Death Stranding Review: An unprecedented leap into the future of video games

Asymmetrical multiplayer gameplay:

Sights like these are common in Death Stranding Sam is not all serious when he's alone.

Death Stranding's biggest achievement is that it doesn't forget that its a game.

You see, this means a lot because most of us who were fascinated by the ever-mysterious world of Death Stranding were so because of its complex lore, story and characters. And as far as the game play was concerned, it sure looked like a walking simulator.

Turns out, in a vague sense - it is. However, Death Stranding's gameplay is immensely satisfying in its own way. Like you would expect in any Hideo Kojima game, the controls are fantastic. Traversing from point A to point B in the world is not as easy or boring as one may think at first glance.

Death Stranding's art direction is incredible and offers some really tasteful sights but the overall textures is not the visual standard on PS4 by any margin.

Death Stranding throws a plethora of tools and systems to make the game fun, engaging and rewarding. Every location in the game has something to offer once players complete a delivery.

It's always immensely satisfying after making your way from a long treacherous area, avoiding BT's (the scary creatures from a different world) and fighting M.U.L.E.S. (cargo addict human enemies) along the way to unlock another tool that would make traversing a little bit easier.

It is this addictive gameplay loop that never stops. Even after the credits have rolled, there are a numerous new tools to uncover and try, more deliveries to make, and even more rewards, waiting at the end of it all.

Personally, Death Stranding is one of the most addictive game I have played in the recent memory. Not just because its different but also the way it makes even a mere task like traversing from Point A to Point B so engaging, immersive and purposeful is praiseworthy.

Death Stranding also proves that shooting enemies in the head is not necessarily needed for a game to be fun or addictive. Instead there's a completely different magic working behind all of it.

Sometimes all you need in your journey is some deep introspection of the world around you and the characters that inhabit it.

When chilling out in his private room, Sam is hardly serious

Also keep in mind that there are combat heavy segments in Death Stranding as well, which is a welcome addition to this already engaging game. Speaking more about it would be considered a spoiler so I'll just leave it there.

The biggest new game play feature in Death Stranding is its asymmetric multiplayer component. The game is all about connecting the human society, not just through its story - we'll get to that later - but also through its gameplay.

This new social strand system, which is what Kojima calls it, is where other playing the game can you help - such as leaving you crafting materials, or building roads or bridges or post boxes. You're all alone... but you're never truly alone.

This feeling of being part of the same world, helping each other out and ultimately playing the game for the benefits of others is what makes Death Stranding a really really good and a satisfying video game above all.

Using the rope left behind by other people is a god send in Death Stranding

When I first ventured into episode 3, some kind folks had already build the roads to one of the more prominent locations of the game - which made things really easy for me. In return, I built the roads in the left over areas where otherwise traversal would have been incredibly difficult. This was just one aspect of this incredible social strand system which brings this melancholic, isolated world of Death Stranding to life.

It's also worth nothing that the "multiplayer" component of Death Stranding doesn't require a PlayStation Plus subscription to take advantage of. You will, however, still need an Internet connection. Obviously.