diff --git a/blog/death-stranding-review-2019-11-11.markdown b/blog/death-stranding-review-2019-11-11.markdown new file mode 100644 index 0000000..c892d0d --- /dev/null +++ b/blog/death-stranding-review-2019-11-11.markdown @@ -0,0 +1,100 @@ +--- +title: Death Stranding Review +date: 2019-11-11 +series: reviews +tags: + - kojima + - video-game + - what +--- + +# Death Stranding Review + +NOTE: There's gonna be spoilers here. Do not read if you are not okay with this. +For a summary of the article without spoilers, this game is 10 out of 10 game of the +year 2019 for me. + +I have also been playing through this game [on +twitch](https://twitch.tv/princessxen) and have streams archived +[here](https://xena.greedo.xeserv.us/files/kojima_unchained). + +There's a long-standing rule of thumb to tell fiction apart from non-fiction. +Fiction needs to make sense to the reader. Non-fiction does not. [Death +Stranding](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_Stranding) puts this paradigm on +its head. It doesn't make sense out of the gate in the way most AAA games make +sense. + +In many AAA games it's very clear who the Big Bad is and who the John America +is. John America defeats the Big Bad and spreads Freedom to the masses by force. +In Death Stranding, you have no such preconceptions going into it. The first few +hours are a chaotic mess of exposition without explanation. First there's a +storm, then there's monsters, then there's a baby-powered locator, then you need +to deliver stuff a-la fetch quests, then there's Monster energy drinks, and the +main currency of this game is Facebook likes (that mean and do absolutely +nothing). + +In short, Death Stranding doesn't try to make sense. It leaves questions +unanswered. And this is honestly so refreshing in a day and age where entire +plot points and the like are spoiled in trailers before the game's release date +is even announced. Questions like: what is going on? Why are there monsters? +What is the point of the game? Why the hell are there Monster energy drinks in +your private room and canteen? Death Stranding answers only some of these over +the course of gameplay. + +The core of the gameplay loop is delivering cargo from point a to point b across +a ruined America after the apocalypse. The main character is an absolute unit of +a lad, able to carry over 120 kilograms of cargo on his back. As more and more +cargo stacks up you create these comically tall towers of luggage that make +balancing very difficult. You can hold on for balance using both of the shoulder +buttons. The game maps each shoulder button to an arm of the player character. +There's also a stamina system, and while you are gripping the cargo your stamina +regenerates much more slowly than if you weren't doing that. + +The game makes you deliver almost everything you can think of from medical aid +to antimatter bombs. The antimatter bomb deliveries are really tricky because of +how delicate they are. If you drop the antimatter bomb, it explodes and you +instantly game over. If you hit a rock while carrying an antimatter bomb, it +gets damaged. If it gets damaged too many times it explodes and you die. If it +gets dropped into water it explodes and you die. And you have to carry the +suckers over miles of terrain and even mountains. + +This game handles scale very elegantly. The map is _huge_, even larger than +Skyrim or Breath of the Wild. You are the UPS man who delivers packages, +apocalypse be damned. This game gives you a lot of quiet downtime, which really +lets you soak in the philosophical mindfuck that Kojima cooked up for us all. As +you approach major cities, guitar and vocal music comes in and the other sound +effects of the game quiet down. It overall creates a very sobering and solemn +mood that I just can't get enough of. It seems like it wouldn't fit in a game +where you use your own blood to defeat monsters and drink _monster energy_ out +of your canteen, but it totally does. + +There is some mild product placement. Your canteen is full of Monster energy +drink. Yes, that Monster. Making the player defecate shows you an ad for an AMC +show. There's also monster energy drinks in your safe room that increase your +max stamina for a bit. I'm not entirely sure if the product placement was chosen +to be there for artistic reasons (it's surreal as all hell and helps to +complement the confusing aspects of the game), but it's very non-intrusive and +can be ignored with little risk. + +This game also has online components. Every time you build a structure in areas +linked to the chiral network, other players can use, interact with and upgrade +them so they can do more things. Other players can also gives you likes, which +again do nothing. Upgrading a zipline makes it able to handle a larger distance +or updating a safe house lets you play music when people walk by it. It really +helps to build the motif of rebuilding America. There is however room for people +to troll others. Here's [an example of +this](https://twitter.com/Brad_barnaby/status/1193084242743312384). There's a +troll ladder to nowhere. There's a lot of those laying around mountains, so be +on your guard. + +Overall, Death Stranding is a fantastic game. It's hard. It's unforgiving. But +the real thing that advances is the skill of the player. You make the +deliveries. You go the distance. You do your job as the post-apocalyptic UPS man +that America needs. + +
![UPS Simulator 2019](/static/img/ups-simulator-2019.jpg)
+ +By [mmmintdesign](https://twitter.com/mmmintdesign) [source](https://twitter.com/mmmintdesign/status/1192856164331114497) + +Score: 10 out of 10 +Christine Dodril's Game of the Year 2019 diff --git a/static/img/ups-simulator-2019.jpg b/static/img/ups-simulator-2019.jpg new file mode 100644 index 0000000..81a2d0e Binary files /dev/null and b/static/img/ups-simulator-2019.jpg differ