It’s not uncommon to just not “get” a game the first time you play it. There’s a handful of games over my life that I just didn’t gel with initially, but years down the road I’d come back and absolutely love — Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic for one. Death Stranding is the latest game to join that list, but not necessarily because I didn’t get it the first time around, but because it integrally feels like a different experience than I had six years ago. And there are two entirely distinct reasons for that — the game’s fascinating blend of single and multiplayer, and playing it in a post-2020 world.
Hideo Kojima’s games have an uncanny way of becoming even more relevant years after they release. Metal Gear Solid 2 was all about the rise of internet disinformation, and Metal Gear Solid 4 featured heavy themes about proxy wars, where humans control autonomous machines in combat. But Death Stranding is easily Kojima’s most prescient game to date, an experience all about isolation, the danger of social media, and reconnecting with other people.
