Death Stranding is an action game set in an open world environment, which also includes multiplayer functions. When the main character Sam dies, the player is sent to another world, referred to as an upside-down world submerged in water. Kojima suggests that when the player returns to the world of the living, anything they did or any damage that an explosion or the likes causes when the player dies remains persistent in the world and does not go away. Another element talked about is the existence of “Timefall” a type of rain with the ability to age or deteriorate whatever it hits. Another gameplay element talked about is the players ability to interact with the environment and wander outside of the character’s body, as well as recovering items when they die.