Death Stranding, the long-awaited open world game from Hideo Kojima, just recently launched, giving fans the world over a chance to deliver packages in a post-apocalyptic wasteland. In celebration of the game, Death Stranding fans have started to put together memes that acknowledge its quirks and flaws, while also pushing back against some of the common criticisms that have been levied against it.
Many of the Death Stranding memes seem to focus on the game's social features. For the uninitiated, Death Stranding has social features that let players influence other players' worlds. For example, one player might build a bridge over a river that other players can utilize in their own games. Players are able to voice their approval of structures made by other players by gifting them with "likes," which help raise their Porter grade. This sense of community is one of the driving forces of the Death Stranding experience, so it's no surprise to see it getting so much attention in the memes.
Here are some of the best Death Stranding memes we were able to find on the game's subreddit:
Other Death Stranding memes poke fun at some of the game's quirks, like its controls. For those who haven't played the game, players often have to use L2 and R2 to balance main character Sam Bridges when he is hauling a lot of packages at once. Failure to do so will cause Sam to stumble, potentially falling to the ground and dropping his packages.
Death Stranding critics have used the controls in their arguments against the game, in addition to how much walking there is. Death Stranding is basically all about walking from one place to the next, and so it has been given the derogatory label of "walking simulator" by some players. However, there are clearly those in the Death Stranding community who don't mind this style of gameplay, and even seem to think that it's one of the game's more appealing characteristics.
Considering how divisive the Death Stranding reviews were, it's no surprise to see that public opinion on the game is similarly mixed. However, it's possible that the game will win over those who were turned off by its early hours, as many seem to think that Chapter 3 is when it becomes more entertaining to play.
Death Stranding is out now for PS4 with a PC release to follow in the summer of 2020.
