History YMMV / DeathStranding

** The scene where the baby disappears from Sam's arms (and its status as a LivingMacGuffin which everyone seeks to protect with their lives) led to many jokes about it being symbolic for Kojima's relationship with the VideoGame/MetalGear franchise, with Sam representing [[AuthorAvatar Kojima]], the baby representing the Metal Gear series and Mads Mikkelsen's unnamed villain representing [[TakeThat Konami]].

** The scene where the baby disappears from Sam's arms (and its status as a LivingMacGuffin which everyone seeks to protect with their lives) led to many jokes about it being symbolic for Kojima's relationship with the VideoGame/MetalGear franchise, with Sam representing Kojima, the baby representing the Metal Gear series and Mads Mikkelsen's unnamed villain representing Konami.

** Calling the game "''Creator/NormanReedus and the Funky Fetus''" is quite common, so much so that some already forgot the name of the game and refer to it as that. Some fans have also called it "''Guillermo del Toro and the Baby of Tomorrow''"/"''Squad Leader Mads and the Skeleton Lads''".

** Jokes about Sam being the best deliveryman in the world or the game being UPS/Fedex Simulator after the gameplay trailer from [=E3 2018=] revealed that he is a courier that travels across the land in an AfterTheEnd environment. Comparisons to the [[VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas Mojave Courier]] are quite common.

** Jokes about Sam being the best deliveryman in the world or the game being UPS/Fedex Simulator after the gameplay trailer from [=E3 2018=] revealed that he is a courier that travels across the land in an AfterTheEnd environment.

** The E3 2018 trailer, while significantly less gross than the previous trailers, still has a cringe-inducing scene of one character ripping out a toenail.

** There's also the E3 2018 trailer theme, SILENT POET's "Asylums for the Feeling" featuring Leila Adu, a song that really adds to the game's melancholic and eerie atmosphere.

** After the 2018 E3 trailer many fans expressed relief that, after three years, we finally have confirmation that this ''is'' a video game, since every trailer before this one has been entirely cinematic. They've even gone as far as to say that ''Sony'' has finally stopped holding their breath since hiring Kojima.

** The E3 2018 trailer, while significantly less gross, has a cringe-inducing scene of one character ripping out a toenail.

* AwesomeMusic: Web searches for Low Roar's haunting, evocative "I'll Keep Coming" skyrocketed after the first trailer, and for damn good reason, too.

** There's an [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hb67zAmIx20 ongoing]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_pGz1qpxPQ fan]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESuKiC9vOD4 conspiracy]] holding that ''Death Stranding'' is really a ''Metal Gear Solid'' spin-off in disguise and that Konami and Kojima Productions never truly split up in spite of appearances.

** There's an [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hb67zAmIx20 ongoing]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_pGz1qpxPQ fan]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESuKiC9vOD4 conspiracy]] that ''Death Stranding'' is really a ''Metal Gear Solid'' spin-off in disguise and that Konami and Kojima Productions never truly split up in spite of appearances.

* UncannyValley:
** Although the motion capture work on this game [[SugarWiki/VisualEffectsOfAwesome is stunning]], the shift between Sam looking sad and going back to a more neutral facial expression comes across as ''extremely'' unsettling. The effect is likely deliberate, given the surreal and haunting nature of the trailer.

* GeniusBonus: A particularly sharp-eyed fan noticed that the metal "dog tags" Creator/NormanReedus's character is wearing have [[http://img.kojimaproductions.jp/img/works/modal/menu-img-01.png equations engraved in them.]] Some fans were able to figure out that they are [[http://mokadara.tumblr.com/post/145930543457/death-stranding-and-quantum-physics related to black holes and quantum physics.]] What this means in terms of the game is very much up in the air, but it should be interesting to speculate.

*** Photoshopping the shot of Reedus' character holding the baby close to his chest and sobbing to make it look like he's holding something else, [[TearsOfJoy such as a PlayStation 4]] or [[VideoGame/HyruleWarriors Linkle]].

*** The cross markings on the stomach of Reedus' character have spawned memes, mainly in the department of [[WebComic/CtrlAltDel loss.jpg]].

** Jokes about how this game is supposed to herald the birth of [[SpiritualSuccessor "a franchise to surpass ]] [[VideoGame/MetalGearSolidVThePhantomPain Metal Gear"]] are making the rounds.

** Calling the game "''Norman Reedus and the Funky Fetus''" is quite common, so much so that some already forgot the name of the game and refer to it as that. Some fans have also called it "''Guillermo del Toro and the Baby of Tomorrow''"/"''Squad Leader Mads and the Skeleton Lads''".

** A lot of jokes have been made about the HoYay between Kojima and Mads Mikkelsen [[http://kurokouchi.god.jp/post/157061469269/photos-by-hideo-kojima such as how Kojima ended up staring at Mads for five minutes because he thought he looked so cool]], [[http://lawgivah.tumblr.com/post/153944300762/this-makes-me-smile Mads surprising Kojima with a cake on the latter's birthday]], [[http://thepresidentofhyperion.tumblr.com/post/156437851825/in-times-when-i-think-that-my-obsession-over-crush the fact that Kojima nicknamed the stool that Mads sat on "Mads' Chair"]], [[http://cldstrifes.tumblr.com/post/153973415007/same or him talking about how "cool and sexy'' Mads looked in his interview in Cut.]] Some people have joked that Kojima is only making the game to hang out with his boyfriend, Mads. And all this has nothing on Mads appearing as a special guest on an episode of Kojima's WebVideo series.

** The E3 2016 trailer certainly has a bunch of stomach-churning imagery: the dead sea life, the newborn bawling on the beach while attached to an obviously artificial umbilical cord, Reedus' character's [[NakedPeopleAreFunny bare ass]] covered in handprints and boasting a cross-shaped scar on his stomach hinting at some possible MisterSeahorse shenanigans. This is definitely going to be one of Kojima's weirder games, which given [[Franchise/MetalGear his]] [[VideoGame/SilentHills pedigree]] is certainly saying something.

** Although the motion capture work on this game [[SugarWiki/VisualEffectsOfAwesome is stunning]], the shift between Reedus' character looking sad and going back to a more neutral facial expression comes across as ''extremely'' unsettling. The effect is likely deliberate, given the surreal and haunting nature of the trailer.

** The scene from the Game Awards 2017 trailer [[spoiler:where the Baby Norman's trying to protect is literally ''down his throat'']] drew comparisons to [[https://youtu.be/qk8d2nMsLkg?t=4m10s this scene]] from ''WesternAnimation/XavierRenegadeAngel'', claiming Kojima got the idea from here.

** The Game Awards 2017 trailer is here now, and somehow it's ''even weirder'' and has some stomach churning visuals including [[spoiler: the mysterious invisible monsters, the terrifying giant ''with a hand for a head'' dragging people up to a presumed FateWorseThanDeath by umbilical cords, and the Baby Norman's character is trying to protect being literally ''down his throat''.]]

** Mads Mikkelsen's character has scarring around his eyes.

** The Game Awards 2017 trailer is here now, and somehow it's ''even weirder'' and has some stomach churning visuals including [[spoiler: the mysterious invisible monsters that seem to age their victims rapidly, the terrifying giant ''with a hand for a head'' dragging people up to a presumed FateWorseThanDeath by umbilical cords, and the Baby Norman's character is trying to protect being literally ''down his throat''.]]

* BrokenBase: There's a split between those who believe this game will be Kojima's MagnumOpus and best work since ''VideoGame/MetalGear'' since he has full creative control of the project, and those who believe said full creative control will turn it into a [[AuthorTract pretentious]] mess that [[MindScrew doesn't make sense]] to anyone but Kojima himself. The latter view has only grown with every MindScrew that the trailers give with the Game Awards 2017 trailer drawing comparisons to [[https://youtu.be/qk8d2nMsLkg?t=4m10s this scene]] from ''WesternAnimation/XavierRenegadeAngel'' and the lack of any gameplay footage.

** Jokes about how this game is supposed to herald the birth of [[VideoGame/MetalGearSolidVThePhantomPain "a franchise to surpass Metal Gear"]] are making the rounds.
** Ever since it was said that the game would "redefine death" for the player, jokes have abounded on what this exactly means, common gag interpretations include people having to murder strangers and/or their pets, as well as Kojima breaking into the houses of players to murder them.

** Most of the letters on the poster are dripping a dark liquid, those that do spell out Eat Standing, which is treated as a hidden message of sort.
** A lot of jokes have been made about the HoYay between Kojima and Mads Mikkelsen [[http://kurokouchi.god.jp/post/157061469269/photos-by-hideo-kojima Such as how Kojima ended up staring at Mads for five minutes because he thought he looked so cool]], [[http://lawgivah.tumblr.com/post/153944300762/this-makes-me-smile Mads surprising Kojima with a cake on the latter's birthday]], [[http://thepresidentofhyperion.tumblr.com/post/156437851825/in-times-when-i-think-that-my-obsession-over-crush The fact that Kojima nicknamed the stool that Mads sat on "Mads' Chair"]], [[http://cldstrifes.tumblr.com/post/153973415007/same or him talking about how "cool and sexy'' Mads looked in his interview in Cut.]] Some people have joked that Kojima is only making the game to hang out with his boyfriend, Mads. And all this has nothing on Mads appearing as a special guest on an episode of Kojima's WebVideo series.

* BrokenBase: There's a split between those who believe this game will be Kojima's ''magnum opus'' and best work since ''VideoGame/MetalGear'' since he has full creative control of the project, and those who believe said full creative control will turn it into a [[AuthorTract pretentious]] mess that [[MindScrew doesn't make sense]] to anyone but Kojima himself. The latter view has only grown with every MindScrew that the trailers give with the Game Awards 2017 trailer drawing comparisons to [[https://youtu.be/qk8d2nMsLkg?t=4m10s this scene]] from ''WesternAnimation/XavierRenegadeAngel'' and the lack of any gameplay footage.