After years of anticipation and hype, Hideo Kojima’s first independently produced game, the sci-fi action epic Death Stranding, is finally available for fans to judge for themselves over 50 hours of gameplay whether or not it lives up to the astronomical expectations.
Set in a post-apocalyptic United States, Death Stranding follows a porter named Sam Bridges who works for a company called “Bridges” and is charged with delivering supplies to isolated cities called KNOTs and connecting them to the communications system, the Chiral Network.
The real question on everyone's mind, however, is the one that Rick and Morty put so eloquently: "What are all these ghosts?"
The main adversary that stands between Sam (portrayed by The Walking Dead’s Norman Reedus) and accomplishing his goals are BTs, otherwise known as Beached Things, who are supernatural beings stranded on Earth that seek to devour the living. This guide will cover the types of BT’s that Sam will encounter, as well as what to expect from them.
Gazers
Gazers are floating apparitions that manifest during an otherworldly rainfall called Timefall. They appear as adults or infants and drop Chiral crystals upon death. They can only perceive sound and are therefore unable to detect Sam when he holds his breath and refrains from moving. Inversely, Gazers are only visible when Sam stands still.
The bola gun cannot kill Gazers, but will temporarily incapacitate them, as well as make them visible for the duration of the effect regardless of Sam’s movement. Hematic grenades can kill Gazers if hit directly. If Sam manages to cut the cord of a Gazer, they will return to their otherworldly origin and give Sam a “like.”
If a Gazer detects Sam, it will attempt to drag him down into a pool of black tar where, upon succeeding, it will bring Sam to a confrontation with the next type of BT: Catchers.
Catchers
A Catcher is a large BT with a core of matter directly from the other side that can create large arenas from thick black tar. Sam has two choices, he can either flee or defeat the Catcher. To flee the Catcher, all Sam must do is reach the edge of the black tar arena where upon all BTs will be gone, but only for a short time. If Sam manages to kill a Catcher, all of the BTs will disappear from the area and a hefty amount of Chiral crystals will spawn.
The two main forms of Catchers are Dolphins and Lions. Dolphins are porpoise-like creatures with stubby tentacles that sprout out around its head and are capable of grabbing Sam and triggering a Voidout. Lions are quadrupeds whose mane is comprised of oily tentacles similar to those found on Dolphins. It has a handful of melee attacks, but is also capable of firing a Chiral laser from a distance.
Regardless of how an encounter with a Gazer or Catcher may turn out, it’s likely that BB will become anxious, so players should brush up on how to soothe BB if they don't know already.
Death Stranding is available now on PS4, with a PC release coming in Summer 2020.