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Hands-On With Death Stranding: The Umbrella

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Hideo Kojima’s upcoming release Death Stranding isn’t playable at the Tokyo Game Show. But you can demo Death Stranding: The Umbrella.

Full disclosure: Even though it’s overcast here today at the Tokyo Game Show, I was not able to test this demo umbrella outside in the rain.

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While Death Stranding: The Video Game is a PlayStation 4 exclusive, Death Stranding: The Umbrella is not. Designed for wet weather, it can also be used as on sunny days to help block out the sun’s rays or during snowy weather to fend off the cold. This Death Stranding is multiplatform.

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While in its sheath, the title Death Stranding is clearly legible. The all-black cover builds up to some anticipation. Is there a black umbrella inside? Or will Kojima throw us a curveball?

Since I’d had seen the demo version on the Tokyo Game Show floor, so I was not surprised to find that the umbrella itself was black.

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One of the weakest parts of Death Stranding: The Umbrella is that when closed, it is not possible to read Death Stranding. I am sure this won’t be a problem when opened.

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The handle is made from soft-touch plastic. Considerable development must have gone into this.

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Let’s press the button and see how this story unfolds.

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Wow! While this was one of Hideo Kojima’s easier to follow endeavors, it proves that he is a master of raingear surprises.

At its core, Death Stranding: The Umbrella is just that, an umbrella. In many ways, we’ve seen this before. You open it. You close it. The umbrella keeps you dry. He’s not departing from the tried and true formula, but this umbrella is well-made with a nice twist when opened.

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But, isn’t it bad luck to open umbrellas indoors?

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Damn you, Kojima.

Death Stranding The Umbrella is priced at 4,500 yen ($41.61). You can demo it for yourself at this year’s Tokyo Game.