It’s no secret that Death Stranding is undeniably weird. The majority of us still don’t even know what it’s about!
Hideo Kojima appears to have crafted a world where you can carry a fetus across hazardous landscapes, consume an unhealthy amount of Monster energy drinks and craft grenades out of your own poop…
This isn’t the first game to delve into an unusual side and certainly won’t be the last. Here are five games embody the wacky and weird.
Catherine
The most vivid nightmare I can remember was about a gameshow called Catchphrase. It featured an extremely creepy yellow being known as ‘ Chips’, who will forever haunt my dreams.
Nothing compares to the nightmares you face in Catherine – I mean nothing.
Catherine released on the PS3 and Xbox 360 back in 2011 and revolved around you playing as Vincent, a man who thought one girl alone was hard work so instead dated multiple.
I don’t get it either.
As his relationships develop, his mental state drops and he’s bought into a world of nightmares every night.
Everything starts off seemingly normal, as Catherine plays much like a social simulation game. But then you go to sleep, and this is where things get weird.
Nightmares consist of you climbing a tower of blocks until you reach the top. Sounds simple, right?
Well, imagine that same situation, but this time you’re chased by questionable female anatomy – I’ll leave that to your imagination.
It’s not just body parts you’ll be chased by, but even giant babies. Yes, you heard that right, giant babies. Revealing more would spoil some of Catherine’s craziest moments.
Catherine is a game best played rather than explained. No amount of words can begin to detail the insane moments the game throws at you.
It makes Death Stranding seem awfully mundane. Especially when you’re getting chased by an enormous evil sheep. Trust me.
Goat Simulator
Speaking of farm animals, how about a game when you play as rampant goat who is hell bent on causing destruction to anything and everything?
Goat Simulator is exactly what it says on the box. A game where you play as a goat. I could leave it here, but it’s just too fun to talk about the hilarious situations your horned friend can get into.
Ever seen a goat ride a jet pack while thrashing around? You will.
Want to run head first into a gas station and blow it to smithereens? You can.
Think it’s impossible to lick a car and get dragged down the road as your lifeless body flails across the pavement? It’s not.
For anyone that’s ever wanted to be a goat (you know who you are), this is your chance. While the game may slightly break the realms of reality, that only adds to utter chaos that’s plastered on screen.
Oh, and there’s now a patch for an MMO mode… you’re already buying it, aren’t you?
WarioWare Games
When I was a child my mum would always shout at me for picking my nose. “Keep picking and your brains will fall out!” she used to say. Well, the joke’s on her, my brains are still intact – just about.
To avoid the drama that would ensue of picking my own, I would use the stylus on my Nintendo DS to pick other people’s in WarioWare.
For those that don’t know, WarioWare games are a collection of mini-games that start of weird and only spiral out of control from there.
You complete these mini-games for Wario and an assortment of his peculiar friends for absolutely no reason what so ever. One situation involves you zooming around space in a flying taxi, playing as a cat and dog known as Dribble & Spitz. All’s fun and games until a barrage of flying saucers attack and the only means to return fire is to complete mini-games.
It makes total sense.
Each mini-game lasts mere seconds and each one is crazier than the last. I’ve never before in my life had to use all the toilet paper off a roll, cut somebody’s fingernails and perform squats in my underwear – all in the space of 10 seconds.
Everything consistently speeds up to the point that your hands are moving faster than the speed of light and you eventually lose. It’s all good fun.
WarioWare Gold is the most recent entry to the series and was released on the Nintendo 3DS. It plays as a love letter to all the previous games, wrapped into one crazy little package.
You may be able to rock your baby to sleep on Death Stranding with your controller, but WarioWare lets you shake hands with a dog. Who’s the real winner here?
Undertale
You know in RPGs when you’re laying waste to a field of enemies (you monster) in the hopes of those sweet, sweet numbers to raise your level?
Have you ever thought about their feelings?
Undertale provides you the option to make friends with the enemies you face – isn’t that nice!
Combat encounters play out in the style of shoot-em’ up mini-game, but without the shooting. You play as a tiny little heart, in a tiny little box and must avoid all the oncoming attacks.
Depending on whether you choose to mercilessly kill every creature you encounter (you monster) or be a pacifist and befriend them all (good on you), the outcome of the game will vary.
Undertale is a game about choice, but prominently, its goal is to make you laugh, which it succeeds massively. The host of larger-than-life characters you meet will give you the belly laughs you crave, or judge you for that cute little doggo you decided to kill (you monster).
Death Stranding is all about making connections, but I don’t see it let you connect with a flower called Flowey.
Octodad: Dadliest Catch
Octodad is very reminiscent of me after a few drinks. Unable to stand straight or able to form a cohesive sentence.
Nobody in the world of Octodad is aware you’re an octopus disguised as a human. To be honest, you do play it rather convincingly.
Octodad: Dadliest Catch controls horribly. Each tentacle is locked to a specific controller input and is purposely made to have a convoluted control scheme.
But that’s the fun!
In the games opening moments, as you gracefully walk down the isle on your wedding day, you’re fighting against the controller to remain incognito.
Dozens of people have their eyes pressed onto you, the sweat drips from your abnormally large and slimy head – you stumble.
Each one of your tentacles swings in a various different direction, knocking over the beautiful flower arrangements, destroying a pile of presents and ultimately, blowing your cover.
At least, that’s how my playthrough went, hopefully you’ll fare better.
Octodad’s ragdoll physics make Death Stranding’s walking simulator vibes seem like a cakewalk. Each level gradually ramps up the difficulty in tasks that need to be performed and the fact that no one can see past your awful disguises is both weirdly concerning and hilarious.
If you’ve never felt comfortable in your own skin (or scales), then Octodad: Dadliest Catch might just be the break you need from the monotonous day to day routine of life above sea level.
Have any other weird games that could challenge Death Stranding? Be sure to let us know in the comments below!
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