A tad melodramatic, prone to over-explaining itself, and downright bizarre at times, I can understand why Death Stranding is not for everyone.

And yet, when I think back on my time with it, it's not the political intrigue or the particulars of how the Beach works that come to mind. It's taking my first hot spring bath, laying BB in the water beside me for a brief respite in the midst of a series of difficult deliveries. It's that "aha!" moment as I first connected my series of zip lines through a tough mountainous region. It's all the times I took a moment to marvel at the view from a mountainside, ominous black strands in the distance harmlessly drifting down to the earth below.

Death Stranding may not be for everyone, but it is extremely for me.