Death Stranding came out in early November, 2019, and is still the talk of the town. Hideo Kojima's unique open-world adventure game polarized critics and gamers alike. While not everybody enjoys it, no one can say it isn't special. This bizarre tale truly strives for a new experience within the medium and succeeds on most levels.

Related: 5 Characters We Love From Death Stranding (And 5 We Cannot Stand)

Players control Sam Bridges, portrayed by Norman Reedus. The following list will detail five things we love about Sam, and five things we cannot stand about him. Norman, or any of the actors who did motion capture work for the lead role, shouldn't take any of the slights personally. The performance and character are still superb. Spoilers are below, so anyone who has yet to beat it can look at some other spoiler-free impressions on the site.

10 Cannot Stand: He's Too Quiet

death stranding aphenphosmphobia

There's a lot of talking in the game, but Sam keeps his mouth shut for much of the journey. We're grateful Hideo Kojima's games have evolved past the main character simply uttering a question and getting tons of exposition thrown at them, but it would have been nice to see him get more lines.

That's not to say he's anywhere near as silent as Venom Snake in The Phantom Pain, however. While much about Sam is discovered throughout the campaign, we want to know more about him. Maybe a sequel will clear up the air surrounding him.

9 Love: His Connection To BB

Sam has had a hard time in life. He lost his wife and unborn child ten years prior to the game's introduction, explaining why he takes such a liking to BB, eventually going on to name it Lou.

Like any memorable gaming bond, this relationship is formed through gameplay mechanics as much as it is through cinematics. Players get assistance from BB in detecting BTs and must soothe it when it gets upset. Being an unborn child, it never talks, but one feels the love between them during the journey.

8 Cannot Stand: Keep Your Balance, Dude!

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A main mechanic of the game is balancing while traversing arduous terrain. Lose focus on where Sam's feet go, and he's liable to tumble down a hill. Often times the player has to hold the shoulder buttons in order for the character to keep his balance.

Related: 10 Pro Tips For Death Stranding You Should Know

Even with all this, he may still fall down, hurting himself, the cargo, and his pride. Maneuvering feels great, but every once in a while it feels like it wasn't the player's fault. Maybe it's unfair to berate Sam for the occasional slipping and sliding when he's carrying over one hundred kilograms worth of supplies, though.

7 Love: He's A Repatriate

kojima doean't understand death stranding

When in the world of the living, Sam cannot die. After suffering a mortal wound, he is able to reconnect his soul with his body and come back to life. The mechanic eliminates the need for most game overs.

Game overs can still happen if a vital delivery fails, however. Repatriating seems like a cool ability in concept, but it may come with some drawbacks. What happens when he gets too old? Will he be unable to pass away from natural causes. If he has a terminal illness, will he be stuck in a perpetual state of pain and agony, continually dying and reviving?

6 Cannot Stand: Gee, That Guy Sure Looks A Lot Like Daryl

death stranding 80 minutes tgs

It shouldn't bother us as much as it does, but the game brings attention to this with a small joke. While taking a shower, an advertisement for a television show called Ride pops up for the AMC network, the same channel airing The Walking Dead.

Related: 10 Annoying Details About Death Stranding You Only Notice After 10 Hours

Fortunately, they both have different hairstyles. Actors generally play numerous roles while changing little about their look, and doing so is a part of mastering the craft. For viewers, however, associating an actor with a particular role just cannot be helped.

5 Love: He Spends Most Of The Game Walking

kojima doean't understand death stranding

Most AAA video game protagonists spend their game brutally destroying their enemies. Sam spends most of Death Stranding walking from one place to another. When in the presence of threats he can just as easily slip by undetected if the player chooses.

The only time full-on combat is necessary is when a Chiral storm transports him to a battlefield, and it's only because his hand is forced. While not a pacifist by any stretch of the word, he's certainly more of one than Kratos or Solid Snake.

4 Cannot Stand: Doesn't Respect His Mother

Death stranding bridget

How can anyone get behind a protagonist who doesn't respect their mother? Bridget Strand's first scene with her son sees her dying in bed, and he has no kind words for her.

Later in the game, it becomes harder to sympathize with her after discovering the truth of how they met and why she adopted him. Still, he didn't know this at the time and is relatively cruel to his adopted mother in her final hours.

3 Love: Dark Past

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While a mystery at first, his reasons for leaving Bridges and striking out on his own make the player sympathize with him. His pregnant wife took her own life, causing a voidout.

The guilt following this incident caused him to disconnect from everyone in his life. Only ten years later does he rejoin Bridges at the start of Death Stranding. It is a tragedy we'd rather never see him suffer through, but it gives a clearer understanding of his personality.

2 Love: He's Vulnerable

Despite his inability to permanently die, he feels more vulnerable than other protagonists. Players connect deeply with his emotions and feel his bond grow with BB.

During the ending, this all comes to a head, and one really feels his desperation at the idea of losing the child he has grown to love. Additionally, he has a fear of human contact. These weaknesses are atypical of video game heroes, but they make him all the more human.

1 Cannot Stand: He Sides With An Extinction Entity

death stranding ending explained

It's hard to fault him for this one because it is ultimately what saves humanity, but when given the choice between separating Amelie from the world and preventing the apocalypse or waiting out the end with her, he embraces her and comforts the Extinction Entity.

How would all of his friends feel if they knew what he did while on the beach with Amelie? As mentioned before, though, Amelie is inspired to disconnect from the world of her own fruition because of Sam's actions and generosity. Still, he didn't know that would happen when he hugged her.

Next: 10 Most Shocking Moments From Death Stranding, Ranked