As Hideo Kojima’s first title since leaving Konami, Death Stranding had a lot of expectations layered upon it, especially considering the high praise that nearly every Metal Gear Solid game has received. But how does it stack up? We thought it might be interesting to weigh Death Stranding against Metal Gear Solid V, Kojima’s magnum opus for the series.
Story
Death Stranding is an ambitious and unique new IP, something that feels rarer and rarer these days. As such, there’s a lot of world-building and lore to dive into, but the opening segments of the game can definitely be a bit rough to get through.
Kojima has always been known for his heavily symbolic, if not a bit heavy-handed storytelling, and Death Stranding fits that to a tee. Things certainly pick up as you keep going, though.
On the other side of things, Metal Gear Solid V picks things up with an incredibly bombastic opening mission. What you have to consider here as well, is that there’s so much emotion and nostalgia wrapped up into the narrative of MGS V.
Taking place at about the midway point of the franchise’s timeline, players once again take control of Snake, with a bit of a twist though. There are some interesting tidbits and revelations for longtime fans, as well as a chance to spend even more time with beloved characters like Revolver Ocelot.
Even though MGS V’s narrative fails to tie up some threads, and we know story content was cut, it’s still an emotionally-charged experience.
Death Stranding is fascinating, but it feels almost overly symbolic and metaphorical at times. It simply can’t top the way MGS V capped off one of gaming’s biggest franchises.
Winner: Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain
