Death Stranding Reviews
If you do manage to hold out, you will be rewarded with flashes of brilliance, it’s just that those flashes are buried as deep as the core story is buried in the endless dialogue.
Death Stranding is less like a masterwork from a newly liberated veteran, and feels more like a debut effort of an imaginative and yet still unrefined game creator. Its convoluted story is propped up by a solid cast, and the very dull gameplay is just helped along by the well implemented multiplayer. It will only really appeal to fans of a very specific game subgenre, or those who enjoy unbridled narratives.
Death Stranding delivers a fascinating world of supernatural sci-fi, but its gameplay struggles to support its weight.
Death Stranding is creative director Hideo Kojima’s flawed but fascinating subversion of big budget expectations. It represents not simply an escape from the increasingly suffocating influence of his former masters at Konami, but an escape from the cardboard box of Metal Gear’s narrative and gameplay conventions.
Death Stranding is one of the strangest and most unique games I’ve ever played. While its story’s pacing and theming are all over the place, its characters, world, atmosphere, and fascinatingly dull gameplay make Death Stranding an experience that you will likely either love or hate. Either way, I’m glad it exists.
Death Stranding wants to be a lot of things, but not really a video game. A good gaming experience or a story that makes an real impact are the things that you'll miss the most in this ridiculously long journey that you have to take. Even Fans of the previous works of Hideo Kojima will have a hard time to win something out of this title.
Review in German | Read full review
Despite my qualms about the closing hours of Death Stranding, I truly enjoyed about 30 hours of it. There are plenty of moments where tone-setting music sets in and the vastness of the landscapes smothers you with solitude and despair. Collecting materials and contributing them to an online structure was engaging and even downright addictive. Moreover, the foundations of the plot intrigued me so much. I think that's what pains me so much about Death Stranding: I can see its potential, but the game went too far in too many disparate directions.
This is Death Stranding, a long series of what feels like a long series of essential side missions which is rather disappointing because it truly brought us an exceptional cinematic experience and a high grade production value
Review in Arabic | Read full review
An intriguing plot, an interesting universe, an outstanding performance by amazing actors and an incredible soundtrack can't hide the fact that Death Stranding has repetitive missions, unexciting open world with a lot of samey elements and disappointing boss fights. It could've been so much more if some parts of the game didn't feel so rushed, but if you are here for the story — you are in for a ride.
Review in Russian | Read full review
Can I recommend Death Stranding? Not really.
Death Stranding is highly divisive, but it's certainly unique
Death Stranding is a cerebral experience that isn't fun.
It won’t change the minds of Kojima detractors who think he should just make movies, but the game’s thoughtful social components showcase why he still plays such a vital role in the games industry.
Despite all the time I felt Death Stranding was actively wasting, as if confronting me to walk away in annoyance, I still respect its message.
Death Stranding might be Kojima's boldest game to date. It may also be his most tedious. Either way, its originality outweighs its sometimes exhausting structure and poor pacing... but only just. Maybe not a game I would recommend to everyone, but certainly one of the most interesting games of 2019.
The pillars of gameplay, combat, and story all bear the mark of creator Hideo Kojima, but none of them stand out or carry the experience
The coronavirus has made its themes more relevant than ever and while there are many odd decisions, in terms of plot and game design, the overall experience remains strangely engrossing.
Kojima's mysterious would be epic has its moments but can't carry the weight of expectation.
A work of unbridled ambition and imagination but also a pretentious, contrived, and frequently quite dull gameplay experience – Death Stranding is peak Hideo Kojima.