Now that I have played a good few hours of Death Stranding I kind of wanted to put my thoughts for my first impressions down in this blog post, I personally enjoyed what I have played so far, I know not everyone else will but it will always come down to having different tastes. My initial feelings going into the game was how difficult it would be for me, given this game has a heavy aspect of horror I knew I would find myself scared and needed reassurance that I would be able to play this game without being frustrated and this is when the difficulty settings game into play. I was so grateful I could play a game that took into account that not everyone is going to enjoy a harder mode so me being me, I put it on easy mode and I'm not ashamed to say that, I want to enjoy a game not get annoyed with it.
Now with the difficulty settings chosen and several other options, I was on my way to finding what the hell this game was all about, or so I thought I was! The game starts off as if you're playing an actual movie which I ain't mad at, the graphics are beautiful and the terrain seems dead but it's clear from the start how important Sam (Norman Reedus) is, Kojima was able to replicate his personality and likeness of him so well I was pretty impressed. When you first start out playing the game you see Sam on a bike, the bike gets damaged and you can no longer use it but fear not my friends because you will be able to use bikes and other vehicles within the game making your journey a lot easier.
Death Stranding has been compared to a walking simulator which I'm sick of hearing about it now, to me it's far from that, every journey he makes has a purpose and whilst completing quests Sam is able to pick up lost packages that belong to other players along the way which is pretty damn cool. It notifies the player when this has happened as well as telling a player when something they have added in the game has been rated. What I like about this is although the game is a single-player game Kojima has been able to incorporate an online world where you're not as alone as you think you are.
Sam is a pretty strong-minded person which moulds the game together well and helps us understand why he would choose to go against any orders that were given to him, for example (this is a bit of a spoiler so don't read if you haven't played) Sam is ordered to destroy a BB and decides he can't bear to do it. These BB's are very important in the game and help make Sam's survival that much easier, they can be a bit creepy and for those who have suffered a baby loss it can be hard to see especially when you know the story behind what they are which I will explain below:
BB's real name is a Bridge Baby which is shortened to BB, they're unborn babies that have been taken from a stillmother and used by Bridge operatives which is kind of what Sam is. The stillmother's womb is interesting as it has a connection between the world of the dead and the BB, this then allows Bridge operatives a way to have a connection between both world and sense any BTs. In order to help the BBs function whilst working with bridge operatives, they're kept in portable pods that simulate the conditions of the stillmothers womb but if they're not synced up with the stillmother and updated with data from the stillmother they could die. The saddest thing about the BBs is that they can only be used for a year than they usually don't survive, it's a pretty weird and creepy thing to have to do in order for mankind to survive the BTs.
I found myself getting more and more worked up when I was alerted of Bts that were near but after a while I got used to sneaking around and holding my breath so they don't detect me, it can be awkward at times because if you run out of air and they're still near you, you will find yourself in immense danger and my only solution for this is to run as fast as you can run so they don't catch you. I can't even remember how many times I ended up dying but it was a lot. Bts also have a shortened name, it actually means Beached Thing which are entities whose souls are now stranded in the living world after the events of Death Stranding. BTs are strong enemies who will kill any living thing they detect, their bodies contain antimatter which will cause voidouts when they consume anything living, this then causes terrible explosions that can destroy cities, see why I would rather avoid them!
Besides BTs there are other enemies you face and as you progress they get harder to face with just a punch, it's wise not to kill them as this will cause the BTs to appear so your best bet is to knock them out and steal whatever they have on them. They can be a good source of shoes if you're desperate for a pair as your boots will start to wear down the more you walk this is why it's a good idea to try and grab a working vehicle or get one to work.
I found the game to be pleasant when I'm making some deliveries but at other times it forces you to think fast and work out where it is best to do in order to avoid BTs but alas it's not as simple as that and no matter what you try they will still appear. I have found that rain which is called timefall, is the biggest sign of trouble, as not only does it age you (and your cargo) unless you wear protection. I've also found the BTs are more present when it rains this is why when I'm out and about and prefer venturing on dry land. I'm hoping to have more time to play as I have a few things I need to finish doing first but I'm looking forward to seeing how the story progresses and what I come face to face with.
Being able to play as one of my favourite actors has been a bit surreal, I've always found Norman to have a very unique personality and for that to be implemented in a game works in his favour. His relationship with BB is something I don't want to see the end as they work so well together as a team and BB blows him love heart bubbles once he is rocked and calmed down, my heart explodes every time I see the bubbles! I'm hoping that BB survives longer than a year and I'm pretty nervous about how the game will end, so far I highly recommend people give the game a go!
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