While this is certainly not a game for everyone. If there is one element of the game I hope future AAA developers take from Death Stranding, I hope it is the idea of making more non-violent and non-competitive co-op experiences. It's the most unique feature of the game so far and the one that has been the most interesting. Despite the bleakness of the setting, the game is incredibly positive focus with a real push for online community and friendly NPCs. The fact you can only Like other player contributions has been an interesting social experiment the game utilizes. In many ways, it takes the most interesting aspect from the Souls series online elements while dropping the more negative aspects that feed a community of online griefers that we really don't need in gaming.

On the gameplay front, I may have mentioned I unlocked a vehicle, well I've been testing it out and its been super nice so far. I still can't drive anything in an open world environment without looking like a spaz, but it has made a few of the delivery quests much easier like the ones that involve speed or needing to haul a cargo that is well beyond Sam's load capacity. I do need to pull my self away from sidequest hell and get back to the story proper though. I've already maxed out the rank of two of the four locations I've unlocked.

One other feature that is interesting is the Timefall rain. In the story, it's a rain that speeds up time for anything that it touches, except possibly vegetation and a few materials, to degrade an an accelerated pace. I've mentioned before that this rain is one of the biggest hazards in the environment, especially since B.T.s usually show up during it. Something new I discovered is that it will actually destroy structures you and other players create, so maintaining certain structures is another feature this game has. You can build Postboxes to store materials, bridges, power generators for vehicles, and even watch towers but the Timefall will eventually destroy them. What's unique though is that players can upgrade these structures, even if they didn't build them. So that was a neat element I discovered last night. I've also had more fun beating up MULES and taking back stolen cargo from them. In true classic Kojima fashion, the MULES have one of the most hilarious backstories in the game so far. These guys are not scavengers or raiders who steal this stuff for self-preservation. No, these are former couriers who got so addicted to delivering packages and getting praises for it that they became addicts and will steal other courier's stuff to deliver it themselves. Like a crazy UPS guys who hijacks FedEx trucks cause he loves his job too much. The premise it too ridiculous not to be amusing and reminds me of the nonsense like the Zanzibar Poison Hamsters or Japanese Singing Sand from the early Metal Gear games.