Death Stranding might be the most well-known yet niche game we've ever seen. On one hand, Hideo Kojima's forced expulsion from Konami and his creation of Ludens is something most of the gaming community knows about. On the other hand, nobody knew a thing about Death Stranding for years and when we finally saw gameplay, it made even less sense. Now, after finishing the game with 5 stars at every Prepper or Distribution Station, having a blast, and sharing our favorite tips, we can finally say we've seen most of the game. And, like most other reviewers, we agree that it's not for everyone. So, for people who don't want to play such a "slow" title, here are some secret scenes and lore details buried deep down in the tar.
11 Secret Cutscene: Kojima Appearance
First and foremost, director Hideo Kojima himself can't help but appear in his own games. His name is there 15,000 different times during the credits, but it's still not enough. He showed up as an optional rescue objective in Ground Zeroes, and now he's in Death Stranding as a BT. During the game, Sam sleeps by going to a Private Room within any of the Distribution Centers. And, sometimes, when players zoom in on his feet while he sits on the bed, a cutscene will start where Sam is dragged down suddenly by a BT puddle, one of which is Kojima himself.
10 Secret Cutscene: Deadman BB
Another cutscene that has a chance to play during Sam's downtime is a horrifying one. As most people know, this game is rife with famous actor appearances. The main character is played by Norman Reedus, Mads Mikkelsen plays another big character, and the character Deadman is played (but not voiced) by Shape of Water director, Guillermo del Toro. And, randomly, when checking on BB in the Private Room (we think during Deadman's chapter), the cannister will unlock to show BB with del Toro's face. While Toro isn't hideous or anything, his face is not one we'd ever want to see on a prenatal baby.
9 Secret Cutscene: Birthday Scenes
To get away from the Private Room nightmares, let's talk about Holidays! Fans are just finding out that most of the Distro center representatives wear Santa Hats at the end of December. But, if a player happens to change the PS4's internal clock to their birthday, they'll get an extra special scene.
Basically, there's a whole host of Birthday-themed content such as the "other Sam's" saying Happy Birthday when Sam yells out with the touchpad, a cake in the Private Room (which has an interesting story on its own), and Mads Mikkelsen himself as Cliff wishing you, the player and not BB, a happy birthday.
Disclaimer: From here on, we'll be talking about mid to late game story elements. We'll try not to spoil as much as we can, but be wary all the same.
8 Plot Detail: There's A Reason Bridget's Body Can't Go Necro
During Heartman's chapter, we find out that some bodies can't go Necro and pop BT's. This is for a variety of reasons (one of which is very plot-heavy), but basically, a certain amount of people in the Death Stranding world are immune to "going necro." Sam is probably one, Mama would be another, and shockingly, so is Bridget Strand. Now it all makes sense as to why we could take as long as we wanted to transport her body to the incinerator.
7 Plot Detail: Evo-Devo Tech Is Magic
A lot of the technology in Death Stranding is never explained. In fact, most of the more complex elements of the game need further explanation. That would be fine if the interviews didn't happen to go over how evo-devo tech works. The name "evo-devo" refers to evolutionary developmental biology, which in-game translates to "it figures out how to reconstruct stuff from pre-existing data". How that works exactly we still don't know, but the game implies that this technology could reconstruct a dinosaur from human DNA if it needed to. And if that wasn't magic enough, with the miracle of the Beach, it can do it almost instantly.
6 Plot Detail: Avoidance Of Death And MULES
When a BT and dead body interacts, the anti-matter reaction with human matter is so strong that it creates a crater the size of a small thermonuclear bomb. To avoid that, everyone does whatever they can to avoid death. Bridges keeps tabs on everyone's vitals with their Chiral Cuffs, but the MULES have their own tricks as well.
If you look closely after knocking out a MULE in water, their gear automatically dispenses a floatation device to keep the wearer from drowning while unconscious. It's these microscopic details that truly cement it as a Kojima game.
5 Plot Detail: The Chiral Clouds Mean No Cell Towers, Planes, Or Air Travel
Kojima expects a lot from his fans. Players are just meant to understand what Chirality means, why the other countries didn't unite after the Stranding, and why people with DOOMs cry so often. But, thanks to the interviews/mail systems, we can learn more. One aspect that bugged us constantly was the lack of air travel. As it turns out, the Chiral clouds cause heavy interference with radio waves/electronics, making it impossible for long-range communication or flight. The only reason we're able to talk to Bridges members through holograms is thanks to the Chiral Network.
4 Plot Detail: Blue Is The Color Of Death
While trekking through the mountains, did you ever wonder why the screen suddenly gets all blue? Maybe you don't know why BT's only come out when it's raining? Again, all of this isn't hidden, just buried in the interview logs. Chiral Clouds need to rain for the Chiralium in the air to become "excited," allowing BT's to exist in our dimension. According to Deadman, blue is the color of death, which is why it's so prevalent in BT areas. It also explains why there is no blue in the inverted rainbow we see in the sky.
3 Plot Detail: People Age Slower On The Beach
After putting over 80 hours into Death Stranding, we're still not sure if we can say we "understand" it, but it does make more sense than before. Still, the concept of the Beach or Beaches in the game still confuses us. As it turns out, the Beach exists outside of time, and anyone who goes there enough starts to change due to its properties.
Bridget Strand looked young eternally until her bout with cancer, Amelie might as well be immortal, and Sam seems spry for a guy in his late middle age. Heartman infers that those who frequent the Beach age slower, and it's basically confirmed by the end of the game.
2 Plot Detail: How DOOMs Works
The concept of DOOMs is one of the most frustrating things in the early portion of Death Stranding. What is it? Why do people with it cry all the time? Why do some people with DOOMs have superpowers? Well, don't worry, they actually do go into DOOMs much later (around the end of the game). Basically, there are levels of DOOMs. Sam is stage 2, Fragile is at least Stage 3, and Higgs might even be at a 7. Essentially, see someone crying randomly? They've got the DOOMs.
1 Plot Detail: People Haven't Seen The Real Sky Since The Stranding
You might be wondering why a game made by Hideo Kojima, the master of micro-details, doesn't have a day/night cycle. Well, we aren't positive on the reason, but we can at least say that there is an in-canon reason. Basically, after the Stranding, the amount of Chrialium and Chiral Clouds in the air reached an all-time high. So much so that they function as a sort of "net" that block out the sky from our view. As such, people who were born after the Stranding have never seen the sun, stars, or moon. It's an incredibly important detail that's sort of glossed over in the story.