The Death Stranding game has monsters, a world that is ruined, and a life-to-death leap. • The soundtrack and plot are excellent, too. So why is this a pacifist waste of time?

• Boring apocalypse. Death Stranding // Photo: From the video

One thing is nothing to deny. Death Stranding - The much-anticipated post-apocalyptic game from Hideo Kojima's Creator, breaking the boundaries between this world and the afterlife, is an ambitious and wide-ranging, cinematic creation. But after peeling the plot, soundtrack and graphics - one question remains - is it fun to play it? We checked.

The story

Kojima's new game tells of a world that has been a disaster of a magnitude that has changed the nature of life on Earth, known as Death Stranding. It is impossible to live on earth, and few surviving people live under it. The reason is the Beached Things. The hostile entities, known as the BT's - are in fact beings imprisoned in the world of life. In the event of a contact between such an entity and a living being, a huge explosion causes destruction in that area. Another factor that makes life on earth a death trap is the "rain of time", which speeds up the time dimension of everything it touches.

Photo: Kojima Productions

Leading protagonist Sam Porter Bridges, the renowned Norman Reedus from the series "The Walking Dead," is accompanied by a cast of great characters such as Mads Mickelsen, Guillermo del Toro (as a model), Troy Baker (Joel from The Last of us) and others. And at the beginning of the game, he is tasked with the task of reconnecting America. The goal: to give humanity a chance to survive in the new world. The way: connecting key points and creating a "network" similar to our Internet.

Sam by the way is repatriate. That is, he is able to come back to life in all contact with BT's, each time his soul can locate and take over the body of the middle world being between life and death.

Next to the main protagonist is BB. The Bridge baby functions as the main actor's tool for connecting the worlds of the living and the dead. However, it is impossible not to bond with a baby who is going through a significant journey with us. After all, the relationship between him and Sam is definitely authentic.

Forget the main thing

Obviously, the fun of acting and controlling the main protagonist are the main thing when it comes to gaming. But at Death Stranding, the creators seem to have forgotten this simple fact, or at the very least, their concept of fun is a little different.

Admittedly, the first-to-heart journeys, which form the core of the game, are fun in themselves. The problem is that the task repeats itself over and over, becoming trite and boring. Over the course of decades, the protagonist roams from place to place, sometimes turning on his heels, as a kind of endless puzzle and all to complete the main mission - to create a "network" that will give humanity a chance if you forget. Even in the sub-tasks, you will find yourself, well, moving equipment from target to destination, and in exactly the same way.

What makes Sisyphean wandering even more unbearable is the tedious menus of equipment. Whenever you set off, you will need to prepare accordingly. Filled to prepare properly, but why should you go through a few separate menus, confirm a few times, and watch passages on passages from the main story? The skip button in the game won't save you either. And the possibility of expediting the process won't help either. Maybe even the other way around. This is a procedure in itself.

The logic behind this strange pacifism

This is the fruit of Kojima's creation, which here attempted to create a game without violence. You can fight, but only with fists or non-lethal weapons. These are intended solely to "curb enemies". The logic behind this peculiar pacifism is that if the hostile entities remain in this world, they will cause further harm.

So you will have to sneak in to avoid being discovered, and if you are already in battle, you will probably lose it. Whether due to a shortage of weapons or due to another disadvantage. In order to have some fun with this game, you will have to spend hours and hours obtaining vehicles, weapons and other upgrades. Even then, it's a bad joke. The terrain conditions are hardly suitable for vehicles. The weapons, as mentioned, will not be used to kill anyone. So what is it for?

If there is one feature that is supposed to improve the experience, the possibility of communicating with other players, then it is a leaving signal to another player rather than direct communication. You will not meet other players in this world and all that indicates their existence is bridges, signs and shelters that can be used, again, to move from point to point. Nothing to say, definitely authentic.

Sound and graphics

The desire to create a world as parallel and realistic as possible (apart from the lack of ability to resort to violence of course) is also evident in the spectacular landscapes, which are supported by an impressive graphic engine. The unique soundtrack will not disappoint you, after all, the time has to pass between the journey and the next. The range ranges from calm in nature to rhythmic sound during danger.

The same goes for the movie, which accompanies the game. Without too many spoilers - the game provides countless incredible turnarounds, not seen in games today (or in movies considering the directors involved).

Summary

Great story, amazing visibility and quality soundtrack - Death Stranding will give you all these with a generous hand. Perhaps if it were a movie, it would have left a huge mark. And precisely because of that - all the music, plot and visuals in this world and the next - will not make up for it.

Death Stranding
Final rating: 5/10

// Photos: PR