The Death Stranding ending will have fans talking for years. Hideo Kojima's first game since his departure from Konami way back in 2015 delivered on the hype in a big way, eliciting a number of perfect scores from reviewers. It also divided Death Stranding critics, however, with some taking umbrage with the fact that it featured lengthy gameplay loops of brutal traveling - or that the game features a canteen that converts water into Monster energy drink to help replenish Sam Bridges' stamina.
Death Stranding follows Sam Porter Bridges as he attempts to unite a fractured United States of America - now the United Cities of America - following an apocalyptic global event known as the Death Stranding. Along the way, Sam begins to unravel the mystery of not just the world he inhabits but his own life as well. During the journey, Sam continuously interacts with key figures who clearly have an influence over the fate of humanity: Higgs, the deliveryman turned terrorist; Clifford Unger, a man who can freely navigate between our world and the Beach; and Amelie, Sam's emotional connection and the driving force behind his journey. In a world where the ghosts of the dead litter the landscape and can physically drag people to purgatory, somehow Sam's backstory and the Death Stranding ending ends up being the strangest element of the narrative, helped along by the people who have their own secrets to share.
Given all the information that gets unloaded on players in the game's closing hours, it makes sense many people want to have the Death Stranding ending sequence explained to make sure they've caught everything. Here's a comprehensive breakdown of the major elements in the Death Stranding ending and how it relates to the game's final revelatory moments. Be warned: there are obviously major spoilers ahead, so anyone who hasn't beaten the game or doesn't want to know the final, major twists be warned.
The Death Stranding Ending Twist Explained
The Death Stranding ending comes with a twist, and involves Sam uncovering why he has been deeply connected to Clifford Unger's paranormal appearances. While Sam initially believes it is because the BB unit he is using was the son of Clifford, it actually turns out to be more complicated than that - Sam is actually Clifford's baby, having been saved by Amelie after both he and Clifford were shot to death during an escape attempt from the UCA lab that was using BBs experimentally. Sam's resurrection via Amelie's powers as an Extinction Entity also gifted him the ability of being a repatriate, which explains why he is able to resurrect from death during the course of the game and why his blood has unique properties to fight off BTs. Because Amelie is split into two parts - her physical body, her "ha," existed as Bridget Strand, while her spirit, her "ka," remained stranded on The Beach - she is able to save Sam on the Beach and then also raise him as her own child as Bridget Strand.
This all comes to a head when Sam is tasked with incinerating his BB during the Death Stranding ending sequence, as it has been in service for far longer than a BB unit should. Once Sam arrives at the incinerator, he decides at the last second to save BB from incineration, plugging him back into his suit and experience more of the feedback flashbacks he has undergone throughout the game. There, he is able to watch the entire story of his existence as a BB unfold, complete with a heart-wrenching moment where Clifford is able to address him directly - presumably due to their connection to the Beach - and give him his dog tags to remember him by. Sam's connection isn't just to himself, and Clifford Unger is revealed to be a devoted father who fought tooth and nail against a world that tried to rip his family away from him.
Is Amelie Death Stranding's Real Villain?
In a sense, yes. Higgs was being used as a pawn by Amelie to help her speed up the extinction event that would end humanity's existence on Earth. As explained in the Death Stranding ending sequence, Earth has experienced several Death Strandings over its history, with five documented instances that each wiped out the dominant species on the planet. Higgs was set on the path by Amelie but, as Sam grew older and began to exhibit an innate ability to persevere in the face of despair, Amelie began to feel that there was hope for humanity after all. She begins trying to stop the extinction event she has set in motion, which then spurs Higgs to use his incredible DOOMS abilities - given to him by Amelie, in fact - to control her and attempt to trigger the Last Stranding.
Of course, Sam doesn't let this happen. After Sam defeats Higgs, Amelie offers him a choice between letting the end come and watching the world burn with her from The Beach or killing her in order to prevent it. Instead, Sam eschews both choices and hugs Amelie instead, proving he has remained connected to her despite her wavering loyalty to humanity and giving her the strength to go on. Amelie explains that, in order to let the Death Stranding happen naturally, she must remain on the Beach for what feels like an eternity, never interacting with the people she's come to care about and watching them all slowly die in a decaying world. She wanted the Last Stranding to come because she was tired of it and wanted it to end quickly, but Sam has proven that perhaps there is a possibility for humanity to endure - not forever, but for longer - and Amelie willingly sacrifices herself, choosing to remain on the Beach and give humanity its allotted time during the Death Stranding ending sequence.
Humanity's Future After Death Stranding's Ending
Even the most optimistic characters seem to think humanity only has a few thousand years left on the planet during the Death Stranding ending cinematics, but the point of Sam's struggle and the connections he built throughout the game are to illustrate why any time left is important. Amelie's extinction event isn't happening ahead of schedule anymore and the United Cities of America have been united under Die-Hardman's presidency, with more of humanity connected than ever before. During the course of the game, Sam leads to a number of key discoveries in battling BTs, which should help prevent any potential Voidouts in the near future. It's also unclear whether or not BTs will remain the same kind of threat now that Sam has convinced this Stranding's Extinction Entity to postpone the end. Either way, however, the people of the United Cities of America have hope and a future they can build towards during the fallout of the Death Stranding ending and that's a strangely optimistic finale for a game that ultimately tells us we can't stop the inevitable - but we can experience it, and fight against it, together.