WhenDeath Strandingwas released in 2019, it was polarizing among gamers. For some, it is a unique project that innovates gaming while telling a strange yet emotional science-fiction story. For others, the game is simply too slow-paced and, because of that, it fails to be engaging. Both perspectives are easy to understand. Unlike most games,Death Stranding’s main gameplay elements do not have players fighting, dropping bombs, or shooting at enemies. Instead, players are forced to make slow and deliberate decisions as they hike across a lonely, dystopian landscape.
The gaming market is a competitive space, and there are hundreds of titles fighting for gamers' attention. The ubiquity of adrenaline-pumping FPS, adventure, and action games in the AAA scene seems to indicate that fast-paced games are what fans want. However every so often, titles likeDeath StrandingorRed Dead Redemption 2come along, and they demonstrate that while they may not be for everyone, there is definitely an eager and willing community of gamers ready to enjoy games that take the slow and steady approach.
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Death Stranding Breaks the Trends
Within the AAA gaming space, the attention of players is often the most important thing. One of the quickest ways to do this is to ensure that there is always an activity, task, or point of interest nearby. If there is never an idle moment, there is never an opportunity for gamers to put down the controller.
The desire to keep the attention of gamers affects the design philosophy behind many games. This isapparent inThe Witcher 3, a game developed by CD Projekt Red. According to Bartosz Von Ochman, who worked onThe Witcher 3, worldbuilding for the game followed what his team terms “the rule of 40 seconds.” As Bartosz explains, every forty seconds, players “should see something and focus on it, like a pack of deer or some opponents, some NPCs wandering about.”
Death Stranding’s design philosophyseems to run in the complete opposite direction. It is not rare to go for extended periods in the game without coming across NPCs or anything to interact with. The game leaves gamers with a stark feeling of isolation, and it forces players to travel for long stretches before they come across any points of interest.
Death Stranding Demonstrates the Benefits of Slow-Paced Gameplay
Death Strandingforces players to slow downand truly take in the world that is being presented to them. Instead of having their attention grabbed by a smorgasbord of activities and NPCs, gamers are instead enthralled by breath-taking vistas and picturesque scenes of nature. Stopping beside a river to play the harmonica as an upside-down rainbow fades away in the sky is an introspective, meditative experience that is produced by carefully crafted, slow-paced gameplay.
A similar experience iscreated inRed Dead Redemption 2where there are vast swaths of open countryside to wander. Players can put their guns away and just enjoy some slow-paced gameplay in nature. While the crazy shootouts are certainly fun, some of the most powerful moments in the game are the quiet times spent camping in the wilderness.
Although fast-pacedaction games likeCall of Dutywill continue to dominate the charts, that should not lead one to believe that there is no space for slow-paced games in the AAA market. Despite how eccentric it is,Death Strandinghas sold 5 million copies worldwide. It also received aDirector’s Cuton PS5. The game’s success shows that there are gamers who want games they can sink into for hours without dealing with nonstop action on-screen.
Death Strandingis available on PC, PS4, and PS5.Death Stranding Director’s Cutis available on PS5.
