Death Stranding was a unique game that defined a new genre of gameplay. There are no games on the market that are the same in terms of gameplay when compared to Kojima's masterpiece and because of this, Death Stranding had many new innovative mechanics.
Players may have missed some of the features when they first played the game and this list will highlight 10 that are either innovative or not nearly innovative enough. From vehicles to the breathtaking landscape, here are 5 things that were innovative in the game and 5 things that unfortunately weren't!
10 IT WAS INNOVATIVE: The Graphics
The graphical capability of Death Stranding is ridiculously good when compared to other games that came out in 2019. Death Stranding has arguably the best graphics of any game this generation and they're beyond impressive.
Players were surprised by how high quality the graphics in Death Stranding were when it released and it will continue to be great even years later. There are few games that can rival this one in sheer graphical capability.
9 IT WASN'T INNOVATIVE: The Vehicles
Vehicles are fun in every kind of video game and although they were great in Death Stranding, they just weren't especially interesting. Most of the vehicles were trucks and motorcycles and those aren't a new concept in games.
However, these vehicles did help players cross the rocky terrain faster which was important for missions within the game that had time limits. Players were glad to see vehicles in Death Stranding but while they were useful, they weren't anything special.
8 IT WAS INNOVATIVE: Celebrity Cameos
Norman Reedus of The Walking Dead fame played the game's protagonist Sam Porter Bridges, providing both his appearance and voice. There were also many other familiar faces that fans recognized from their favorite shows and movies. Other names include: Mads Mikkelsen, Guillermo del Toro, Lindsay Wagner, and more.
It's rare to see so many high caliber actors and celebrities appear in a video game, which is why it was so surprising. Not only that, but it was great how well they were implemented and the celebrity cameos in Death Stranding were definitely a selling point. Hopefully, more games will follow this one and add celebrities into their games.
7 IT WASN'T INNOVATIVE: Stealth
The stealth in Death Stranding was fun without a doubt however that doesn't make it especially innovative. Crouching away from BTs slowly was enjoyable and nerve-racking but it wasn't anything players hadn't seen in a bunch of other games.
It's hard to revolutionize stealth gameplay and unfortunately Death Stranding didn't manage to do so. Hopefully if it gets a sequel then the stealth will be implemented in a more unique way.
6 IT WAS INNOVATIVE: Players Helping Players
Players leaving items in the world for other passing players was one of the biggest selling posts of the Reedus-focused game. It was slightly weird to get used to ladders popping up when players really needed them but overall, it was a very helpful feature.
There's no doubt that this mechanic will developers will surely use this mechanic to add some life into their games if they're open world in a similar way to Death Stranding.
5 IT WASN'T INNOVATIVE: The Weapons
There were definitely a few weapons in Death Stranding that added a new mechanic that gamers had never seen before. However, most of the weapons were basically just boring old guns. Only a handful of the weapons were anything new and this was unfortunate because players hoped for some really fun weapons to play with.
Players shouldn't be too disappoint, though, because there are many other innovative features to mess around with within the game. Hopefully, future titles will be more creative with their arsenals unlike this one.
4 IT WAS INNOVATIVE: The In-Game Technology
The technology in Death Stranding was more different than anything players had seen in past titles of similar genres. It added things that would be a hundred years ahead of the real world technology and yet, there were few pieces of equipment that weren't amazing.
There are many things in the game that fall short but the unique technology definitely isn't one of them. Players should spend time looking into the backstory of their favorite items in the game because some of their origin stories are really cool!
3 IT WASN'T INNOVATIVE: Character Customization
Sam Porter wasn't the most customizable protagonist that gamers had ever been able to play around with. Although there were definitely a few options to make him unique, the customization fell flat compared to other titles that launched around the same time.
Maybe a sequel will add more unique items and clothing to dress the protagonist up with, but it seems unlikely because the game is very heavy on gameplay instead of character customization. At least the cost of customization was a bunch of great gameplay features.
2 IT WAS INNOVATIVE: The Terrain
The rocky terrain of Death Stranding was both familiar and extremely new. Because of the amazing graphics, there were few places in the game that weren't breathtaking and the terrain was quite the obstacle for players.
Traversing everything was a treat, from the rivers to the mountains. The most in-depth terrain was definitely the snowy areas because players needed a bunch of items to trek through the snow. More games need to add unique terrain that rivals what was seen in Death Stranding!
1 IT WASN'T INNOVATIVE: The Quests
The quests in Death Stranding were, unfortunately, very boring. Although they had fun parts such as traversing rivers and avoiding the ghostly enemies, there were very few parts that weren't centered around walking. A lot of players decided that the main mechanic of the game was just walking around, which is actually kind of funny because it's true!
The quest dialogue was great but many of them were extremely linear and similar to each other and the player didn't get to make any choices. Maybe a sequel could have more diverse quests but given the way that the game is designed, it doesn't seem like a sequel would stray much from the original in terms of quest design.