Thank you for your contribution. Keep on keeping on. ✊🏻

That's a shame, cuz the gameplay is super engaging & the story is INCREDIBLE. 🥹❤🎮

I think this is exactly why that quote hits so hard for me: It's not that it's objectively true, but it strikes at how it *feels*. "They make it look so easy" kind of already reveals that it's all perception. I've had people ask for social advice, or say things like "How do you make friends so easily?" and like...lol?? I have no idea. I've literally written guides to this stuff and I'm still just winging it. On the one hand, I think it's useful to say everyone out there is struggling just as much as we are, but it ALSO means you're way better at it than you think! It's imposter syndrome for relationships. It also helped me to realize that the whole "you're bothering them" thing isn't just self-defeating, but can actually be harmful to others. I had a few friends that, I found out later, thought I didn't like them because I never reached out to them. Sometimes, being kind to your friends means pushing past that fear, and letting them tell YOU if they need space, rather than saying no for them and taking away their agency.

@@LordRavenscraft This is exactly what I was thinking, I got high marks at work for my Communications and Interaction. I was baffled and said so to my boss. Turns out being uncomfortable and confused about how to talk to folks, always consciously trying to avoid screwing up makes me naturally conscientious. Ive lost contact with friends because Im scared to impose by reaching out, and when I bump into them its always obvious Ive been missed. This is the second reminder in a week Ive had to reach out to my old friends, maybe Ill take the hint

Deus Ex and Metal Gear Solid 2.

For real though, despite the hilariously torturous gameplay the video is quite moving, great stuff!

I was just listening to Guess Who's A Mess yesterday!

username checks out

Omg I am playing it for the first time and am equally obsessed with roads and ziplines 🤩 I have to make everything as streamlined as possible. Seeing other people's zips already in place and linking up my ridiculous network to theirs feels so satisfying

I have a cane that I keep on hand because on top of injuring my foot more than a few times, sometimes I just wake up and can't walk on it one day. I legit thought about standing with the cane or something in that shot...but ironically, the day I recorded it was one of those days lol

And a lot of the "flaws" in the game... really aren't flaws at all. The gameplay - hell, even just *walking* - are supposed to be difficult & engaging. In fact, it's almost ruined other games for me, because their "walking" feels false compared to the very realistic traversal that's in Death Stranding. The map is absolutely gorgeous & you basically can explore it anywhere. It's incredible. Yes some of it is harsh & difficult to trek through... but again, that's not a flaw. It's up to you to find better routes to take so that you aren't making things more difficult on yourself. 9/10 when people b*tch about certain locations, it's because they didn't realize they took a sh*tty route to get somewhere. A route they didn't need to take at all. 😄 smh

Thank you so much for your hard work. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

Now, some 20 hours in to the game, I rewatched this video, and damn. You already sold the experience so well, but having felt parts of it myself, it hits all the harder. Seeing the theme of connection explored in the NPCs is very neat as you mention, but connecting with other players truely takes the game a step further. That clip at 6:55 of you falling and the situation getting worse and worse until you get back control, I felt that.. But getting the message that another player used a road I built, or liked a structure I put down is honestly a great feeling! Makes going through the trouble of getting the materials to those difficult places totally worth it. And as you mention, even if likes have no inherent gameplay effect, it just feels nice to like and be liked! The game has only just now started telling me about road decay, and with this rewatch reminding me as well, I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for that! Thanks for convincing me to give this game a try through this awesome video. I definitely have tons more of it to experience, but it's already been hella worth it. Cheers!

I'll be honest, I agree. Though later on, I do think something like "eh... I dont want to go up there again."

Yep!

Yeah, and I should say, I specifically chose Dunkey to pick on because a.) He's fucking great, even when I disagree I'm laughing my ass off, and 2.) I think he's got the best version of the argument against this game. I like both videos and I think the second one I even agree with just about everything he says. I skip a lot of cutscenes, there are whole plots that make no sense (even for Kojima) or are irrelevant, and my god I'd love it if they stopped interrupting the game to explain every little thing. I'll even grant that the physics and collision mechanics are busted as hell half the time. The only part I think Dunkey missed (respectfully) is that, unlike say Breath of the Wild, you're not meant to feel like you're in a fun physics sandbox where you can do ridiculous things to solve problems. Link can put a couple balloons on a raft and fly over a mountain, because that's how the game wants you to explore and have fun. But when you can't just lay down a bunch of ladders to drive a truck over a canyon, it's because...well, it's a truck lol. The game wants you to feel limited and constrained, specifically so that you'll rely on other players, and invest in more long term infrastructure. Especially infrastructure that's going to help other people. Sure, your wacky idea for a bridge made of ladders helps you right now in this specific spot, but a well-placed zipline network would help everyone. That said, I don't think everyone has the patience or interest in a game like that. Deliberately annoying yourself to learn a lesson about how *checks notes* roads are good...I can get it if it's not as meaningful to other people, or at the very least if they'd rather not sit through hours of cutscenes and weird boss fights, and assorted nonsense to get there. All in all, I'm actually a fan of a lot of Dunkey's work so I hope folks know I'm teasing those clips with nothing but respect. 💙