Death Stranding

After leaving Konami, Hideo Kojima founded his own studio and created a game that defies classification: Sam Bridges, played by Norman Reedus, delivers packages across a fractured United States after a mysterious catastrophe called the Death Stranding opened a gateway between the world of the living and the dead. The very act of walking is the core of the gameplay, as the player must contend with terrain, cargo weight, character fatigue, and invisible entities called BTs, while an online cooperation network lets players share ladders, ropes, and structures with other players without ever meeting them directly.

Few major games place such emphasis on preparation before setting out: how cargo is stacked on the back affects balance, controller triggers are used to steady the load when stumbling, and crossing a shallow river becomes a tense trial. Progressing through the game means connecting further settlements to the so-called chiral network, unlocking not only the story but also the ability to build roads, elevators, and cable cars that other players contribute to as well. A route someone painstakingly carved out thus eases the way for complete strangers, with the only form of contact remaining left-behind signs and likes. A star-studded cast including Mads Mikkelsen and Léa Seydoux, plus a distinctly melancholic soundtrack, only heighten the bizarre, surreal tone of a story about isolation, connection, and American division.

Reviews were split between enthusiasm for the bold, meditative gameplay and criticism of its slow pace, yet the game built a strong fanbase and became a symbol of artistically uncompromising work within the mainstream industry. The term "strand game," coined for it, refers to connecting isolated people through invisible threads of cooperation, a theme that proved unexpectedly timely just before the worldwide pandemic isolation. The expanded Director's Cut edition and its sequel only confirmed that Kojima had found an audience willing to follow him.