Welcome! Today we'll break down the plot of Death Stranding for those who are planning to play the second part, but missed the first one. This review will help you understand the key events and not get lost in the plot of the sequel. Warning. There will be spoilers
A world after disastern
After an inexplicable tragedy called Death Stranding, the fabric of separation between the dead and the living was ripped. People began to experience supernatural phenomena: invisible creatures called BT (Beached Things) - the souls of the dead stuck between the worlds - started appearing on the Earth planet. It's extremely dangerous to come into contact with them - they draw people into an "stranded" alien ocean, and when such a man dies, his body, if not cremated in time, causes a gigantic explosion called a voidout, which can flatten entire cities. Timefall also arrived - rain that accelerates time and aging of everything it touches, turning cities, nature, and human beings into rubble. The world divided into fragmented isolated settlements.
The USA was no longer one nation. Local groups of survivors were formed, but transport, communication, and connections ceased. A group called Bridges was formed to attempt to rebuild the country, with the aim of building the Chiral Network - a new system for communication through the use of chiral particles in the afterlife continuum called "The Beach."
The main character and his mission
The game's main character, Sam Porter Bridges, is a courier. He has a unique ability called DOOMS, in which he can sense BT, and he is also a "repatriate" - in the event of his death, he can be brought back by relocating from "his beach" into his body. However, Sam has haptophobia - he doesn't cope well with touch and otherwise feels isolated emotionally from everyone. He deals with packages between cities, which here is synonymous with heroism.
At the beginning of the game, Sam receives a call from the president of the US (played by Bridges) - Bridget Strand, who is also his adoptive mother. She is dying of cancer and asks Sam to embark on a journey to unite the USA again by connecting cities to the Chiral Network and making his way to Amelie - her "daughter," who is on the west coast and has been kidnapped by a terrorist group. Sam refuses but ultimately accepts after Bridget's death.
The mystery of Amelie
Amelie is not entirely human. Essentially, she is a creature tossed between life and death at birth. Her consciousness can be on "the beach," the personal afterlife plane that every human has, and can walk through it. Amelie has titanic powers: she controls time, can "walk" through other people's beaches, and is also an Extinction Entity - a being that is the embodiment of the downfall of civilization. Every mass extinction in Earth's history (dinosaurs' extinction, mammoths, etc.) is the doing of such a creature. Amelie is predestined to lead to the sixth extinction but restrains herself because she loves mankind. She wants Sam to choose for himself - let her put an end to everything or find hope.
Allies and enemies along the way
Sam travels from city to city, connecting the Chiral Network. On his journey, he encounters terrorists led by Higgs - a psychopathic cult leader with extreme DOOMS who has control over BT. Higgs believes that humanity is at the point of extinction and wishes to accelerate the process, worshipping Amelie as a goddess of death. He also continues to encounter Clifford Unger - a ghost soldier whose past directly relates to the BB (Bridge Babies) project. Cliff is a tragic figure who lost his child sometime in the past and now walks the beaches trying to find him.
Frejail, a woman with established DOOMS and proprietor of the Fragile Express courier company, plays a significant role in this quest. She was Higgs' buddy and really believed in his plans, until that day he wronged her. He activated a bomb in one of the cities and blamed her, and she was forced to wear the gadget out on foot through a timefall almost naked. In order to save people, she made a sacrifice - her body became disfigured due to the rain, only her face and hands were preserved. Her name is now sullied, and Fragile herself has dedicated herself to stopping the Higgs. In spite of the external agony and damage to reputation, she maintains strength and inner dignity. Her teleportation ability is central to the mission, and she becomes Sam's most trusted and human ally. It is she who later helps him get to Amelia Beach to stop the extinction trigger.
Sam also meets Hartman, a researcher and scientist of the afterlife who clinically dies every 21 minutes. His heart quits and he is immersed in his own Beach for three minutes, hoping to find his dead wife and child. He is then revived by his defibrillator and the cycle starts anew. He helps Sam to understand the nature of Beaches and chiral communication and becomes an important scientific benchmark figure along the way.
The mystery of BB and Sam's past
Sam does not work alone. He is accompanied by BB - an infant in a pod connected to the afterlife world. Bridges used such babies to scan for BT. As the game unfolds, Sam becomes increasingly emotionally attached to BB, despite the fact that children are officially subject to disposal after a certain period of service. It is later revealed that BB is none other than Sam himself as an infant.
Sam begins to experience flashbacks from the past concerning Cliff, Cliff's wife (Lisa), and a baby. It turns out Cliff was a soldier and father of a child who was requisitioned for experimentation as part of the BB project. When he tried to escape with the baby, Bridges agents killed him. Lisa died on the operating table, and Cliff's soul became trapped in the afterlife zone after death. After Cliff's assassination, Amelie (who was still a baby then) restarted the baby's soul, and he came back to life. This baby is Sam. He is the "child of the Chiral War," a human revived from the world of the dead, a living bridge between worlds.
Final confrontation
Somewhere, Higgs abducts Amelie and is on the verge of triggering the sixth extinction. Sam burglarizes his Beach, fights giant BT, and kills Higgs. Higgs disappears or dies - his fate remains in question.
So then Sam enters the "final beach" - Amelie's own Beach. There she informs him that she is stranded, her being tied up with completing civilization's cycle. But she doesn't want to die and doesn't want to wipe out humanity. She leaves the choice to Sam. If he releases her - extinction won't begin, but it will eventually happen anyway. If he does not chase her away, she will destroy the world. Sam embraces Amelie, welcomes her in, and assures her that mankind is not yet without purpose. She disappears, allowing others to breathe.
A new beginning
Following this, the world again becomes relatively stable. Die-Hardman, Sam's friend, is made president of the UCA. He had secretly kept himself as the killer of Cliff for a long time. He publicly atones before the masses.
Sam is instructed to kill BB, as it is unstable. But Sam does not, takes the capsule up to the surface, opens it, and tries to revive the baby. There is a dramatic moment - BB begins breathing. This is genuine resurrection. Sam gives him the name Lou (Louisa). A symbol of new life, individual touch, and hope.
Conclusion
That is Death Stranding, a highly philosophical, off-the-wall and emotional game by Hideo Kojima. It is a story of life and death, of connection and loneliness, and reunions of people in a broken world. With the imagery of a delivery boy, a child, and a beach, the game makes you ponder what it is to be human and how important it is just to be there for each other.
FAQ - Death Stranding
Q1: What is Death Stranding and what caused the supernatural phenomena? Death Stranding is a catastrophic event that tore the fabric between the living and the dead. This tragedy caused BT (Beached Things) - invisible creatures that are souls of the dead stuck between worlds - to appear on Earth. The event also brought Timefall, a rain that accelerates aging of everything it touches, and created the afterlife continuum called "The Beach."
Q2: Who is Sam Porter Bridges and what are his special abilities? Sam Porter Bridges is the main character, a courier with unique supernatural abilities. He has DOOMS, which allows him to sense BT, and he's a "repatriate" - meaning if he dies, he can return from his personal Beach back to his body. Sam also suffers from haptophobia, making physical touch difficult for him.
Q3: What is the Chiral Network and why is it important? The Chiral Network is a new communication system that uses chiral particles from the afterlife continuum called "The Beach." The organization Bridges aims to rebuild America by connecting isolated cities through this network, restoring communication and unity to the fragmented USA.
Q4: Who is Amelie and what makes her dangerous? Amelie is an Extinction Entity - a being that embodies civilization's downfall. She's not entirely human, existing between life and death since birth. Amelie has titanic powers including time control and the ability to walk through other people's Beaches. She's predestined to cause the sixth mass extinction but restrains herself because she loves mankind.
Q5: What are Bridge Babies (BB) and how do they work? Bridge Babies are infants in pods connected to the afterlife world. Bridges uses these babies to scan for BT and detect supernatural threats. Sam's BB companion is later revealed to be Sam himself as an infant, making him the "child of the Chiral War" - a human revived from the world of the dead.
Q6: Who is Higgs and what are his goals? Higgs is a psychopathic terrorist cult leader with extreme DOOMS abilities who controls BT. He believes humanity is destined for extinction and wants to accelerate the process, worshipping Amelie as a goddess of death. Higgs leads terrorist attacks and ultimately tries to trigger the sixth extinction.
Q7: What happened to Fragile and why is she important? Fragile is a woman with DOOMS abilities who runs Fragile Express courier company. She was betrayed by Higgs, who activated a bomb and blamed her. To save people, she sacrificed herself by walking through Timefall nearly naked, which disfigured her body except for her face and hands. Despite this, she becomes Sam's most trusted ally with crucial teleportation abilities.
Q8: What is the connection between Clifford Unger, BB, and Sam's past? Clifford Unger was a soldier and father whose child was taken for the BB project experiments. When he tried to escape with his baby, Bridges agents killed him, and his wife Lisa died during surgery. Cliff's soul became trapped in the afterlife. The baby he tried to save was actually Sam - after Cliff's death, Amelie revived the infant's soul, making Sam a living bridge between worlds.
Q9: How does Death Stranding end and what happens to the extinction threat? Sam confronts Higgs on his Beach, defeating him in battle. Then Sam reaches Amelie's final Beach where she reveals she's bound to complete civilization's cycle. She gives Sam the choice - release her to prevent immediate extinction (though it will eventually happen) or let her destroy the world. Sam embraces Amelie and convinces her that humanity still has purpose, causing her to disappear and preventing the extinction.
Q10: What happens to BB and what does the ending symbolize? Despite orders to dispose of the unstable BB, Sam takes the capsule to the surface and attempts revival. In a dramatic moment, BB begins breathing - a genuine resurrection. Sam names the baby Lou (Louisa), symbolizing new life, human connection, and hope in the broken world. This represents the game's themes of life, death, connection, and what it means to be human.
