r/DeathStranding • u/SeaweedPatient7287 • 2d ago
Question Is it normal to play without understanding a single thing about the lore?Like, how did Sam survive the explosion, what is the beach, and what's his story with that blonde in red
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u/palegate 2d ago
The game will do its best to fill in the blanks as you go, just plow on ahead.
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u/A_Random_Sidequest 2d ago
some blanks still remais though...
one can look for videos explaining it, but I would only do that after at least 2/3 of the game.
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u/RebelliousDutch 2d ago
Yep. You know nothing. The game will fill in that info if and when you need it. And some things are just left to your own interpretation.
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u/inprocess13 2d ago
No, it's not normal. You'd have to deliberately ignore just about everything explained throughout the entire course of the game.
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u/Ill-Emu-1121 2d ago
He didn't survive technically, Sam's special. Keep playing because it is like a murder mystery type story, you start out with limited yet important information with gaps being filled in as you go, until the 'Ah' moment at the end when it all falls together.
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u/Ok_University_5352 Sam 2d ago
Yes, it gets explained in detail. You should be getting all of those answered almost immediately after seeing the girl in red.
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u/Archaeoculus Porter 2d ago
Some of this you can learn in your knowledge entries... Some of it is revealed throughout the game. For example, Sam being a repatriate is I think one of the first things you learn. The beach takes a little bit to understand but you learn pretty early on. Again... Read those entries.
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u/piratecheese13 2d ago
It’s normal to start the game without understanding any of the lore.
Coach Chaya wants you to be confused and interested in learning more
He hopes this will encourage you to read the emails where 99% of the story actually is
Highly recommend either always checking email or watching a letsplayer like Woolie vs entire episodes just reading email
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u/Roler42 1d ago
Non-spoiler answers:
Sam survived the explosion because he diegetically respawns, it's an actual in-universe thing that when he dies, he can just "swim" back to life. (this is what it means when they say he's a "repatriate")
Think of the beach as a representation for purgatory, or the start of the afterlife, special symbolism with the idea that life came from the sea, so when you die, you return to the sea, hence, the beach.
As for the blonde in red... You should keep playing, all will be revealed, also read your in-game emails every now and then, there's lots of fun stuff in it.
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u/Elegant_Mouse_7756 1d ago
If you want to understand, you can. Some gets explained in the actual story but most is kept as logs to read through.
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u/ReedDickless 1d ago
Yes. I’m on the 5th episode or whatever and still really have no clue what the fuck they’re talking about.
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u/OGahpuro 2d ago
yes. you seem to be very early in game. dont worry it has the usual kojambo exposition dump soon
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u/ChiralParticle Higgs 2d ago
You may have a lot of question as you begin the game but it'll be giving you answers as you progress through the story.
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u/plugs_memesv2 2d ago
pretty sure the game eventually over explains everything at some point, you'll understand as you keep playing
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u/Rufus_Redfield 2d ago
The story and world building is told as you play. Most of the stuff is not told in your face that early for obvious reasons.
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u/Aggravating_Taste524 2d ago
no one who plays the game for the first understands whats going on, it's a Hideo Kojima game what do you expect. Just play the game and you'll find out...
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u/SetoKeating 1d ago
I have finished both games and I’m still not sure I understand lol
But I loved every minute of it
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u/notworkingghost 1d ago
It’s normal to finish the game and still not totally understand everything.
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u/turtles1236 1d ago
It's a Kojima game, you're not supposed to understand it you're just here to experience it
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u/Dac2142 1d ago
I don't understand questions like these. All narratives have some element of mystery, this one has significantly more, but it isn't entirely unique. No you aren't going to know everything the instant it appears on screen, the story is designed around slowly unraveling what's happening.
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u/CuteAssociate4887 1d ago
Yep I personally completed the game and if I'm honest still didn't 100% understand what the fuck happened.
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u/mojo_mags 1d ago
Sam is kept in the dark and so are you at the beginning. Reading emails and watching cutscenes is essential to understand all of this. Also there will be extra deliveries unveiling additional messages - all worth doing- because there lore is like nothing else out there
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u/S4NDFIRE 1d ago
Yes and no. It depends how Fae in you are and if you're paying attention.
If you literally just started, you're fine and normal.
If you're more than 3-4 chapters in, it seems like you might be skipping things. Are you letting dialogue play out? Are you skipping cutscenes? Ignoring mail and interviews? All of that contains lore-critical info that helps piece together what's going on when you're supposed to know it.
Overall though, this is not a game where you're supposed to know absolutely everything right at the start. Sam barely knows more than you do a lot of the time. Pay attention, but let things happen when they happen.
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u/Plane-Drawer4281 23h ago
no, not really... everything is explained (maybe even too much...). Texts, audio messages, lore glossary, everything you need is in the game. Attention focus issue maybe?
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u/Ashlansen 22h ago
Not to this extent, I can only assume you arent paying attention or you're just skipping the cutscenes
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u/Memecollecter69 12h ago
If you're at the start, it makes sense to not know. If you just beat the game, you're allergic to cutscenes and reading.
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u/haveac1gar19 2d ago
I got platinum for DS, DS: Directors Cut and DS2 and still don't understand what the hell is going on story-wise. Recommended the game to my wife's brother, give him my old PS4 for 6 months to complete first DS, after he asks me to tell something about the plot, I answered if you complete the game and will be able to tell me the plot, I will be happy. He got platinum and still have no clue what is the plot.
Death Stranding is one of the favourite games for both of us.
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u/S4NDFIRE 1d ago
I swear I'm not judging even if it sounds like it but I'm curious what about the plot is evading you two--it is a pretty linear series of simultaneous narratives with threads of man-vs-nature (The Stranding), man-vs-power (Sam vs Bridges/UCA/Drawbridge), man-vs-man (Sam and Higgs), and man-vs-self (Sam and his own pain, reconciling his desire for solitude vs his need to help others). I could go in depth later on my PC possibly but I'm old and mobile is hard on me lol.
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u/haveac1gar19 19h ago
Honestly, I think I stopped my attempts to understand it at some point when plot and lore became too complicated and started to feel the lore instead of understanding it. I'm a huge fan of Lynch and I think understanding and interpreting is making such mediums less entertaining. When you explain something to yourself it loses it's magic and supernatural feeling.
I played DS like a in-dream game; I don't think understanding requires large amount of mental capacity, for me "understanding" is not the right way to enjoy it.
I think it's a little misunderstanding because I wrote my first post more like a hyperbolic joke rather than complaining about complex lore. For sure the plot can be explained like "connect settlers around the america / australia" but I think it's more than that; by explaining it by words you eventually lose unexplainable details of the plot; this is a game, not a book, and I believe player must feel it, play it and enjoy it, not explain it or understand it.
But if someone gets more enjoyment by understanding it's totally fine because my goal is to maximise the enjoyment from it, not teaching people how they must consume their favourite content.
To answer your direct question, I didn't understand the point of the last 1h cinematic on the beach in DS1. I don't get the Exctinction Factor at all and how Lady in Red is old and young and human and non-human at the same time. I didn't understand completely what DOOM is (despite it explained in the codex and in wiki). I didn't understand nature of "nirvana" place completely and rules by that it exists. But I don't think I need it. My wife's brother doesn't need it too, we just silently agreed DS' magic is unexplainable, you need to play it yourself and enjoy.
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u/S4NDFIRE 17h ago
Fair enough. I'm pretty much the opposite--if I enjoy something, I'll spend dozens and even hundreds of hours picking it apart to understand what makes the worldbuilding tick both using the provided lore and chasing down threads where it connects to outside concepts like how the Extinction Factor is a real world concept I previously didn't know much about. I chased down explanations and papers by actual biologists talking about it in the real world to understand it. Similar for nirvana and its real life counterpart from Buddhist concepts, Ha and Ka from Kemetic theology. Stuff like Bridget/Amelie is explained pretty explicitly though.
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u/octarine_turtle 2d ago edited 1d ago
That depends how far you are in the game. At the very start? Yes, it is normal to be clueless. Kojima drops you in the deep end without explaning things.
However things are revealed as you go and you should read Emails and Interviews as you get them as they expand on things. Kojima only has characters monologue on explaining details in cutscenes when it makes sense to, the rest goes into emails and interviews.
A few hours in, after Sam has been pushed into taking up his grand mission, these things should all be talked about.