Death Stranding

> Tomorrow Is In Your Hands
> – Tagline
>
>

***Death Stranding*** is a video game developed by Kojima Productions, and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment for the PlayStation 4 and 505 Games for Microsoft Windows. It is directed by Hideo Kojima – the first game he and his reformed studio have worked on since the disbandment of Kojima Productions as a Konami subsidiary in July 2015. The game was officially announced during Sony's E3 2016 press conference. It was released on November 8, 2019 for PlayStation 4 and on July 14, 2020 for Microsoft Windows. In July 2021, it was announced that *Death Stranding Director's Cut* would be coming for the PlayStation 5, which was released on September 24. During Apple's 2023 WWDC keynote, a macOS version of the title was confirmed by Hideo Kojima with a release late year, only to be postponed to the beginning of 2024, and later confirmed available starting January 30th.

It's the first installment of the Death Stranding series, with a sequel being in development.

## Story

### Characters and cast

*Death Stranding* stars Sam (Norman Reedus), a reputed deliveryman on an expedition across the continental United Cities, following in the footsteps of UCA president-to-be Amelie (Emily O'Brien). He works for an organization named Bridges, headed by Die-Hardman (Tommie Earl Jenkins), which also employs several allies he encounters throughout his journey. These allies include Deadman (Guillermo Del Toro); Heartman (Nicolas Winding Refn), an AED-reliant man whose heart stops every 21 minutes; and Mama (Margaret Qualley), a young woman tethered to her beached infant daughter and confined to a Bridges compound.

On his journey west, Sam befriends a young woman named Fragile (Léa Seydoux). Conversely, he is antagonized by Homo Demens figurehead Higgs (Troy Baker) along the way, and finds himself engaged in something of an arch-rivalry with the enigmatic Cliff (Mads Mikkelsen).

### Synopsis

*For a full summary, see here and here.*
In the near future, mysterious explosions have rocked the planet, setting off a series of supernatural events known as the Death Stranding. With spectral creatures plaguing the landscape, and the planet on the verge of a mass extinction, it's up to Sam to journey across the ravaged wasteland and save mankind from extinction.

## Gameplay

*Death Stranding* takes place in an open world with a third-person and occasionally first-person perspective. As the Porter, Sam, the player is tasked with making their way through the world carrying cargo, while overcoming various environmental obstacles with equipment, dealing with various enemies, and progressing through the main story or undertaking side missions. Predominantly taking place in the continental United States of the future, *Death Stranding*'s vast open world includes biomes such as lush grasslands and forests, cold tundra and snow-covered mountain ranges, and reddish dusty drylands, all of which can be fully explored.

Before embarking on deliveries, players can select an amount of cargo to carry, personal protective equipment, traversal equipment, and weapons. Traversal is a core element of the gameplay, demanding topographical route planning and environmental scanning, consideration of carried cargo, and active balancing of Sam as his center of gravity and stability shift. A powered exoskeleton can be worn to enable Sam to carry heavy loads of cargo more easily, or run much faster and jump significantly farther than normal. Heavy loads can be divided between Sam and up to two floating carriers. While in combat, cargo may be dropped to allow for easier movement and picked up again after enemies are dealt with. Additionally, players must manage systems such as health, stamina, cargo integrity, equipment durability and power consumption, and their bridge baby's mental state. Sam can rest in-place and recover lost health and stamina, or soothe his bridge baby and increase his relationship with the infant. Locations in the world such as safe houses, generators, and hot springs function as means of replenishing varying attributes associated with maintaining Sam.

Though players have melee combat and firearms at their disposal to deal with enemies, lethal violence against living enemies is not encouraged. Players are able to incapacitate or restrain enemies, or attempt to circumvent them entirely, and may run, jump, crouch walk, or use vehicles to navigate the world. While under threat from enemies, crouch walking may be used to move stealthily and hide in various cover. When the player dies, they aren't presented with a conventional "Game Over", but instead transported to an "upside-down realm" analogous to a "Continue?" prompt, where they can explore and recover lost items. Player-determined changes to the game world – particularly triggered voidouts – are persistent, remaining in the player's game world even after death.

### Multiplayer

The game's asynchronous multiplayer, named the Social Strand System, enables online players across the world to indirectly help one another. Roads, bridges, and safe houses can be built across the Social Strand System, and players may contribute to the construction of such structures. The paths walked by other players across the Social Strand System may be observed and traversed to reach destinations. Well-trodden paths will smooth over in time, allowing for faster travel down them. Helpful structures, vehicles, equipment, and signs of other Sams may be used by players in their travels. Players making use of the helpful aids of other Sams may express their gratitude by giving them likes. A PlayStation Plus subscription is not required to access the Social Strand System's features, and said features are optional.

## Presentation

Hideo Kojima formally revealed *Death Stranding* at Sony's E3 2016 conference, through a reveal trailer featuring the then-unidentified lead character Sam. At TGA 2016, Kojima Productions revealed a teaser trailer featuring Cliff and Deadman. At TGA 2017, Kojima revealed a second teaser trailer, which provided a more expansive look at the game's unique world and story.

In February 2018, it was revealed that Emily O'Brien and Troy Baker had joined the cast of the game. In May, Shawn Layden of Sony Worldwide Studios revealed that *Death Stranding* would be part of a group of four games (along with *Ghost of Tsushima*, *Marvel's Spider-Man*, and *The Last of Us Part II*) which PlayStation would focus on at E3 2018. At E3 2018, an extensive teaser trailer premiering gameplay and incorporating "Asylums for the Feeling" by Silent Poets (feat. Leila Adu) was presented, showing Fragile and Amelie for the first time; it was revealed that Léa Seydoux and Lindsay Wagner would be part of the game's cast. Later that year at TGS 2018, it was revealed that Tommie Earl Jenkins would portray a key character in the game, and that Akio Ōtsuka, Kikuko Inoue, Nana Mizuki and Satoshi Mikami – *Metal Gear* series veterans – along with Kenjiro Tsuda, had joined the game's Japanese voice cast.

In May 2019, the names of several of the game's main characters were revealed in the release date reveal trailer. In July 2019, after previewing it to attendees of the San Diego Comic Con, Kojima released a trailer spotlighting Heartman. For Gamescon 2019, Kojima revealed showcased introducing Deadman and Sam's bridge baby, Mama, and the Ludens Fan. The following month, Kojima announced that production of the Japanese voice over of the game had finished.

In September 2019, Kojima announced that he was open to developing a sequel to further solidify the "strand game" as a genre. At TGS 2019, Kojima showcased extensive gameplay in the open world of episode 2 ("Amelie") of the game, as well as an in-depth tour of Sam's private room. On September 24, during PlayStation's State of Play presentation, it was confirmed that along with the premiere of *Death Stranding* a special limited edition PlayStation 4 Pro bundle would also be released.

## Development

The development of *Death Stranding* began following Kojima Productions' reformation in December 2015. The game entered full development in 2017. Kojima revealed that in previous games he has worked on, he had to make compromises to bring them to fruition. With *Death Stranding*, however, he stated that the need for compromise is no longer present, and is confident that the game will be "something completely new that no-one has seen so far", as well as his best creative work yet. Kojima was aware of the belief that he was deliberately proceeding too slowly in the game's development, and revealed that was not the case.

Kojima suggested that *Death Stranding* does not fall solely into one specific gaming genre, but rather is largely a new genre of gaming entirely: a "strand game". Its genre-defying nature has been described in a similar vein to that of *Metal Gear*: In its infancy, *Metal Gear* was initially considered to be merely an action game, as the stealth genre was not thought to exist at the time; it would go on to be perceived as something more specific and unique due to its novel stealth elements, ultimately ushering in the stealth genre of video games.

### Concept

All elements of the game, from its story to gameplay, are bound by a unifying idea – that of the "strand", or connection. Kojima believes that humans have constructed "walls" between themselves, and have grown accustomed to isolation. He hopes that in playing *Death Stranding*, players come to form new bonds with other players around the globe, and that they come to understand the importance of forging new connections with others.

According to Kojima, most action games consist of players communicating with the equivalents of "sticks" – swords, guns, punches, kicks and other avenues of physical communication – with the "stick" metaphorically being humanity's first invention. Kojima aims to "tie people together" by utilizing humanity's second invention: the "rope". Despite there being an increased emphasis on "ropes", "sticks" will still be utilized in the game as well, in conjunction with "ropes".

### Engine

*Further information: Decima*

After a worldwide tour of video game studios, and with the technical advisement of Mark Cerny, Kojima narrowed down two game engines for *Death Stranding*, one of which was used to create the game's E3 2016 teaser trailer. Kojima ultimately chose Guerrilla Games' in-house Decima engine after being sent a box containing the engine's source code, which "made [him] very happy". Additionally, Kojima set up a small satellite studio at Guerrilla Games, in order to work in close liaison with the Dutch studio to improve the engine.

### Music

The official soundtrack of *Death Stranding* is composed by Ludvig Forssell, who previously worked with Kojima on *Metal Gear Solid V*. *Death Stranding: Timefall* is an original album inspired by the game, featuring music created by artists such as CHVRCHES, Khalid, Major Lazer, and more.

The first two trailers for *Death Stranding* used songs produced by the Icelandic band Low Roar: "I'll Keep Coming" in the reveal trailer and "Easy Way Out" in the TGA 2016 teaser trailer. In February 2017, a limited edition 12" single containing the aforementioned two songs was published by Mondo Records, in conjunction with Kojima Productions. This was the first piece of merchandise released for *Death Stranding*. At E3 2018, the revealed teaser trailer used Silent Poets' "Asylum for the Feeling" as a background song. The official release date trailer would later use the song "Path" by the band Apocalyptica.

## Release

Several release windows were given throughout *Death Stranding*'s development. Kojima stated that, "[*Death Stranding*] will be out before the Olympics", referencing the Tokyo 2020 Games. Additionally, in 2016, he stated that "there is a movie called *Akira*, and [*Death Stranding*] will be out before the year in which *Akira* is set", with that year being 2019. During the TGS 2018 stage panel, Kojima mentioned that the game is still on track to release when planned, which is the year 2019 in which *Akira* is set. In a podcast with Dan Fogler, Norman Reedus corroborated a 2019 release. In March 2019, Kojima revealed that "*Death Stranding* is very slightly behind our initial plan, but not behind by much."

On May 29, 2019, on a co-branded PlayStation Twitch stream, the release date trailer was shown for the first time. It announced that *Death Stranding* will be released on November 8, 2019. The game will be offered in Standard, Special, Digital Deluxe, and Collector's editions.

On October 28, 2019, a Kojima Productions tweet revealed that *Death Stranding* would release on Microsoft Windows in early summer of 2020, published by 505 Games.

### Pre-order bonuses

* *Death Stranding* dynamic PS4 theme
* Chibi Ludens PS4 avatar
* In-game items\*:
	+ Gold "Sam" sunglasses
	+ Gold hat
	+ Gold speed skeleton
	+ Gold armor plate

\* Unlocked in-game via story progression.

### Special Edition

* Pre-order bonuses
* Steelbook case
* *Death Stranding: Timefall* (original music from the world of *Death Stranding*)
	+ Music album digital download
	+ Behind the scenes making of video
* Gold "Ludens Mask" sunglasses\*

\* Unlocked in-game via story progression.

### Digital Deluxe Edition

* Pre-order bonuses
* *Death Stranding: Timefall* (original music from the world of *Death Stranding*)
	+ Music album digital download
	+ Behind the scenes making of video
* 10 PSN character avatars
* In-game items\*:
	+ Gold power skeleton
	+ Gold "Ludens Mask" sunglasses
	+ Gold armor plate (lvl. 2)
	+ Gold all-terrain skeleton

\* Unlocked in-game via story progression.

### Collector's Edition

* Pre-order bonuses
* Bridges cargo case
* Full-sized BB pod
* Custom steelbook (including full PS4 game)
* Ludens keychain
* *Death Stranding: Timefall* (original music from the world of *Death Stranding*)
	+ Music album digital download
	+ Behind the scenes making of video
* 10 PSN character avatars
* In-game items\*:
	+ Gold power skeleton
	+ Gold "Ludens Mask" sunglasses"
	+ Gold armor plate (lvl. 2)
	+ Gold all-terrain skeleton

\* Unlocked in-game via story progression.

### Limited Edition PlayStation 4 Pro

* Pre-order bonuses
* 1TB PS4 Pro system with special *Death Stranding*-inspired design
* Translucent, BB pod-inspired DualShock 4 wireless controller
* *Death Stranding* complete avatar set
* *Death Stranding: Timefall* (original music from the world of *Death Stranding*)
	+ Music album digital download
	+ Behind the scenes making of video
* In-game items\*:
	+ Gold power skeleton
	+ Gold "Ludens Mask" sunglasses
	+ Gold armor plate (lvl. 2)
	+ Gold all-terrain skeleton

\* Unlocked in-game via story progression.

## Reception

### Prerelease

In early 2019, Kojima privately demoed the first two hours of an early version of the game to Guerrilla Games and *Metal Gear Solid* movie director Jordan Vogt-Roberts. This early showing received much excitement and praise from the viewing parties, with Vogt-Roberts describing the game world as "next-level immaculate". Sam Lake of Remedy Entertainment was also shown the game and stated that it "dares to push the boundaries". In March, *The Division 2* director Julian Gerighty was shown the game, and was left thinking it was "mind-blowing" and would be "timeless". In April, Iain Cook of the band CHVRCHES was shown the game by Kojima and was likewise left in awe, stating, "Some of the shit he is doing with the new game is unlike anything I have seen anyone else do."

*Death Stranding* also received notable criticism in its prerelease phase. According to Alanah Pearce, then of IGN, one prolific game developer is said to have tried the game and not liked what they played. David Jaffe, best known for directing the *Twisted Metal* series and *God of War* (2005), criticized the game's marketing in a video titled "Death Stranding Marketing: What Are They Thinking?!?". He questioned how well-thought-out the game's marketing plan was, and suggested that "Maybe Kojima's just drank a little bit too much of his own kool-aid and thinks that the kind of cryptic, weird shit that his hardcore fans love... Maybe he's like, 'That's what they love!'", additionally stating that such marketing is rather limited in audience reach. He compared *Death Stranding*'s marketing to that of *Gears 5* – a game also being marketed at the time – noting how more accessible *Gears 5* came off as being from its marketing, and claimed that *Death Stranding* would "need word of mouth to save it, because it's fucking weird".

### Critical response

*Death Stranding* received "generally positive reviews" according to review aggregator Metacritic. The game received many perfect scores, with reviewers touting it as a masterpiece. Many reviewers praised the story, characters, visual design, and multiplayer. Others criticized the core gameplay loop as being monotonous, tedious, and unable to carry the game's full weight, and the story for being overbearing and backloaded until the game's later stages. *Gameplanet*'s Billy Atman claimed that *Death Stranding* would "surely be the most divisive game of this generation", and Dan Dawkins of *The Guardian* predicted that players' relationship with *Death Stranding* would shift in waves. Giovanni Colantonio of *Digital Trends* forecast that "some people will hail it as a technical and narrative masterpiece that pushes the medium forward" while others would "simply be bored by the slow, repetitive gameplay" and that both takes were valid.

For their character portrayals, the game's cast members received much praise. Chris Carter of *Destructoid* felt that every cast member, big or small, was essential to the experience and dedicated to their role. S*creen Rant*'s Cody Gravelle thought it was impressive how well the main cast members resonated with and settled the "complex, sometimes ridiculous" narrative of the game while still evoking emotional responses.

Reception of the core gameplay loop of delivering cargo over vast distances was mixed. Kat Bailey of *USgamer* wrote that the delivery loop was *Death Stranding*'s biggest weakness, finding that it was exhausting and "started to feel like filler at a certain point". Tristan Ogilvie of *IGN* claimed *Death Stranding* was "a glorified series of fetch quests" and that many of its mechanics were "seemingly designed to cause the friction that slows your progress as much as possible". *GameSpot*'s Kallie Plagge suggested that *Death Stranding* argued in its story and gameplay that adversity makes things worth doing and life worth living. Likewise, *Kotaku*'s Heather Alexandra described the game as long and grueling, but noted that those qualities were fundamentally important to its identity.

The Social Strand System was well-received for its asynchronous cooperative multiplayer features. Codi Spence of *Gaming Trend* appreciated the sense of community and unification elicited by the system in effect. *Game Revolution*'s Jason Faulkner described it as being "simple in concept, but revolutionary in execution" and believed that it bridged the divide between single-player and multiplayer gaming. Jade King of *Trusted Reviews* wrote that the Social Strand System enhanced all parts of the game while intertwining perfectly with the game's narrative themes. While praising the Social Strand System for its surface presentation, *IGN*'s Ogilvie highlighted the lessening of boss fights' difficulty and potentially misleading nature of incomplete or poorly placed player objects as shortcomings of the system. Furthermore, Ogilvie criticized the system for its lack of configuration settings.

### Controversy

In late September 2019, Hideo Kojima received backlash for an English tweet wherein he clarified that he uses the "A Hideo Kojima Game" label because of his direct involvement in many crucial aspects of a game's development from beginning to end. The use of "me doing" in his English tweet lead many to criticize him for seemingly taking full credit for the aspects of game development he mentioned. However, his tweet was partially mistranslated from his original Japanese tweet, wherein he uses the word 関わる ("involved") and not "me doing" as is used in his English translated tweet, and states that he would not use the label if his only contribution were a concept, game design, or producing.

## Other Media

### Novelizations

On November 29, 2019, a two-part novelization for the game, titled *Death Stranding: The Official Novelization*, came out in Japan , written by Kenji Yano (under the pen-name Hitori Nojima), also the author for the novelization of *Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, Metal Gear Solid - The Phantom Pain, Metal Gear Solid and Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty.* On August 19, 2020, a translation f the novelitazion is set to release on February 16, 2021 publishe d by Penguin Random House. The cover for the novelization features artwork by Pablo Uchida.

### Film adaptation

See *Death Stranding (film)*

On December 15, 2022, a film adaptation of *Death Stranding* was announced by Hideo Kojima, who partnered with Alex Lebovici's Hammerstone Studios to produce the film alongside Kojima Productions US and Allan Ungar as executive producer. During the presentation of the documentary **Hideo Kojima Connectiong Worlds**, during the **Tribeca Film Festival 2023**, Hideo Kojima confirmed that he will not direct the film adaptation but that he is deeply involved in producing, supervising, plotting, look, design and content of the film. Through their online shop A24 confirms the collaboration for the film.

## Gallery

### Key art

Original key artKey art featuring SamKey art featuring Sam covered in tar, used as the game's steel book cover artKey art featuring Sam holding the bridge babyKey art featuring Sam holding the bridge babyKey art featuring CliffKey art featuring DeadmanKey art featuring FragileKey art featuring AmelieKey art featuring Die-HardmanKey art featuring HeartmanKey art featuring HiggsKey art featuring Mama

### Trailers

Death Stranding – E3 2016 Reveal TrailerDeath Stranding – TGA 2016 Teaser TrailerDeath Stranding – TGA 2017 Teaser TrailerDeath Stranding – E3 2018 Teaser TrailerDeath Stranding – TGS 2018 TrailerDeath Stranding – Release Date Reveal TrailerDeath Stranding – Launch Trailer
### Commercials

Death Stranding – The Drop TV CommercialRick and Morty x Death Stranding AD
## Notes

* *Death Stranding* has a minimum install size of 55GB on PlayStation 4.
* A key theme in the game, as well its namesake concept, is cetacean stranding – the phenomenon of cetaceans stranding themselves ashore. The event is more encompassing in *Death Stranding* than it is in reality, however; several other forms of marine life are seen stranded on the Beach alongside cetaceans, including crustaceans and fish.
* Development of *Death Stranding* was so smooth that Sony Interactive Entertainment stated, "We've never seen a game be made at such a fast pace."
* Three *Death Stranding* Easter eggs can be found in Guerrilla Games' *Horizon Zero Dawn*:

[[File:Stranded Shackles
Stranded Figure.png]]
1. Stranded Necklace – Sam's Q-pid, described in-game as "Six tarnished metal ingots threaded with a plain wire";
2. Stranded Shackles – Sam's cuff links, described in-game as "Shackles made from an unknown, smooth material";
3. Stranded Figure – Amelie's doll, described in-game as "A battered idol of an infant, smelling faintly of decay".

* In early October 2016, Kojima took the development team of *Death Stranding* to visit the Meguro Parasitological Museum, with the purpose of showing his staff members how fundamental parasites are to the ecosystem.

## References

1. ^ ***a*** ***b*** Twitter · @HIDEO\_KOJIMA\_EN – "*[...] DS is not a stealth game. Could move subjectively but not a FPS shooting game either. By incorporating with the concept of connection(strand), it's totally brand new genre called action game/strand game(social strand system).*"
2. **^** Polygon – "*DS on macOS*"
3. **^** Death Stranding DC macOS version delayed
4. **^** macOS and iOS release
5. **^** PlayStation.com – "*Death Stranding Game | PS4*"
6. **^** Twitter · @HIDEO\_KOJIMA\_EN – "*[...] The snow mountain is not the set, the path exists and you can actually go climb up the mountain. The snow mountain appears in the beginning of the trailer is exactly what it is.*"
7. ^ ***a*** ***b*** IGN – "*Kojima Explains Death Stranding Gameplay and Lore*"
8. **^** Engadget – "*Sony is trying a new format for its E3 press conference*"
9. **^** DualShockers – "*Death Stranding — Here Are All the New Details Shared by Hideo Kojima and by the Japanese Cast [UPDATED]*"
10. **^** GameSpot – "*Death Stranding Sequels Might be Necessary, Kojima Says*"
11. **^** YouTube · IGN – "*Death Stranding and the Future of PlayStation (Hideo Kojima, Mark Cerny & Hermen Hulst)*"
12. **^** Digital Spy – "*Hideo Kojima confident Death Stranding will be his "best work"*"
13. **^** Twitter · @KojiPro2015\_EN – "*Part 9 of 9. When asked about what genre is the game.*"
14. ^ ***a*** ***b*** IGN – "*E3 2016: More Cryptic Death Stranding Details From Kojima*"
15. **^** Instagram · @hideo\_kojima – "*Death Stranding conceptual explanation leaflet (EN)*"
16. **^** GamesRadar+ – "*Here's what Death Stranding is actually about, according to Hideo Kojima*"
17. **^** Twitter · @KojiPro2015\_EN – "*Part 8 of 9, how Kobo Abe's sticks and ropes are keywords.*"
18. **^** Polygon – "*Death Stranding's teaser probably won't be playable, Hideo Kojima says*"
19. **^** GamesRadar+ – "*Here's everything we know about Death Stranding's Guerrilla Games produced Decima engine*"
20. **^** Twitter · @HIDEO\_KOJIMA\_EN – "*Apocalyptica is a metal cello band from Finland who I have been fan of for over 20 years. I finally got to meet them (Thanks to Sam Lake!) in Helsinki earlier this year. We both felt a creative "strand" to each other and I was delighted to use their track for the latest trailer.*"
21. **^** IGN – "*Death Stranding Will Be Out Before 2019, May Feature Heroine*"
22. **^** Reddit – "*Dan Fogler's podcast with Norman Reedus*"
23. **^** IGN – "*Death Stranding Is A Little Behind Schedule, Says Kojima*"
24. **^** Twitter · @KojiPro2015\_EN – "*KOJIMA PRODUCTIONS is happy to announce that DEATH STRANDING will be coming to PC in early summer of 2020!!*"
25. **^** Twitter · @akisaitokojipro – "*Showed the first 2 hours of gameplay to our Guerrilla brothers. Yes, Hideo was demonstrating it! (The game is not fully completed...yet) The picture show's the friendship between us! Keeps our mutual secrets here!*"
26. **^** Twitter · @VogtRoberts – "*So @HIDEO\_KOJIMA\_EN let me play DEATH STRANDING! The world is next-level immaculate. It's like freebasing pure Kojima & Shinkawa. Remember when FURY ROAD blew you away but also made you (in the best-most-thankful way) ask "wtf" how does this miracle exist? YOU. ARE. NOT. READY!*"
27. **^** Twitter · @SamLakeRMD – "*With @HIDEO\_KOJIMA\_EN @Kojima\_Hideo. He is an inspiration. #DeathStranding dares to push the boundaries. It's wonderful to be able to compare notes. Happy and honored to call him a friend. @remedygames @ControlRemedy*"
28. **^** Twitter · @jgerighty – "*Over the course of making #TheDivision2 we did many many awesome things and received support from many other developers. Hugely thankful to @Kojima\_Hideo for having welcomed us to his gorgeous studio and shown us his mind blowing game. Trust me, #DeathStranding will be timeless.*"
29. **^** Comic Book – "*'Death Stranding' "Is Unlike Anything I Have Seen Anyone Else Do"*"
30. **^** YouTube
· Beyond! – "*Death Stranding Conspiracy Theories - Beyond 548*"
31. **^** YouTube · David Jaffe – "*Death Stranding Marketing: What Are They Thinking?!?*"
32. **^** Metacritic – "*Death Stranding for PlayStation 4 Reviews*"
33. ^ ***a*** ***b*** Gameplanet Australia – "*Death Stranding Review*"
34. ^ ***a*** ***b*** Trusted Reviews – "*Death Stranding Review*"
35. ^ ***a*** ***b*** Game Revolution – "*Death Stranding Review*"
36. **^** Gaming Trend – "*A journey for the people — Death Stranding review*"
37. ^ ***a*** ***b*** Screen Rant – "*Death Stranding Review: Tomorrow is Here*"
38. **^** Game Informer – "*Death Stranding Review – The Wanderer*"
39. ^ ***a*** ***b*** ***c*** IGN – "*Death Stranding Review*"
40. **^** The Guardian – "*Death Stranding review – Hideo Kojima's radically tough slow-burning epic*"
41. **^** Digital Trends – "*Death Stranding Review: A Long, Tedious Journey Worth Taking*"
42. **^** Destructoid – "*Review: Death Stranding*"
43. **^** USgamer – "*Death Stranding Review: The Boldest, And Most Perplexing, Game of 2019*"
44. **^** GameSpot – "*Death Stranding Review - Live Free, Die-Hardman*"
45. **^** Kotaku – "*Death Stranding: The Kotaku Review*"
46. **^** Twitter · @HIDEO\_KOJIMA\_EN – "*A HIDEO KOJIMA GAME means the declaration of me doing concept, produce, original story, script, setting, game design, casting, dealing, directing, difficulty adjustments, promoting, visual design, editing, supervising the merch.*"
47. **^** Twitter · @Kojima\_Hideo – "*“A HIDEO KOJIMA GAME"とは、企画、プロデュース、原作、脚本、設定、ゲームデザイン、キャスティング、交渉等の川上から、演出、監督、難易度調整、プロモーション、ビジュアル、PV編集、グッズ監修までの川下までにも関わるという宣言。原案やゲームデザイン、プロデュースまでの作品にはつけない。*"
48. **^** Twitter · @metasynthie – "*If you want to know what Kojima was actually trying to communicate in that tweet, here's my attempt at a de-mangled translation*"
49. **^** Deadline – "*DS film announced*"
50. **^** Twitter – "*Kojima not directing DS film*"
51. **^** A24 x Kojima Productions
52. **^** Siliconera – "*Hideo Kojima, Koei Tecmo, Falcom, Level-5, And Aquaplus Talk Future Projects And Plans*"
53. **^** Twitter · @HIDEO\_KOJIMA\_EN – "*2/3 Today virus's the one to get all interests but I wanted to tell my staff the parasites is deeply involved in the coar of our ecosystems.*"

## External links

* Official webpage
* PlayStation.com game overview