I sank over 100+ hours into this game. To say it's a great game doesn't do it justice.

Unfortunately, I didn't get to grab all of the achievements before I'm writing this, but I want to impress upon you how important this game is to me.

A lot of people will boil this game down to be a "walking simulator" or "mailman simulator." But it's so much more than that. Suspend what you want from a video game, and play it. It's something to be experienced:

When I looked at this game, I saw a very real world. I saw a very real possibility of things happening like this. I saw the emotional investment. And I saw the actors too. I saw Norman Reedus, not just as the actor, but as an actual character in this game. He felt like "Sam Bridges." He wasn't just haphazardly thrown into the game for star power. He really and truly felt like a person to me. Hideo Kojima does an ASTOUNDING job of blowing past uncanny valley. At no point did I ever feel like I was looking at an immitation of a human. This was so important for me, because a lot of people don't put as many small details in character and environment animation, and make this all feel alive. The voice acting only ever helped. It was weird, unconventional, and purposeful.

The story has so many beats that keeps you guessing, but at the same time, shows you everything right to your face. It's beautiful and the way it shows it to you is a cinematic choice that in very typical Kojima fashion, can only be told to you in the form of a game. I was moved to tears. There were so many times where I understood the hesitance of wanting to get closer to people, and so many things about what Sam Bridges says will ring out to you, but then you hear the hopes of the other characters too... Of Deadman, Heartman, Mama, BB, and more... Including the preppers. And you change. You hear them and why it's so important that we come together and not be scared.

The music choice is what now got me into Low Roar. I listen to them whenever I'm working now, so that I feel just a bit more at peace. It's something that you feel, as you journey across America westward. I... I'm not sure if I have the words to say how happy it makes me feel. So I'll just say that you should listen and make your own judgement.

Now... Gameplay, the most contentious part on everyone's mind. The game's tutorial introduces you to traversing America that has been devastated by a combination of BTs and Timefall. You're immediately shown the very ghostly threat of what BTs can do through the game's narration, and what the Timefall does to anything it touches. Death itself is also something that shouldn't be taken lightly. This isn't the kind of game that you should be going in guns ablaze. Can you? Yes. Should you? Well... If you want to experience that, go ahead. Death Stranding shows you what happens.

The game gets complicated, so it starts you off very slow. Traverse the land, deliver the package, form the connection. That's the basis of the game. Simple enough, yes? Well, it does get tougher, and the game helps you evolve to meet the threats that only get stronger. As you form your connections, you get access to more tools, and as you connect, you can also connect with the other players playing this game to help make delivering your packages easier too. Help them build the roads to connect the world again, not for America, but for the people who live in it. As you help yourself, you will help others... In subtle, but meaningful ways. It's... brilliant, and one I think people shouldn't sleep on because it's unconventional.

In my eyes, this game is a solid 10/10, maybe 11/10. Play it, and let yourself enjoy it. Don't go into this game expecting things. In fact, even with my review, I want you to be able to go through this game with a blank slate. You are Sam Porter Bridges, become the Great Deliverer. Tomorrow is in your hands.