Death Stranding

 PlayStation 4
User Score
7.4

Mixed or average reviews- based on 18537 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13,013 out of 18537
  2. Mixed: 1,182 out of 18537
  3. Negative: 4,342 out of 18537
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  1. Criticalhkj
    Dec 18, 2021
    4
    "This game introducced a new genre" . People say that but it is only half true although this game has nice visuals and story . This ain't no movie . This is a videogame . And lets see .ooh wait a minute delivering packages in a unfinished buggy and frustrating game aint fun . Its seems like it pushes creativity down you throat but all feel the same .
  2. TheDoomOfDayne
    Jun 18, 2022
    4
    While Death Stranding is gorgeous and chalk full of lengthy cutscenes that are reminiscent of past metal gear titles, it's sorely lacking in gameplay and, in truth, this game doesn't even seem to care about providing the player with an enjoyable experience until you're many hours in. This game is such an embarrassment to Kojima's legacy and a warning to game makers everywhere.
  3. Brutaldave
    Jan 6, 2023
    4
    So we are just gonna get this out of the way right away. This game is 100 percent a walking simulator and that's part of what makes it so amazing. They created mechanics around walking and created an environment that makes you think about the simple task of walking. Now that being said there is much more to this game. There is a reason you are walking and delivering packages. As it is aSo we are just gonna get this out of the way right away. This game is 100 percent a walking simulator and that's part of what makes it so amazing. They created mechanics around walking and created an environment that makes you think about the simple task of walking. Now that being said there is much more to this game. There is a reason you are walking and delivering packages. As it is a hideo Kojima game expect a game that is 60 percent movie and 40 percent playable movie haha. It's a very story driven game, if you don't care about the world and the events going on in that world you will in no way care about this game. If you like to sink yourself Into a game and immerse yourself in its world this game does great job of that. The story is weird and little out there but so amazing. The graphics are great, the cut scenes look amazing and the world you roam around in is equally as beautiful. The online component of helping each other and being able to leave tools in other plays games and such is much cooler than it initially sounds. Down sides the fighting mechanics seem like a bit of an after thought. The constant reminder about the metaphor of strands and rope gets tiresome pretty quick. If you love story driven games this is a great choice.… Expand
  4. XplosiveStealth
    May 3, 2023
    4
    A game that has shooting and is not optimized for shooting; It has stealth but you carry a baby that cries at the most inappropriate times; It has vehicles but is not optimized for driving or piloting. And a boring and unnecessary drama! Repetitive and predictable! Only Kojima could go out with these things!
  5. theDudeMelo
    May 24, 2023
    4
    I started to play the game last year and eventually put it to the side after being influenced (I confess) by some people calling it a glorified walking simulator, which it is if I'm honest. However, it's so much lore than that!
    After being completely underwhelmed by the same game mechanics over and over form other games in my library, I felt that I needed something completely different,    I started to play the game last year and eventually put it to the side after being influenced (I confess) by some people calling it a glorified walking simulator, which it is if I'm honest. However, it's so much lore than that!
    After being completely underwhelmed by the same game mechanics over and over form other games in my library, I felt that I needed something completely different, which led me to retry playing the aforementioned game. I'm glad I did, because after what may be considered a long drawl up until chapter 4, the game becomes a true masterpiece.
    It's so much more than what I imagined it to be, and so engrossing that I needed to share it with you guys.
    Kojima is truly a master of his craft, and is in top form in this particular game.
    Guys, don't let the first chapters dissuade you, because you will be missing out on something truly amazing.
    And on a side note, the Social engine for this game is the best I've seen in a long time because it never takes you out of the atmospheric eerie feeling of the game while bringing the best out of people. Love it!! To bad the sequel is only for the Ps5.    … Expand
  6. Harthik69
    Jul 9, 2023
    4
    Too boring to play even for couple of minutes Dont like to play in future. Can check only for nostalgia
  7. newflesh
    Nov 21, 2019
    3
    This is the most beautiful PS4 game. And the most boring. That's life for you
  8. FudgeSociety
    Nov 16, 2019
    3
    See, if you told people "Death Stranding is a *cinematic*, story driven experience, with not much game", I honestly think you wouldn't have this backlash. Heavy Rain was basically a movie with choices, and everyone loved it because they embraced what the "game" would be. A movie with choices. And didn't make false promises of tacking any form of "immersive gameplay" on to it.

    In typical    See, if you told people "Death Stranding is a *cinematic*, story driven experience, with not much game", I honestly think you wouldn't have this backlash. Heavy Rain was basically a movie with choices, and everyone loved it because they embraced what the "game" would be. A movie with choices. And didn't make false promises of tacking any form of "immersive gameplay" on to it.

    In typical Sony fashion, they try to sell a "walking simulator w good graphics" as the next big thing. The graphics are good sure, but idk how you could screw graphics up in a game where everything is pre rendered lmao.    … Expand
  9. Kamikaze211
    Nov 8, 2019
    3
    This game is simply walking simulator. What is so awesome on delivering packages? Also they included babies, which is disgusting from my point. Well, Japanese was always weird but this is too much. Thanks but no.
  10. tibzoid
    Nov 9, 2019
    3
    Downgraded my review after playing quite a bit. Initially interesting but incredibly tedious. My life is boring enough. I don’t need to pay for further dullness. After about five hours the novelty wears off and you realize there is nothing there. Also don’t trust the critics — they are scared of being honest. This game is dreadful. Wish I could get a refund.
  11. houjo2000
    Feb 2, 2020
    3
    Whoever thought doing the delivery quests from MMOs was fun, and needed to have even more nonsense and trivial busywork added to it? Well apparantly, Kojima did.

    This is a walking simulator, if walking was made into a painful chore.
  12. Tubey
    Nov 15, 2019
    3
    This is the first game from acclaimed video game auteur Hideo Kojima since his acrimonious split from Konami. That isn't news to 99.9% of you, but it helps to explain the context as to why this game is getting very polarising reviews. Very few reviews are just based on their view of the actual game - they are either big gaming websites who are slapping a 10 on it by default because of whoThis is the first game from acclaimed video game auteur Hideo Kojima since his acrimonious split from Konami. That isn't news to 99.9% of you, but it helps to explain the context as to why this game is getting very polarising reviews. Very few reviews are just based on their view of the actual game - they are either big gaming websites who are slapping a 10 on it by default because of who made it, or Kojima 'fan boys' who are doing the same, or people bandwagonning on the 'walking simulator' meme since pre-release footage became available.

    As for me, I'm none of those things. This is an honest review. I'm reviewing this as a game - not a 'Kojima' game; just simply as a game.

    Death Stranding is visually absolutely amazing in technical terms - everything is crisp, sharp and beautifully rendered. Everything is aesthetically in place and nothing sticks out like a sore thumb. That said, Death Stranding is also visually bland, by design. It's meant to look desolate and it certainly is, but when you combine that with the drudgery of the gameplay then it's a very taxing combination for the player.

    Because the gameplay is dull. 80% of the game consists of carrying stuff from one location to the next, using the trigger buttons on the pad to balance your walking and occasionally stopping to mollify a baby strapped to your chest. You get vehicles, but the moment you do the next section of gameplay is unsuited to the vehicle you just 'unlocked', so you end up not caring about getting vehicles. 10% of it is running from harmless enemies - both human and supernatural - because combat is fiddly (yet somehow simultaneously easy) and unrewarding, so you avoid it when you can. Merely walking presents ten times the challenge combat does. There isn't multiplayer, but instead a Dark Souls sign-system-esque 'connected world' - if a player drops a ladder in his game, you can use it in yours. It's a nice feature that adds a bit of vibrancy to the desolate world and probably the one thing other devs could take away from this and use in future games.

    The other 10% of the title is cutscenes. Lots and lots of cutscenes, massive on exposition. I'm probably being generous at 10% to be honest. Again, all expertly rendered, but poorly executed.

    Obviously no spoilers here on story, but let's just say that there is zero subtlety throughout. There are characters such as Fragile and Die-Hardman - they are their names, not nicknames as you'd expect, and they are presented as such with not a hint of sarcasm or self-awareness. They simply spell out explicitly the main trait of the character. The main character is a porter who builds bridges, so naturally his name is Sam Porter Bridges. This is the level of 'on the nose' we're dealing with here.

    The ridiculousness narrative plays in to the general weirdness on show here. Everything seems to exist as a random idea the developer had and threw in, all mixed together in a hodge-podge of pure nonsense. For every good idea - the concept of firing bullets from your own blood to harm the supernatural, for example - there's a stupid one - like a canteen that converts rain into Monster Energy. Yes, actual Monster Energy - it's not a myth; this is the most egregious and blatant product placement you will ever find in any video game. It's not just aesthetic; it's a core energy mechanic.

    There is the basis for a good game in here, but the final product isn't that. It is extremely pretentious, much more intent on creating art for the sake of art rather than a fun experience for the consumer. It has it's moments - around 15-20 hours in you get in to a flow and the pace quickens, only for it to die a death moments later as you once again trudge from A to B for hours on end, solely for the reward of more exposition-packed cutscenes featuring ridiculous, totally unrelatable characters, ultimately leading to an extremely obvious twist ending that uses bizarre visuals to hide the lack of depth the story had.

    It's a difficult game to review without spoilers, but to boil it down to one thing, I'll say this - it isn't worth your time and money. Pick it up at a hefty discount if you have nothing else to play or wait for it to be free on PS Plus. Even then, if you find it dull a few hours in, I can assure you that there is no point in persisting - it doesn't improve.

    The developer has said the reason for the mixed reviews is that some people "don't get it" - I don't think that's the case. I "get it" alright - the developer wanted to create a weird, trippy movie experience that got people talking. In that, they have achieved what they aimed for in spades. It's a shame, then, that they forgot to create a game to go along with that experience.

    EDIT: Originally scored this a 4, but honestly a shade too high - revised to a 3.    … Expand
  13. Neko2k12
    Nov 8, 2019
    3
    Kojima finally being exposed for the hack he truly is.
    Wasting 80% of the budget on actors, trips and fancy food just so he can then tweet them.
    Literally a walking simulator, not even memeing. But it's okay when Kojima does it. The usual convoluted story that's 2deep4you so it means it's good. Embarassing dialogue like "I'm Fragile but not fragile". BRAVO KOJIMA. Also the game isn't    Kojima finally being exposed for the hack he truly is.
    Wasting 80% of the budget on actors, trips and fancy food just so he can then tweet them.
    Literally a walking simulator, not even memeing. But it's okay when Kojima does it.
    The usual convoluted story that's 2deep4you so it means it's good.
    Embarassing dialogue like "I'm Fragile but not fragile". BRAVO KOJIMA.
    Also the game isn't fun according to many reviewers, but it got 100s across the board. Not even trying to hide they're all bought.
    But hey, the graphics are good and you can piss! 10 out of 10.    … Expand
  14. MORJ
    Nov 8, 2019
    3
    Imagine getting a blank check from Sony and then creating a walking simulator. I guess the budget was spend on famous actors, cause the gameplay is litterally fetchquest Combined with overly long cutscenes, that tell a non interesting story. The menues are non intuitive. Its like he took everything thats tedious and boring and combined it in one game. Avoid this game at all costs.
  15. CriticoDubioso
    Dec 7, 2019
    3
    Good graphics and soundtrack but the story is overly pretentious and the overly long slow cutscenes take away control from the player too often and for too long. I have been playing for 15 hours trying to rush to Ch. 3 but it's just too boring and buggy
  16. greekaussie777
    Nov 11, 2019
    3
    Truly a boring, but pretty looking game. Anyone who defends this slap in the face of gamers "videogame" is someone who has settled for less in their games. Way less.
  17. crawlord
    Nov 25, 2019
    3
    Graphics are Great and the storyline is decent. The game is a pretentious slog of timewasting with so much tediousness that it takes away all the moments of fun and ladles it with immense frustration, repetition and grdindy feth this and that.
    I do not know wheather to hate or like the fact that there are cutscene galore for simple thigs like showering or taking a dump that you admittedly    Graphics are Great and the storyline is decent. The game is a pretentious slog of timewasting with so much tediousness that it takes away all the moments of fun and ladles it with immense frustration, repetition and grdindy feth this and that.
    I do not know wheather to hate or like the fact that there are cutscene galore for simple thigs like showering or taking a dump that you admittedly can skip but are an indicator of kojima's narcissism .
    This game does not respect your time and is overly pretentious with mundane data trying to be /iamverysmart. By the time i got to the ending of this game i was consistently rolling my eyes.
    The fun i had was with building and seeing the likes and the sense of community (ripped from dark souls)
    Lets not act like this is revolutionary, It is a package delivery service with so many tedious walls put in place to extend playtime .
    It is sad that i cannot say that i enjoyed this experience and i doubt i will wanna play another festival in pretentious narcissism . If i want a grindfest i have black desert online ... an mmo to grind out.    … Expand
  18. Dokkodo
    Sep 3, 2022
    3
    A long weird movie. I don't much care for games that aren't games at all, but even taking it as a movie it wasn't a very good one. Acting is fine, but the plot is just...weird. I also don't like David Lynch, and I feel like if you like one you probably would like the other.
  19. Steyraus
    Jul 11, 2020
    3
    For everything I liked about the game there was something I hated it even more. There's a fun gameplay loop and interesting progression system and it's also a pretty good looking game. It's interesting to explore and open up new areas and build roads and stuff like that. But then there's the bad the story is just ridiculous 5th grade level rubbish the characters are just allFor everything I liked about the game there was something I hated it even more. There's a fun gameplay loop and interesting progression system and it's also a pretty good looking game. It's interesting to explore and open up new areas and build roads and stuff like that. But then there's the bad the story is just ridiculous 5th grade level rubbish the characters are just all one-dimensional and just moronic. Which might not be so bad in some games but this game has a lot of cutscenes. And there's often areas where the game just completely switches up the gameplay into some absolutely stupid thing you've got to figure out that she must have thought was clever. At the halfway point in the game I felt like I was really enjoying it because there is fun game play but by the end of the game I hated death stranding. Would probably give the game at 5 but the fact that Metacritic stepped in and deleted thousands of negative reviews on taking two points off. Because this game is not a 7 out of 10 or 8/10 this is a very controversial game that very few people will enjoy and they should be informed of that.… Expand
  20. charleski
    Nov 16, 2021
    3
    There's a good game in here ... somewhere.
    But it's drowned by a turgid storyline and **endless** self-indulgent *&%(*£" cutscenes. If you want a game where you can put the controller down and check out the news on your phone while it rambles on at you, then this is the one for you! If you want to luxuriate in animations of Norman Reedus getting into a truck, and getting out, Norman    There's a good game in here ... somewhere.
    But it's drowned by a turgid storyline and **endless** self-indulgent *&%(*£" cutscenes. If you want a game where you can put the controller down and check out the news on your phone while it rambles on at you, then this is the one for you! If you want to luxuriate in animations of Norman Reedus getting into a truck, and getting out, Norman Reedus taking a shower, Norman Reedus dumping cases onto a hopper, etc, etc, then you're in for a treat.
    If you want to *play a game* then be prepared to keep mashing that skip button.    … Expand
  21. NeoReaper
    Dec 17, 2019
    3
    Some websites are already calling those who don't like the game trolls and we are review bombing it just because of reasons. Meanwhile the same people did the same thing to MGS which is actually better than death Stranding. It's just them using bully tactics against those who don't think like sheep to shame them.

    The game is just flat-out bad. It's like you are a pizza delivery guy    Some websites are already calling those who don't like the game trolls and we are review bombing it just because of reasons. Meanwhile the same people did the same thing to MGS which is actually better than death Stranding. It's just them using bully tactics against those who don't think like sheep to shame them.

    The game is just flat-out bad. It's like you are a pizza delivery guy going store to store to open up a new pizza joint.    … Expand
  22. Rallandollo
    Dec 27, 2020
    3
    Insanely boring, tedious and monotonous. What the h*ll what Kojima thinking spending all these years making a game this repetitive. Such a waste of potential. Only good things are graphics. Also a very confusing and uninteresting story. Careless combat, no AI and also way to easy combat.
  23. Brannon44
    Jun 14, 2022
    3
    An amalgamation of all of the negative aspects of Kojima games. I hate this game. It runs well and has good visuals so that's good.
  24. steelgrey75
    Nov 2, 2020
    3
    The story is bizarre and it explains little at first but still makes no sense even when you do understand it a bit more. The whole thing feels like an incredibly boring take on a metal gear solid. I just find it so very very boring indeed and the story so weird that it holds little interest to me after 15 hours or so trying to like it.
  25. WryMouth
    Dec 6, 2019
    3
    Confusing game at most in all aspects. Story makes no real sense, combat is very wonky and the constant traveling is boring. Seems rushed and unfinished apart from the grafix. Rental at most and bring a lot of coffee.
  26. flametail23
    Nov 18, 2019
    3
    I'm sorry but Death Stranding is a ultimately pointless and boring game to play. Yes the graphics look nice and it holds a couple of great moments but the gameplay itself leaves alot to be desired.
  27. altalo
    Nov 8, 2019
    3
    Tengo que valorar este juego como juego y no como pelicula, por eso tengo que ponerle un 3, el juego se basa de ir de A hasta B todo el rato, lo interesante son las cinematicas, llevo 15 horas de juego y es planísimo, todo el rato igual. Lo mejor para mi es pasar por los EVs y dejar que te agarren para tener algo de adrenalina.
  28. 88astun88
    Nov 10, 2019
    3
    Absolutely boring experience with over the top story and nothing happening at all.
  29. Joellemm
    Dec 21, 2019
    3
    "Like Mario and Princess Beach" - its hard to believe that a game with dialogue such as this could also be so pretentious. Its hard to believe that a video game could be pretentious at all. A game with incredible visuals and soundtrack, that includes innovate and genuinely interesting gameplay mechanics, is bogged down by a maddening, over-elaborate plot and terrible writing. Lets just go"Like Mario and Princess Beach" - its hard to believe that a game with dialogue such as this could also be so pretentious. Its hard to believe that a video game could be pretentious at all. A game with incredible visuals and soundtrack, that includes innovate and genuinely interesting gameplay mechanics, is bogged down by a maddening, over-elaborate plot and terrible writing. Lets just go through the infantile character names, and yes, each name does neatly quantify their purpose in the plot; Heartman, Mama, Deadman, Fragile, Die-Hardman. Plot and writing are a common misfire when it comes to video games, but its such a problem in this game because it forces it down your throat with overly long cut-scenes and an overabundance of unnecessary overly cinematic sequences. How often do i need to see the same thank you message from the delivery terminal, or actually watch the mundane Norman Reedus character plonk his load on the conveyor belt? Once, maybe? (yes, i know you can skip, but its still a burden).

    Its art, but its the sort of art you put on your fridge for a couple of days until you have guests, at which point you quickly flush it down the toilet, or just to be sure, burn it.    … Expand
  30. LuigiCuau
    Nov 8, 2019
    3
    There are developers out there who do their best to put out original concepts, but nobody gives them credit or enough attention, they just get slammed by the media. If Death Stranding wasn't made by Kojima, then you wouldn't be seeing all of these fanboys defending it and giving it a fake 10/10.

    Who didn't see this coming? We saw the 1 hour "gameplay" session, where there was 5 minutes    There are developers out there who do their best to put out original concepts, but nobody gives them credit or enough attention, they just get slammed by the media. If Death Stranding wasn't made by Kojima, then you wouldn't be seeing all of these fanboys defending it and giving it a fake 10/10.

    Who didn't see this coming? We saw the 1 hour "gameplay" session, where there was 5 minutes of gameplay and 55 minutes of cutscenes. If you like boring fun then go for this game if you like traditional fun, you know the only fun I know stay far away from this tedious boring masterpiece.

    I would rate it 3 or maybe 4 considering the graphics and music but it was so hyped up and imho does not deserve the hype at all. Critics who give this game above 65-70 are delusional. Probably same guys who gave Joker 3 out of 10. In any case it's a disappointment. Will finish on Youtube with fast forward of gameplay just for the story.

    In PS4 are a 3, in PC are 4    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

33
#33 Best PS4 Game of 2019
1
#1 Most Discussed PS4 Game of 2019

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
82

Generally favorable reviews - based on 111 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 86 out of 111
  2. Mixed: 22 out of 111
  3. Negative: 3 out of 111
  1. LEVEL (Czech Republic)
    Mar 18, 2020
    100
    Death Stranding is creating a new game genre and therefore paves its own path towards more interactive experiences. It is a brave work thanks to its novelty, which fortunately is not a bragging right for its creators, as it may have seemed, but an exceptional title that will reward the brave who play it. [Issue#299]
  2. New York Daily News
    Mar 18, 2020
    80
    This game does manage to be fun, even if it is one of the heaviest experiences of 2019. Everything from story to gameplay is begging to be dissected, filled with imagery and symbolism -- just like so many Kojima games before this one. Entering Death Stranding, it’s likely that we all thought Kojima’s calling card was lengthy cutscenes and stealth and action gameplay.
    Read full review
  3. Carole Quintaine
    Jan 29, 2020
    100
    Death Stranding stands as a powerful author’s game which drives a strong message of how our over-connected society is evolving, and how we can help other players. Unlike many AAA games, it shines on a truly spiritual level. Well written, engaging and visually magnificent, it offers, despite some pacing flaws, an astonishing solo game with elegant multiplayer elements. A unique representation of Hideo Kojima’s talent.
    Read full review
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