Death Stranding is a fantastic Kojima game and it is one of his best written stories. The only issue with Death Stranding is its gameplay which is objectively tedious at times. I personally enjoyed the gameplay, but it other than the problems with its gameplay, Death Stranding is a masterpiece.

The story of Death Stranding focus on a delivery man called Sam Porter Bridges. In a dystopian world, filled with the dead called BT's, void-outs from BT's, bunkered civilisations and cities, he is tasked with connecting America by using a cupid that connects a network to a new government named the UCA, which will enable him to reach the president's daughter and save the world. There are many traits that the world of Death Stranding has and if I explain them here it will spoil the plot, and the best written parts of the plot. Every character is well developed and has great characterisation, making them all unique and interesting. Again, if I go in depth into characterisation it spoils the perfect plot. There is also great world building and lore. Kojima's cutscene direction is perfectly done and set-pieces within cutscenes, as well as acting is top notch. The standout performances were from Norman Reedus as Sam, Mads Mikkelsen as Cliff Unger, Troy Baker as Higgs and Lindsay Wagner as Amelie. Everyone else I did not mention all still have fantastic performances and are just as memorable as the names I mentioned. The twits and intricacies of the plot were unexpected, as well as surprising, creating an even more memorable tale. The ending is emotional, memorable and ties everything together perfectly, leaving players with a satisfying conclusion.

Gameplay in Death Stranding is complicated as there are many issues, but many great mechanics. The core gameplay loop involves delivering packages from one place to another. There are many obstacles in the way such as the environment as a whole, BT's and Mules, who are terrorists trying to kill, and steal your cargo. The enemy types themselves are simple but it causes tense and cinematic situations, which I enjoyed. The combat and stealth is also simple usually consists of a few button presses throughout these sections. There are boss fights that involve BT's, some optional, some not, and even though they are simple fights the spectacle, mechanics surrounding the bosses and creativity of designs make for very memorable experiences. The core mechanics of walking from one place to another may sound simple, but there are many intricacies of the mechanics and packaging that you have to get perfectly right, which can be fun at times. The amount of options for traversal is significant as you can use ropes, ladders, vehicles, the environment that other people create through the chiral network, which is also a unique mechanic, and more. The amount of detail in the open-world creates a great sense of immersion as well. The environments themselves are varied and well designed giving you many options for traversal and beautiful views. Overall, the gameplay is simplistic and flawed, but was enjoyable for me personally.

Death Stranding has issues in its gameplay department, even though I enjoyed most of its main features. It has a basically perfect story that has a unique Kojima twist on everything. Death Stranding is Kojima's Flawed Masterpiece.