Death Stranding is one of the most unique AAA gaming experiences in years. It isn’t focused on massacring enemies or simulating a real-life setting. Instead, the gameplay and narrative aim to tell a story about connections between people and what we lose when it is severed.
Critics and gamers are divided on their opinions, but they can all get appreciation from the following ten memes listed below. It’s easy to make fun of the new concept and the ridiculous nature of the story, as well as the eccentricities of its creator, Hideo Kojima, but all of these are done with love by fans.
10 Bad Influence
The debate is as old as the medium rages on. Don’t video games make kids violent? Well, if gently rocking a baby to calm it down is an act of violence, then we don’t want to be pacifists. In fact, few moments in Death Stranding involve shooting and combat. When it does, it is usually in self-defense.
Most threats are avoidable. We just hope the game doesn’t have the same effect with children that Game of Thrones had with Huskies. Fans bought the dogs because of their likeness to direwolves, and then abandoned them after realizing the amount of care they require.
9 True Love
When two artists meet, they can look at each other’s respective creations like they are in love. Guillermo del Toro’s films are brimming with bizarre ideas, so the concept of Bridge Babies - unborn children used to help detect Beach Things - is right up his alley.
One can only hope to find someone who gazes upon them with the same infatuation as the way del Toro looks at a BB.
8 They Just Don’t Get It
Detractors lob this complaint against the game. They confuse boring with slow, and the two are not synonymous. At the same time, can they be convinced otherwise?
To use another example, could someone really be blamed if they were unable to watch Andrei Tarkovsky’s Stalker because it is almost three hours and moves along at a snail’s pace? Anyone without the patience to sit through it is only robbing themselves of the fantastic narrative and emotional moments, although that does not make their reaction any less valid.
7 Tommy Stranding
Ever since The Room’s rise to cult status, Tommy Wiseau has been an inescapable cult phenomenon. Borderlands 3 already contains a side quest paying homage to the odd filmmaker and personality, so it’s not a stretch to think Death Stranding would feature him.
While a cameo as a prepper would have been neat, we think his talents would have been better suited as a BB. Sadly, it never came to pass, but there’s always the possible sequel. Maybe Death Stranding 2 has a spot for Tommy in the cast.
6 Spider-Sam
In a way, one can draw comparison’s between Spider-Man and Sam Bridges. The high crime in New York City keeps people paranoid and suspicious of others. They make walls to keep others out for fear of harm. With someone like Spider-Man keeping the streets clean, citizens can feel more comfortable and trusting, making it easier to forge connections.
Who knows, maybe if Tobey Maguire were still acting, he would have nabbed the lead role in Death Stranding, and it would have looked something like the picture above.
5 Babies Don’t Understand
How many readers have ever had intense conversations with infants, while knowing full well the child doesn’t understand a single word? It can be therapeutic, at times, and is ultimately the way they learn the language.
Trying to explain something as complex as the future is a whole other level, though. Parents will read to their newborns or sing songs, not talk about ambitions and troubles. It worked out in the end, though, as the conversations were key to Sam figuring out part of the game’s puzzles.
4 But This Time It’s Fun
Games are often seen as an escape; a place where the stresses of real-life don’t exist. However, not every piece of entertainment has to be a thoughtless respite from reality.
Those who wanted to play Death Stranding for some rest and relaxation were in for a cruel surprise, especially any parents or delivery people. Even they have to admit, though, it is more fun to do in the game than it is in reality. Most parents love their babies, but taking care of them is difficult.
3 Subtext
Kojima was never known for subtlety, and this trend continues in Death Stranding. The creator often hits his themes right on the nose, letting the player know full well what he’s trying to say, sometimes to the story’s detriment.
Too much exposition can be a bad thing. If themes and plot points are reiterated ad nauseam, the player may feel like they are being talked down to.
2 We Feel The Same
Even the most hardened badasses can melt at the sight of cuteness. In Brooklyn Nine-Nine a cat brought out Rosa’s soft side. For Sam, BB’s charm forced him to let his guard down, forging one of the first connections he had with any living thing in almost a decade.
We all have something we feel so strongly for, we would literally go crazy if it received so much as a scratch. For some, it was BB in Death Stranding.
1 It’s True
Not every male fantasy involves violence or carnal actions. Sometimes, it is something as simple as carrying all the groceries into the house in one trip. In real life, most men refuse to back down from such a challenge, even if it means potentially breaking some of the products.
We hate to play into stereotypes, but in this situation, it exists for a reason. A significant portion of male readers could probably attest to trying the same thing several times in their lives. Now they needn’t try anymore since Death Stranding can fulfill this wish on a whim.
