Streamlined Opening Chapters
Death Stranding can be a monotonous experience, to say the least, but that’s especially true in the opening three or so chapters. During this time you’re coming to grips with the gameplay loop and eccentricities of the game, but the real problem is that all of your deliveries are basically made on foot.
The real novelty of Death Stranding opens up later as you get access to things like bridges, roads, better vehicles, and ziplines. Needless to say, things get a lot more engaging and diverse later on, but boy is it a slog to get there.
There’s simply so much to distract you during the opening chapters, that you could spend tens of hours without even knowing these later options exist.
It’s a barrier that can, frankly, turn off a lot of players who aren’t willing to stick around for things to get good.
It would have been nice to see Death Stranding expedite that opening experience, for players that wanted to progress faster, even if that’s just by letting you know what you’ll gain access to later on.
