"Death Stranding" Review

Freed from the expectations and routine of the "Metal Gear" sage, visionary developer Hideo Kojima indulges his inner muse to the extremes of the wild and bizarre limits of his imagination in "Death Stranding."

The result is a wildly clever, willfully obtuse thinkpiece that dares you to shunt your predispositions to the wayside and hurls yourself headlong down the increasingly bizarre rabbit hole. The journey is rewarding -- wickedly humorous, intellectually challenging and obstinately baffling.

Spiritual imagery and symbolism pulses throughout "Death Stranding," which thoroughly feels more like an under-the-radar indie download than a major-studio exclusive. The production quality lives up to the Kojima standard. He's always been among the most cinematic of gaming visionaries, prone to elaborate, exquisitely storyboarded cut scenes.

The exquisite voice cast, which includes the likes of Norman Reedus, Troy Baker and Tommie Earl Jenkins, helps drive home the Hollywood-level cachet. It also helps that the game is as gorgeous as any you're likely to play, with sweeping vistas that call to mind the best on offer from "Far Cry" or "Red Dead Redemption" games. There's also a healthy dose of influence from "The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild" lingering over the saga.

The less you know going in about the story, the better. You control a metaphysical delivery man, tasked with searching out packages and spiriting them to their destinations. Ever teetering on the bleeding edge between life and death, you carve out your own path in an open-world environment. You can toggle scanning and compass features that give you hints as to which roads you could be drawn to, but there are rewards equally as gratifying off the beaten path.

If you can, embrace "Death Stranding" as blindly as you can. Throw yourself into the persona of the protagonist emotionally as well as visually. Allow yourself to be lost, lay off the hand-holding features the game offers, avoid online walkthroughs and let yourself stumble upon the game's surprises by happenstance. The feeling of being lost and lonesome, as well as the rewarding nature of relying on your resourcefulness to forge ahead, is key to appreciating the aesthetic on which Kojima seems to be meditating.

"Death Stranding" may be dismissed as slow or flighty by some, but the fact that it's not particularly crafted to appeal to the masses only adds to its allure. This is not a game for your mom, or the beercan-to-forehead-crushing frat crowd. Even if you're a lifelong Kojima devotee, you've never played anything remotely like this, and the experience can be every bit as enriching, troubling and thrilling as you allow it to be. It's also one of the most subtly funny games I've encountered in years.

Pop-locking and moonwalking to its own bizarre beat, "Death Stranding" carries the unbridled confidence of a street performer. This is a game to die for.

Publisher provided review code.