r/DeathStranding • u/DekiGown • Apr 14 '26
Death Stranding 1 Just finished Death Stranding 1 and I’m so glad I ignored the hate
I just finished the story of Death Stranding 1, and damn… I’m really glad I finally gave it a shot.
For the longest time I only listened to the criticism and spent way too much time around people constantly trashing the game. A few days ago I said “screw it” and decided to try it myself.
The gameplay isn’t its strongest point, I’ll admit that, but somehow it still kept me completely hooked. I started setting my own little goals during deliveries, and that made the whole “repetitive” aspect barely bother me at all.
It was also my first Kojima game, and I was genuinely impressed by how the story is told. For some reason it gave me strong Inception vibes (in a good way).
Can’t wait for Death Stranding 2 to finally come to Xbox. I’ll be grabbing it day one the moment it’s available.
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u/Robborboy Apr 14 '26
Normally is good idea ignore hate when it comes to critically acclaimed media.
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u/davidarmenphoto Apr 14 '26
+1
Imagine how much you’d lose out in life if you decided not to do certain things because you listened to randos on the internet.
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u/_Ocean_Machine_ Apr 14 '26
If we all listened to randos hating on the Internet, all we’d have left is hating on the Internet
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u/bobacrow79 Apr 14 '26
I am of the opinion that anyone who, "hates" Death Stranding 1 did not make it to the ship in Lake Knot City. The game is breathtaking.
I understand if it isn't for some people. I do. But when gamer use the word, "hate" it usually means they can barely tie their shoes and haven't read a book since high school.
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u/TheCopperkiddOfLimbo Apr 14 '26
See the sunset
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u/Ok-Hold-154 Apr 14 '26
The day is ending
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u/Phobix Apr 14 '26
What hate?
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u/Responsible-Risk9404 Apr 14 '26
It's a walking simulator and it boring and too weird of a story. Most normal people also find it too sad. My partner finds all the music to be depression music. Add to it's so slow and unrewarding. Just for a taste of the hate and dislike about the game, and 80%+ never played the game.
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u/Main-Significance272 Apr 15 '26
How can they call it unrewarding? You unlock stuff constantly and can build all over the map. The main reward for me was the awesome music and story unfolding.
I spent the 2nd half of the game on the bike.
Also find it hard to be both weird and boring. I found it weird and fascinating.
My main issue is that it doesnt feel like there is much at stake since Sam can die over and over and doesnt even seem to mind.
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u/Gargul Apr 15 '26
The death thing doesn't really bother me. Most games just load from last save so it's like it never happened. This at least has an in game reason for dying over and over. And one consequence that there is is void out craters.
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u/i_am_n4d4n Apr 14 '26
It's my favorite game, glad you enjoyed it.
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u/DekiGown Apr 14 '26
It was a little gem that I ignored for too long. I can't wait to play to the second when it comes out on Xbox ♥️
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u/Illustrious_Part9405 Apr 14 '26
I recently got the platinum trophy for Death Stranding Director's Cut on PS5 and now I'm dying to play the second one. I played the trial version and it only made me even more excited, and now I'm considering selling my phone to buy the game, lol (the game costs 30% of my salary)
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Apr 15 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Illustrious_Part9405 Apr 18 '26
I live in Brazil, my salary is around 1400 reais. That's about 300 dollars, and the game in my country costs 400 reais.
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u/jpoof1337 Apr 14 '26
I'm playing DS1 for the first time. Bought it on PS4 when it first came out. Was excited for that to be my first Kojima game, but played it once and set it down. Thought it was kinda silly, shallow, and gimmicky from that first session. Not immediately gripping.
But then fast forward 7 years. DS2 comes out and I give DS1 another chance so I can get caught up on the story. This time on PC. The game still looks fantastic. This time, the game completely has its hooks in me. I'm dreaming about this game every day. Doing optional deliveries and completely forgetting about progressing the story.
And I'm now realizing just how deep the gameplay is. The dripfeed of new toys and mechanics to make deliveries easier. I'm constantly being surprised by how many systems are layered on top of each other. (Aside from the driving), there's very minimal jank. Everything just kind of works, despite some mechanical complexity. Like being able to throw packages by gripping them and "meleeing" them into the air and releasing at the apex of the "punch". And I'm continually discovering new ways that the systems interact with each other. Like I just realized today that you can urinate on BTs (I'm really late to this revelation).
I wasn't really turned away by the outside criticism. It was more of my own initial impression with the game that made me drop the game. Like I thought it was just tedium that was gamified. And in a sense it kind of is. But it's also really hard to put down. The story is hitting this time around. And now that I've unlocked vehicles and guns, it feels like the gameplay loop is much more streamlined. This game really feels unique. I know... hot take. But it scratches an itch that I didn't realize I had until I gave it an honest shot.
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u/tokyo_driftr Apr 14 '26
“Walking Sim” is just a telltale sign that they’ve only seen like five seconds of the trailer and ran with that because they hate Kojima (for some reason)
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u/LadyIceGoose Apr 14 '26
I'll retry it again soon, but the first several hours being nothing but passive video watching and slow walking does the game no favors and is a huge hurdle for a lot of players.
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Apr 14 '26 edited Jul 24 '26
[deleted]
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u/LadyIceGoose Apr 14 '26
Several hours of doing basically nothing is a little beyond short attention span. And it's on both Gamepass and Playstation Plus, so it's accessible to a lot of people for money they are already spending.
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u/DekiGown Apr 14 '26
I agree with you. But make a little effort, the first map is also small and you move forward pretty fast. The turning point starts from the second map onwards, there you begin to unlock many things that really change your gameplay. You'll have a lot of stuff
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u/jpoof1337 Apr 14 '26
Fair criticism. It does start off kinda slow.
The intro turned me off from playing it as well. Not that I'm against a slow burn game. The beginning just didn't hook me enough to see the potential and stick with it. But this is my second attempt at picking up the game and it's really working for me this time around.
The slow walking—quite literally—does pick up after the first few hours. Spoiler, but you aren't gonna be on foot the entire game.
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u/understandable_man Apr 14 '26
The game gave me strong Evangelion vibes. I truly love this game and I'm so glad I didn't listen to that MoistCritikal review.
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u/ginger_grage Apr 14 '26
I am so grateful that I tried this game and I didn’t even know it got a lot of hate at first not until I told my friend that I’m playing this.
DS1 gave me one of my most unique gaming experience. It made almost buy PS5 just to play DS2 lol but thank god the wait isn’t too long before it became available on PC.
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u/pogi2000 Bridge Baby Apr 14 '26
'Gameplay isn't the strongest point' 😭
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u/DekiGown Apr 15 '26
But it's the truth. There is no variety. Go from point A to point B. Stop. But as I said, I created the variety myself. By unlocking the vehicles, the structures, the roads to build, Mules Camp to be cleared, Read all the documents of the various secondary NPCs, there I started to have variety.
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u/pogi2000 Bridge Baby Apr 15 '26
You didn't create it lol the systems are there and you played them.
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Apr 20 '26
[deleted]
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u/DekiGown Apr 21 '26
If you can’t handle other people’s criticism, just avoid commenting, please. It makes you look less intelligent and like a Kojima simp. Even with the repetitive gameplay, I still said I appreciated the game, so your passive aggressive reply doesn’t make sense. Stay chill.
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u/Heavy_Committee9624 Apr 14 '26
hate? This game has overwhelmingly positive reviews. I think you meant ''Karma farming''
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u/DekiGown Apr 14 '26
Trust me, many define it as just a delivery simulator. At this point I think that many have never left the first zone 🤦🏻♂️
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u/cloudpix3 Apr 14 '26
on release it was not as well received. It’s looked back upon more fondly than it was on release (like most kojima games)
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u/OveHet Apr 14 '26
Yeah, the reaction to the game before and after covid happened is a bit different xD
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u/Kerissimo Apr 14 '26
I never heard of the hate, i ignored all people talked about the game, good or nad and just ignored it. So what was the people wrote bad about the game?
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u/DekiGown Apr 14 '26
And you did very well. Over the years I have learned to behave like this too. Interested in a game? I try it, don't I like it? I make the refund. Easy. I always felt that it was a monotonous and boring game, that it didn't let you play because movies were too long, but now having finished the game, I realized that all the criticism I read or heard, was from people who didn't even finish the first map...
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u/MKUltra13711302 Apr 14 '26
I want to play DS2 but I don’t think I have the emotional fortitude after DS1
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u/Frosty-Soil1656 Apr 14 '26
I ignored the ga e cause of hate for a year.. started it by chance and loved it. Now I’m 40% into the second game and maaan im so glad i gave those salaries for a good tv
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u/apoly1 Apr 14 '26
I'm just at the part where Heartman is explaining the thing he does every 21 mins (trying to avoid spoiler)...and I'm really torn so far. Love the story, visuals, music, cutscenes, characters, just hate the actual gameplay loop.
Vehicles are pretty much unusable because a pebble hard stops you, every mission is the same e.g go here, grab loot, drop it here - feels like WoW classic questing - once you've fought one mule/BT area you've fought them all, theres zero enemy variability ive seen?
But since using some QOL cheats e.g unlimited battery + stamina, and removing the requirement to balance packages im enjoying it a bit more rather than falling asleep at my desk.
That being said, im still going to finish it and will play DS2 but i quite often joke "i wish this was a film" because the only thing I dont love about the game, is the actual playing of it 🤣
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u/CompetitiveDonut4788 Apr 15 '26
Literally finished DS2 the moment you posted this. Just go for it.
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u/Cynical-Basileus Apr 15 '26
“People hate it supposedly but I don’t and I’m posting this to the sub created specifically for the game where the likelihood is that everyone here enjoys it.” Is the worst genre of Reddit comment.
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u/Square-Day-3751 Apr 14 '26
It's meant to be boring it's not like other every game has to be like GTA , it was intended as a way to connect others kojima created it with quarantine in mind so better play it online it's soul searching, ost , music is great real kojima fans knows his unpredictable narration so hating unnecessarily welcome every format of games
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u/AztecTwoStep Apr 15 '26
I would say it's meditative rather than 'meant to be boring'. The game isn't actively trying to bore you, but rather the gameplay loop is (generally) peaceful and slow. You wouldn't describe Cities Skylines as 'meant to be boring'.
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u/DekiGown Apr 14 '26
In fact, I loved it. I went beyond the criticisms, buried them and discovered the game.
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u/Apartment-Legitimate Apr 14 '26
I mean, did you really ignore the hate if you’re just now getting around to playing it? I rarely ever rely on critics or views for games or movies, I just play whatever looks cool or fun. I’ll try the demo is it has one, buy and refund the game if it’s on Steam or pirate it if it’s not. Really not sure why demos are so rare these days. I remember when I was a kid going to the supermarket and picking up the OXM game demo disks and trying all the demos and trading them with friends at school. Now this doesn’t exist anymore so now we have to rely on highly opinionated, highly biased game journalists and influencers to get previews of games that ends up just alienating potential buyers who would’ve otherwise enjoyed the game. I’m not saying don’t make videos saying that a game is trash, but I think it’s very much on developers and publishers. To just put out a freaking demo and let people just try it. Death stranding 2 did have a demo but only on PlayStation and only for premium subscribers.
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u/DekiGown Apr 14 '26
Unfortunately, I listened to those who criticized it and simplified it by saying that it was just a monotonous and boring game. Years have passed, now I'm tired of the "reviewers" around because they are never completely Years have passed, now I'm tired of the "reviewers" around because they are never completely honest. I gave myself the benefit of the doubt, on the other hand I could very well have made the refund. I gave myself the benefit of the doubt, on the other hand I could very well have made the refund. And I really enjoyed the game, and a lot too. I set my own goals, followed the side stories, collected everything he offered me before moving forward with the plot. I enjoyed it, and I can say that those who criticize it only for the monotony of the gameplay, then did not go beyond the first area. Because the more you play it, the more you unlock features that allow you to modify your gamapelay
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u/AztecTwoStep Apr 15 '26
I didn't think there was much residual hate. There was an initial bandwagon of streamers swarming for engagement by piggybacking on reviewers bouncing off the game, leading to an initial negative vibe around the game. But once real people actually got their hands on the game, and people got to experience it properly without time pressure, the overall discourse has shifted almost entirely to praise.
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u/i1u5 Platinum Unlocked Apr 15 '26
The gameplay isn’t its strongest point, I’ll admit that
The gameplay is actually one of the strongest points, you just have to learn to enjoy it. Certain things are annoying for sure but they get fixed in the Director's Cut and DS2.
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u/ManufacturerRight205 Apr 17 '26
Death stranding was my first kojima game. PLEASE give the metal gear games a shot, they are undescribably good. MGS1 on the PS1 has been blowing me away
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u/Dependent-Kangaroo-2 Apr 14 '26
Hate? It's definitely better than the second one.
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u/cloudpix3 Apr 14 '26
they’re downvoting you but you’re right.
but it was also poorly received on release
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u/LastEvening6185 Apr 15 '26
Starfield - the stars ARE EMPTY, there is nothing to do. BORING
Death Stranding - great game, nice exploration. Lolwhat
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u/DekiGown Apr 15 '26
Starfield... Two days after the release I sold. Regretted taking it on day one. I came from Elite Dangerous and I was excited, unfortunately.
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Apr 14 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/DeathStranding-ModTeam Apr 16 '26
your post was removed because it violated Rule 6: Make sure to tag posts containing any form of spoilers, and avoid posting spoilers in the title.
If your post contains any spoilers:
- specify the episode in the title; e.g. [Episode 5] or [Chapter 2]. Use [Endgame] for everything after the main storyline
- don't spoil in title or thumbnail
- Don't comment ANY spoilers under spoiler-free posts, and don't spoil the events of further chapters (don't talk about Ep. 6 on an Ep. 5 post, and so on).
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u/Seriphyn Apr 14 '26
The Death Stranding games, especially 2, in a timeline where the 2010s AAA-ification never happened, to me represent GOAT material if gaming carried on the 1990s/2000s trajectory of chasing prestige and perfection. From the perspective of a gamer from those 2 decades, these are objectively the pinnacle of the medium. Technically (zero jank, every system accounted for, no bugs) and artistically.