This extremely alien and unrecognizable vision of America arguably strengthens the game’s themes, instead of conflicting with them. Death Stranding’s resemblance to Iceland does not appear to be accidental. A PBS Nature episode called Iceland: Fire and Ice notes that " Iceland is a mere child in geologic terms ." Death Stranding predicted the future in a variety of ways, but with its geography, it reaches into the ancient past of the Earth. The game imagines an America reshaped by geological processes, with countless years compressed into the mere decades since the Death Stranding event took place thanks to the influence of Timefall. The literal imagery of America is not recognizable to players familiar with the real-world country, while the game’s themes symbolize an America that is becoming something unrecognizable thanks to increasing polarization, as the population is spiritually separated by insurmountable political divi

The timing of the worldwide pandemic gave Death Stranding another layer of meaning. Death Stranding 2 Cheats Stranding depicts the lifestyle of isolated "Preppers" living in shelters to avoid the threat of Timefall and Beached Things, waiting on Porters from agencies like Bridges and Fragile Express to deliver vitally needed goods. This hit close to home for the many who were isolated in their homes due to the threat of COVID-19, forced to depend on delivery services like Amazon for their basic needs. Death Stranding’s meaning changed over time , due to the pandemic, and other games released during that period like The Last of Us 2 also carried unexpected weight. The America that Sam hikes across in Death Stranding is not the America its residents know, and the real-world country is not the one that they thought they k

While Sam’s "fetch quests" may feel arduous from a gameplay standpoint, with some treks easily taking more than an hour, they do not approach the time required to cross the real-world USA on foot, which is generally estimated at about six months. The altered geography of Death Stranding’s America is a result of the Timefall, and synchs well with the game’s themes, while the smaller map size, of course, is simply a necessary compromise to making it a playable game. Traveling through the dangerous landscape feels like a struggle, and reaching a destination feels like an accomplishment. The official Death Stranding novels describe most of Sam’s deliveries as taking days or weeks to accomplish. This means that the game presents an abstracted and compacted snapshot of Sam’s experiences, as opposed to a literal simulation of walking across the

To help the player feel not so alone, or bored while walking, a music player should be integral for the sequel. The game needs to pick the licensing rights to the songs it wants carefully, as some songs may not be to everyone’s taste, but one would think the advanced technology in Death Stranding , one would invent a music pla

If industry insider Tom Henderson is to be believed, the project Kojima Productions is busy with is titled Overdose , and it is a horror game. Henderson also claims that the game features Margaret Qualley and that players will be able to control the game using their mobile phones. None of these leaks have been verified, though Henderson has a track record that has made him a reliable source. It also seems in line with Kojima's aspirations, as he has shown interest in making a horror title for a long time. Though he briefly had an opportunity with Silent Hills , he left Konami before he had the opportunity to execute on his id

Walking across America can be lonely, and it can be extremely quiet. There’s a great soundtrack in Death Stranding thanks to Low Roar , who feature prominently in Kojima’s game. Low Roar’s songs only play in designated segments, which add a new layer of emotion to the scene. However, these songs are lost to the game after such sections are comple

During the 14 main story episodes of Death Stranding , players come to understand more about the nature of the event that changed the world and reshaped the landscape. They see the duality of Bridget Strand, as "America’s last president" tasks her adopted son Sam to reconnect the country, even while the Amelie aspect of her persona acts as an agent of extinction. Current American political leaders face a similar choice, as some act to worsen the divide and erode hard-earned civil liberties, leaving others the unenviable task of trying to repair that damage. The America of today is unrecognizable as the USA of a decade ago, just as the America depicted in Death Stranding is wholly alien and sinister. For all its infamously tedious and demanding gameplay, **Death Stranding ** is a breezy power fantasy in a sense, as it depicts a scenario where one man can heal and reconnect America simply by walking while carrying a heavy l

Kojima Productions isn't a studio known for churning out a great number of games, but it still manages to grab the attention of the gaming world thanks to its ability to provide truly unique experiences. Death Stranding was a good glimpse of the innovation the studio is capable of, and it appears that developers are interested in taking things to the next level with the upcoming projects. Furthermore, the studio will be embracing the world of film, which is unsurprising, as Hideo Kojima is a lifelong movie buff . Though there likely won't be any new game releases from Kojima Productions this year, games can look forward to plenty of updates regarding the many projects in developm