Porter Bridges

Lore & Background

The world was shattered by the Death Stranding, an event that caused invisible creatures called Beached Things (BTs) to roam the Earth. These entities originate from 'the Beach,' a realm linked to near-death experiences, and are created via necrosis. When BTs consume humans, they cause 'voidouts'—nuclear-scale explosions that leave untraversable craters. They also generate 'timefall,' a rain that rapidly ages and deteriorates whatever it touches. To survive, the remaining population lives in remote Knot Cities under the United Cities of America (UCA). Sam works for Bridges, which performs governmental functions. Porters carry Bridge Babies (BBs), premature children acting as sensors to detect invisible BTs. Some individuals suffer from 'DOOMS,' a condition allowing them to naturally sense or control BTs; Sam possesses this ability along with his repatriate status.

In Their Own Story

Sam begins by transporting cargo to Central Knot City but is interrupted by timefall and assisted by Fragile in evading a BT. Upon arrival, he finds the city destroyed by a voidout after a corpse on the verge of necrosis was left unattended. Reviving in Capital Knot City, Sam meets Deadman and delivers morphine to Bridget Strand, the dying UCA President and his adoptive mother. She asks him to rejoin Bridges to 'reform America.' Sam refuses to incinerate a BB involved in the voidout, adopting it as 'Lou' instead. He receives a message from his estranged sister Amelie, who was captured by Homo Demens after leading an expedition to connect cities via the Chiral Network. Sam accepts Die-Hardman's orders to journey from the east coast to Edge Knot City on the west coast, rescuing Amelie and completing the network to prevent further collapse.

Reader's Guide

Players control Sam Porter Bridges in an open-world action-adventure setting described by creator Hideo Kojima as a 'strand game.' Gameplay focuses on delivering cargo while managing weight distribution and stability. The environment is hostile; timefall damages equipment, and invisible BTs require scanning with the 'odradek' sensor to reveal. If killed, Sam travels to an underwater world called 'the Seam' but can swim back to revive unless a voidout occurs. As the Chiral Network expands, players use a Portable Chiral Constructor (PCC) to craft items like ropes and bridges. The game features asynchronous online elements where players leave structures or recover lost cargo from others without direct encounters. Performance is rated by 'likes,' which improve Sam's stats and standing with characters.

Did You Know?

• Sam is a 'repatriate,' allowing him to return from the underwater world known as 'the Seam' after death, though voidouts still permanently damage the location.
• The game's soundtrack heavily features music from Low Roar; director Hideo Kojima stated that without them, 'Death Stranding would not have been born.'
• Sam carries a Bridge Baby (BB) in a pod to sense invisible Beached Things (BTs), forming an emotional bond with one he names Lou.
• As of March 2021, the game had sold 5 million copies worldwide and won the most Game of the Year awards of any title in 2019.
• Timefall is a unique form of rain produced by BTs that rapidly ages and deteriorates armor and cargo upon contact.