archer knockoff characters; obfuscated mechanics (like how much dmg does the burning status effect do?); clumsy UI; underdeveloped breach mechanic and base activities like the market. Crashes occasionally (often as the game tries to introduce reinforcements), but autosaves make that only a minor annoyance. Combat is serviceable. $10 is a fair price.
Such a good game, in fact one the best games of its type I've ever played. I'm at a loss for words, except to say that everything about this game, from the art to the overall structure, is beautiful. The higher user score than critic score indicates just what a gem this is.
The Shadowrun Returns trilogy (Dead Man's Switch, Dragonfall, and this game aka Hong Kong) are some of the best tactical RPGs I've ever played. I admit I'm a huge fanboy of Harebrained Schemes for both this series and Battletech; can't wait for their next games. Been a while since I played any of them but, Pros: -Atmosphere, including music, visual art direction, and pacing -Satisfying combat -Specialization and unit customization / upgrades -Amazing dialog and dialog choices -All missions unique and worthwhile -Well designed overworld, perfect for chilling in between missions Cons: -Some technical issues and lack of user friendliness, such as figuring out whether gear can be equipped on your fellow shadowrunners
The Shadowrun Returns trilogy (Dead Man's Switch, this game aka Dragonfall, and Hong Kong) are some of the best tactical RPGs I've ever played. I admit I'm a huge fanboy of Harebrained Schemes for both this series and Battletech; can't wait for their next games. Been a while since I played any of them but, Pros: -Atmosphere, including music, visual art direction, and pacing -Satisfying combat -Specialization and unit customization / upgrades -Amazing dialog and dialog choices -All missions unique and worthwhile -Well designed overworld, perfect for chilling in between missions Cons: -Some technical issues and lack of user friendliness, such as figuring out whether gear can be equipped on your fellow shadowrunners
The Shadowrun Returns trilogy (this game aka Dead Man's Switch, Dragonfall, and Hong Kong) are some of the best tactical RPGs I've ever played. I admit I'm a huge fanboy of Harebrained Schemes for both this series and Battletech; can't wait for their next games. Been a while since I played any of them but, Pros: -Atmosphere, including music, visual art direction, and pacing -Satisfying combat -Specialization and unit customization / upgrades -Amazing dialog and dialog choices -All missions unique and worthwhile -Well designed overworld, perfect for chilling in between missions Cons: -Some technical issues and lack of user friendliness, such as figuring out whether gear can be equipped on your fellow shadowrunners
Competent squad tactics game. 7/10, not essential. Play if you're a huge fan of the genre or Gears. Pro: -Fun overwatch and one-hit-kill mechanics Neutral: -Unit customization -Environments/maps Cons: -Atmosphere -Drama/Narrative -Repetitive, meaningless missions
Pros: Lack of quest markers, fairly clean HUD, serviceable combat, ok level design, light horror atmosphere, decent pacing, wide field of view when not aiming, high production values, gameplay customization options like enemy health bars on / off Cons: Kind of boring, map only gives position of named locations so traversing can be a chore Overall you'll just be shooting things
Fun game, game accomplishes exactly what it sets out to do. Basically an interactive cartoon. The movement concept / accompanying lore is pretty trippy in VR. If you like the garbage constantly spewing forth from Roiland's mind, you'll like this.
The game/designers accomplish(es) what it/they set out to do. As such, game is an 8.5/10 especially at $30. Great atmosphere (including dialog and music); fun combat with a moderate amount of depth; somewhat open mission structure; three endings that change the last minute of the game. As other reviewers have noted, the game is really easy on the normal difficulty, with a possible huge difficulty spike at the end depending on whether the player completed boss battles prior to hitting 100% awakening.
Unplayable because of horrible stutter unless VSYNC is turned off.. Runs OK on ultra with FX 6350 and RX 470 with VSYNC off only and bearable, slight tearing (mostly hovers just under 60FPS with drops to 35). Very commercial product, little artistic value compared to Max Payne and Alan Wake. Feels empty, e.g., there's no equivalent to Lords and Ladies; only a few, boring guns; awkward movement of character / covertaking; graphical and movement glitches
I already wrote a lengthy review for this game, but metacritic deleted it. Allow me to summarize this game with one word: tedious. And now I'm typing a few more characters.
