Death Stranding: The Lore of the Games Explained

Death Stranding is the name of the phenomenon that occurred in the game’s universe and caused the near extinction of the human race. It’s an explosion of cosmic proportions capable of extinguishing all life on Earth and has a supernatural explanation.

This happened because the material world inhabited by humans somehow connected to the world of the dead, causing drastic changes in the planet's ecosystem, including paranormal phenomena of various natures such as BTs (Beached Thing), the strange mineral known as Chiralium and the temporal rain that plagues several regions of the world.

The Beach

When a human dies, their soul (Ka) normally leaves their body (Ha) and moves on, but after the Death Stranding, anyone who dies ends up with their Ka trapped in the material world, lost between the two worlds. Because they belong to the other side, BTs, like everything that comes from the Beach, are made of antimatter, and when they come into contact with matter, a chain reaction occurs that causes an Extinction Event, a massive explosion that can even wipe out entire cities, very similar to what happened in the original Death Stranding.

Little is known about the nature of BTs, as there are other types of these beings, larger and less human-like. Perhaps they’re entities that have always existed and inhabited the other world, but are now connected to the living world through the Beach. When a person dies, their body must be disposed of and cremated as quickly as possible to prevent an extinction event.

Chiralium, possessing properties of its origin (the Beach), has come to be used by humanity for the development of various technologies and has become a vital resource due to its high potential. However, like everything that comes from the Beach, chiralium can contaminate humans and cause various neurological and physical effects, therefore, its use is strictly supervised.

After the first Death Stranding, humanity suffered severe consequences, such as the decline of society and major nations, with the United States losing its president in the disaster. Following this event, Bridget Strand assumed the presidency and founded Bridges, an agency dedicated to researching the Beach and its resources to use for the benefit of humanity.

Bridget, in fact, had known about the Beach for a long time, having suffered a near-death experience in which her soul and body, Ka and Ha, were separated. Her Ka remained trapped on the Beach, adopting the identity of Amelie, while Ha continued life normally as Bridget. Bridget aged like any human being, but Amelie remained young. To hide suspicions, the two acted as if they were mother and daughter, but in reality, they were one being.

Somehow, Amelie/Bridget's connection to the Beach made her a catalyst, a tool through which an Extinction Event would inevitably occur, just as it had before in the game's story.

Sam’s Past

Samuel Porter Bridges was born the son of Cliff and Lisa Unger, who met and fell in love. During her pregnancy, Lisa suffered an accident that endangered her life and that of her unborn child. Desperate to save his family, Cliff sought help from Bridges. The baby, Sam, was placed in a sort of capsule, where he was supposed to recover, along with his mother Lisa, but Lisa's condition was much worse, and Cliff soon accepted that his wife would never wake up again.

However, Bridges secretly planned to use baby Sam in experiments to create a new communication network, as the first prototype of BB (Bridge Baby), a tool for communicating with the other side. Cliff discovered the organization's intentions thanks to the help of Die-Hardman, a former army colleague who now worked for the agency. In an attempt to escape with their son, Cliff and the baby were killed in a shootout and both ended up on the beach.

Feeling remorse for her actions under Bridges' orders, Bridget/Amelie use their influence on the Beach to save Sam, bringing the baby back to life and granting him special powers. Sam becomes a repatriate, someone incapable of dying. Bridget raises Sam as her own son and hides her past from him, with Amelie acting as Sam's sister.

Sam grew up suffering from a rare condition called DOOMS as a repatriate, a condition inflicted on specific individuals by Amelie herself as she tried to understand her condition as an extinction entity. She accidentally shared part of her connection to the Beach with certain individuals around the world. However, in Sam's case, this condition was intentionally caused when he was saved by Amelie. Suffering from terrifying nightmares and often ending up trapped on the Beach in his dreams, with no way to return, Amelie always accompanied Sam, caring for and comforting him.

In his youth, Sam joined Bridges as a Porter, a kind of special delivery person who connects communities across the United States, carrying supplies and valuable resources from one place to another. Sam became a very important member of Bridges and it was during this time that he met a psychologist named Lucy, who helped him deal with his traumas (including his fear of being touched by others). Lucy and Sam fell in love, married, and had a baby on the way, named Louise.

Lucy was having an affair with another of her patients, Neil Vana, but she ended the secret relationship when she confirmed that the father of her unborn baby was Sam. During her pregnancy, Lucy experienced strange and terrifying nightmares caused by the baby's special condition, and Bridget explained to her that Louise had inherited Sam's connection to the Beach, confirming that Sam was indeed Lou's father, and for this reason, she could no longer maintain her relationship with Neil.

Neil and Lucy met many years earlier, during a tragic childhood event, and this strange connection brought them together again in adulthood, with Lucy helping Neil overcome his trauma. He worked as a smuggler for Bridges, bringing comatose mothers across the border into Mexico for secret experiments by the agency seeking to develop Bridge Babies. Neil couldn't bear the end of their affair, as he truly loved Lucy, but he accepted her decision.

Fearing that Bridges had malicious intent toward her baby, Lucy decided to run away, but she believed there was only one way to do it: by making everyone believe Lou was Neil's daughter, not Sam's. Neil agreed to help Lucy with the plan, and they were going to escape together, but Bridges' agents discovered everything, and both were killed in the escape attempt.

After his death, Neil becomes a BT, and his presence there triggers an extinction event. Sam, who had arrived in the city searching for his family only to discover they were dead, ends up trapped in the cataclysm but survives thanks to his repatriate powers. What Sam didn't know was that the baby was alive and had been removed from Lucy's @@@@ and taken by Bridges for experiments, with Lucy's death being recorded as a suicide, a lie fabricated by the agency to cover up the real events.

Somehow, Neil becomes a different kind of BT, wandering the Beach, still bound by his promise to Lucy to help baby Louise, and Sam isolates himself, devastated by his loss.

Ten years later, Sam works as a freelance delivery man and has become a well-known figure in the field for his work. During a delivery, he meets Fragile, owner of Fragile Express, a company dedicated to delivery services across America.

Fragile also has DOOMS, and her infection is more intense than Sam's. This allows her to not only sense BTs, but also see them, and she can teleport anywhere she desires.

After this brief encounter, Sam arrives in the capital and meets Igor Frank, a Bridges employee who works with body disposal. He decides to help Igor's team with a job, but everything goes downhill when they realize one of the bodies has already decomposed, and the group ends up entering BT territory amidst the storm.

The team is surrounded, and Igor is captured, but before dying, he launches his BB to Sam, trying to save at least one of them. Sam sees for the first time a figure in a skull mask (the terrorist Higgs), and a gigantic BT appears, devouring everyone except Sam, triggering an extinction event. Sam survives another cataclysm but ends up passing out from the experience.

After this disaster, Sam wakes up in a private room in the capital, where he has a conversation with Deadman, a Bridges scientist who asks him to make a special delivery. Sam's mother, Bridget, is ill and needs morphine. Sam accepts the delivery and sets off to find his mother, with whom he hasn't spoken in a long time.

Sam meets with President Bridget Strand, the woman who raised him, and there he says goodbye to her. Bridget was very ill and wouldn't survive much longer; all she wanted was to see her son one last time and ask him to carry on her legacy.

Sam and Lou’s Journey

Sam discovers that Amelie has been kidnapped by a terrorist group led by Higgs Monaghan called @@@@ Demens. This group's sole purpose is to disrupt the Union of American Cities (UCA) and uses violent methods to achieve their goals, such as terrorizing and murdering citizens, as well as planning Extinction Events.

Sam is then tasked with reconnecting the cities of America in the Chiral Network and saving Amelie, so she can take over as President. On his journey, Sam relies on technical support from Die-Hardman, Deadman, and takes with him BB-28, the same Bridge Baby that Igor Frank gave him before his death.

Although he doesn't seem to share the same beliefs as the rest of the group, Sam accepts the task.

Shortly after arriving at the first city to be connected to the Network, Sam is confronted by Higgs, who tells him that Amelie is actually an Extinction Entity and that Fragile hides many secrets.

Higgs is extremely powerful, capable of teleportation and even summoning and controlling gigantic BTs, as demonstrated in the first battle Sam faces.

Higgs and Fragile’s History

Higgs grew up alone, after a tragic childhood in which he had to kill his own uncle in self-defense, gaining his DOOMS powers during this incident after coming into contact with BTs. He worked as a delivery driver for Bridges for years, doing a good job, and eventually caught the attention of another delivery driver, Coffin, who revealed that she convinced Higgs to join a group secretly fighting against Bridges.

Coffin tells Higgs that Bridges conducts experiments on humans to develop its technologies and carry out its plans, which must be stopped. She teaches him a lot and treats him like a son. During a mission with the group to stop Bridges, Coffin is contaminated with chiralium and develops cancer. Before dying, she asks Higgs to take care of her daughter and help her when needed.

Coffin was Fragile's mother, and it was during this time that Higgs began working as a support worker at Fragile Express, keeping her promise to Coffin. Higgs spent a period helping people and doing good work alongside Fragile, but it was during this time that he met Amelie, and his personality began to change. Higgs believed the end of the world was inevitable and that fighting it was a waste of time.

Higgs then joined a group of terrorists who shared the same ideals and manipulated Fragile Express into a plan to smuggle nuclear weapons into cities, causing the obliteration of Mid Knot City. Fragile discovers the plan and tries to stop Higgs from causing further destruction, but he ends up putting her in a life-or-death situation: save the next city or save herself. Fragile chooses to take Higgs's bomb and save the city, but in the process, she suffers from the effects of the storm rain and is forever scarred with a disfigured body.

Higgs gets tired of waiting for Amelie and, upon discovering her interest in Sam, he feels a kind of jealousy and decides to take control of everything, using the @@@@ Demens to execute his own plan.

Amelie’s Plan

As an extinction entity, Amelie is the catalyst for the Last Stranding, the final event that will wipe out humanity. She is responsible for DOOMS and also caused the deaths of Sam's parents and his wife, Lucy. Amelie plans to bring about extinction sooner and manipulates Higgs to achieve her goal using the Chiral Network connection.

Sam eventually discovers her intentions, and it is up to him to decide whether to destroy Amelie or accept the fate she’ll bring. Sam decides to believe in Amelie, the one who cared for him as a child and was his companion in his moments of loneliness. Exchanging a final embrace with Sam, Amelie decides to stop the Last Stranding and allow humanity and life to follow their natural course. She bids Sam farewell and sends him back to his friends, remaining on the Beach. Higgs also ends up trapped on the Beach, left there by Fragile to atone for his crimes.

Sam learns about his parents, he and BB-28, whom he names Lou after his late daughter, move on with their lives as a family, with Sam having unified the United States through the Chiral Network and Die-Hardman assuming the presidency.

Some time passes. Sam and Lou live happily in a secluded location. Fragile appears unexpectedly and asks Sam for help once again, this time connecting Mexico to the Chiral Network. Sam accepts this latest assignment and leaves Lou in Fragile's care.

In Mexico, Sam discovers that Deadman is, well, dead, and that, according to Bridges records, a BB-28 was discarded years before Sam met Lou, indicating there's much more to Lou than he knows.

During Sam's absence, Fragile and Lou are attacked by a mysterious group of men dressed in red. Fragile tries to escape but suffers an accident. She is ambushed by Higgs, who has returned to get his revenge. Lou dies in the accident, and Fragile is seriously injured.

Australia

After Lou's death, Sam sinks into grief, unable to cope with this further loss. However, a new visit from Fragile, months after the accident, sets Sam on a journey once again.

By connecting Mexico to the chiral network a portal appeared, a kind of Wormhole, which connects Mexico to Australia. Since the Stranding has made travel to certain parts of the world virtually impossible, portals are the only way to connect these places, and Sam must do so, bringing Australia into the Chiral Network.

Accompanying Sam on this mission are Tarman, the captain of the DHV Magellan, capable of navigating through Tar, the substance that appears next to the BTs; Dollman, a medium whose soul was trapped in a doll; and Charlie, the mysterious financier behind the expedition. In addition to Fragile herself, who now serves as the leader of Dawnbridge, the agency that replaced Bridges and Fragile Express after the end of the first game.

During the mission to connect several key points in Australia, Sam discovers that Higgs is alive and seeking revenge, now capable of controlling robots possessed by BTs. Higgs teases Sam, claiming he knows nothing about Lou, and does everything he can to cause our hero suffering and hinder the group's mission.

Later in the expedition, more members join the group: Rainy, a girl with the power to conjure temporal rain, found by Fragile, and Tomorrow, a mysterious girl Sam found in a cocoon.

Lou's Past and the End of Sam's Journey

After the tumultuous reunion with Higgs, Sam asks Fragile to investigate Lou's past. She confirms that the real BB-28 died before Igor Frank passed Lou to Sam, meaning Lou was never BB-28.

In fact, Lou remained alive on the other side. When Fragile tried to save her during Higgs' attack and was shot, her Ka and Ha separated. The body remained alive to join Sam on the expedition, while the soul continued to protect Lou on the other side, with the help of another lost soul, Neil, who wanted to keep the promise he made to Lucy. Lou is raised on the Beach, where time passes differently, until finally returning to where she belongs. She awakens in a cocoon, with no memory of her past, and is found by Sam, now a young woman with no memories, who comes to be called Tomorrow.

On top of all this, Lou is now an Extinction Entity, due to her journey on the other side, and Higgs plans to use her to open a portal to Amelie’s Beach, from where he can finally unleash the Last Stranding.

Higgs and Sam face off in an epic final battle, and the villain is defeated. Lou uses her powers to close the Beach forever. Die-Hardman explains to Sam how Tomorrow could be Lou, and the group manages to complete the expedition. Unfortunately, Fragile was only alive because of her desire to protect Lou and see Sam one last time. With her Ka and Ha separated, she doesn't survive the mission, leaving Sam, who grieves once again, but is now reunited with the daughter he thought he had lost forever.

After the mission in Australia, Lou joins Drawbridge, where she works as a delivery person, just as her father did.

Death Stranding is a complex and often confusing game, making it Kojima's most extravagant work. However, this doesn't diminish the brilliance and genius with which the creator handles themes like grief and depression, crucial points throughout the plot.

Sam is a lonely, tormented character who discovers that no one is meant to be alone and that the pain of loss only heals when one allows oneself to feel it and then move on. That death may not be the end of everything and that happy memories will endure.

This concludes another article. Leave your questions, suggestions, criticisms, and/or compliments in the comments. Thank you for reading, and see you next time.