It took me a few tries to get into Death Stranding, but its my favorite game now.
For me, I enjoyed being able to take in the environment and experience a simulation of hiking. The opening hours are weird and a bit rough and bare bones compared to later on when you get more freedom and toys to play with, but I’m of the opinion that it’s kinda necessary. The first leg of the game distills down a lot of the core gameplay loop to make sure you’ll be able to vibe with how slow and different the game is. You really have to be down to play a walking simulator in the most literal sense of the term.
The story is bizarre and confusing and refuses to explain itself properly. But if you can power through things not making any sense for a while, you get this really heartfelt story about forming connections to other people in the face of hardship. That said, the first 2 hours of the game are 75% cutscenes, which sucks for hooking a new player. (This was my first Kojima game and I’ve since learned that it’s peak Kojima weirdness and self indulgence)
Overall it’s not a game that everyone is going to enjoy, I dont tend to recommend it to people. But if you’re able to vibe with what the game is going for, you’re in for a treat.
Cruelty Squad is such a bizarre beast. It’s an ugly, unpleasant, and overstimulating game that feels hostile to somebody trying to play it. And despite that, it lives in the back of my head as one of the most unique gaming experiences I’ve had in ages.
The game fucking rules. 10/10 I am a flesh automaton animated by neurotransmitters