00:25 – It looks like there might be a choice of suits for Sam to wear. We see at least three: blue, orange and red.
00:38 – This sequence seems to focus on important pieces of Sam’s loadout – boots, cargo harness and a Bungee cord-like weapon we later learn is called a Strand.
2:08 – The demo proper begins in the Capital Knot City Distribution Centre, where Sam takes a mission and prepares for the journey ahead.
3:12 – The basic Delivery Terminal menu UI includes weight management (which impacts balance), stamina, boot sturdiness, a measurement of Sam’s blood, BB’s happiness, and a count of Facebook-style likes, which seem to be key to adding to the Chiral Network. We also see a list of 6 different crafting materials.
3:19 – We enter the ‘Sam’s Orders’ Menu, which includes the name of the orders you can take, how many likes you get, cargo weight, and a map of the journey. The menu can be tilted around, just for fun.
3:25 – The ‘Fabricate Equipment’ menu lets you 3D print new items in four different categories: equipment (ladders, pitons etc.), clothing (boots, backpacks), weapons (grenades!) and vehicles.
3:33 – The ‘Collect Cargo’ menu lets you equip the cargo Sam needs to take on his mission. You can pile up huge amounts of cargo, and change where items are stored on Sam. Grenades can be kept in pouches on Sam’s waist, or you can have him hold things in his left or right hand. The balance of weight is important, as you can over-balance, and you need to use button presses to steady him. We see Sam take a crazy amount, and is still only halfway up to his max weight allowance. This could end up looking very funny.
5:06 – The quest we see is part of Episode 2: ‘Amelie’, and is titled ‘Order No. 14’. It involves delivering containers of aid to Port Knot City, which is around 3.5km from where you start.
5:30 – Checking your location not only shows the distance to the objective, but the changes in altitude along the way.
5:36 – Sam has 9 stats: Movement speed, balance, rugged terrain resistance, sync level, battery capacity, stamina/fatigue resistance, carrying capacity, resistance to falling unconscious, and lung capacity. There’s a separate section for Balance recovery, but it’s not clear how this is measured or displayed.
5:43 – The map allows you to study the route and place custom markers, which creates holographic tracks to follow.
6:30 – Sam can call to see if other people are around him.
6:50 – There’s a radial menu for clothing, including boots, caps, and sunglasses. The tooltips reveal they have customisable colours, as well as actual stat effects – Sam’s cap reduces stamina consumption, for example.
7:20 – Using the scan (which has a cooldown) near a river shows whether it’s traversable or not. Areas marked in blue have no penalty, yellow areas reduce stamina, and red areas see you sink and get swept away by the current.
7:44 – Being swept away by a river increases BB’s stress level, can disconnect cargo from your pack (which can be recaptured downstream), and causes Sam’s stamina to decrease. You can paddle to get out of the danger areas.
8:30 – After getting out of the water, Sam can catch his breath, seemingly to recover his stamina.
8:53 – Monster Energy is in the game. Yep. A level 1 canteen can hold 1000ml of drink in level 1 canteen. All water that comes into contact with the canteen is transformed into Monster, which restores your stamina bar.
9:10 – Sam finds some lost cargo, containing an old sound system belonging to musician. Picking it up adds a destination marker and offers 1 like. Lost cargo will seemingly work like side-quests for Prepper characters, like the Ludens Fan played by Geoff Keighley we saw at Gamescom.
9:47 – There’s a line in the world that shows the edges of the Chiral Network’s current coverage
10:10 – You can place a Climbing Anchor to rappel down cliff faces. Climbing Anchor level 1’s rope is 30m in length, and you can level it up for longer ropes. The Anchor is left behind after use.
10:49 – Stepping outside of the chiral network disconnects you, which presumably removes any map help for the nearby terrain.
11:01 – Sam’s ladder has a maximum length of 10m, and it can be placed horizontally as a makeshift bridge. It can be collapsed again after use, or left behind, which may help other players.
11:50 – It seems prepper characters have a standard location style, with a delivery terminal and a hologram of the character themselves. Delivering cargo gives you varying numbers of likes, based on various conditions (damage to the cargo, for instance).
13:17 – Helping preppers will convince them to join the Chiral Network (by ‘establishing a new strand’), which unlocks map data for the nearby area, including marking items. Once the strand is established, the prepper’s hologram has a stronger connection and you can actually make out their features. The musician character we see is played by Daichi Miura, a Japanese singer! Expect more cameos.
14:01 – The musician offers an extra reward – a harmonica. More on that shortly.
14:59 – Other players’ left items appear in the world – we see a ladder someone else left, and it’s been liked by other players (very much like notes in Dark Souls, but these are actual items!)
15:29 – Footwear can be ruined – presumably affecting balance and/or stamina – but can also be ruined beyond repair. There’s a shoe meter to track this, amazingly.
15:54 – Resting saves the game, lets Sam massage himself, soothe BB, sleep, or put on new boots. You also get a close-up of his injured feet, which is gross.
16:56 – You can also equip the Harmonica – use the touchpad while resting, and the music will soothe BB, make it dance creepily and cause it to give you likes.
17:30 – Massaging Sam’s shoulders doesn’t visibly do anything, except give the option to stretch his legs afterwards.
17:54 – Sleeping gradually restores blood levels back to 1000ml. Afterwards, Sam gets up, and a message pops up to say Sam got a total rest of 2 min 19 sec, including 35 sec of sleep.
19:20 – Other players’ lost cargo can also be found. Using a container repair spray restores the cargo’s ‘health’, magically removing dents and scuffs. The cargo can then be picked up, presumably offering extra rewards when delivered, for yourself, the other player, or both.
20:15 – Postboxes can be found in the world, seemingly placed by other players. The terminal’s options are to make a delivery, share the locker or make it private. There is also an option to “Entrust cargo for delivery”, but it’s greyed out. Cargo can also be claimed
20:26 – The postbox contains a power skeleton that has been put in the shared locker by another player. The skeleton greatly increases cargo carrying capacity, and allows Sam to sprint while carrying loads that he’d ordinarily struggle to lift. It requires battery power, and drains faster when boosting. It recharges slowly in sunny or cloudy conditions.
20:34 – Sam also takes takes a floating carrier. This floating tractor cart travels across rough terrain. It floats behind you and allows you to take items off of your back and onto it. It can hold up to 300kg.
20:42 – There’s cargo called… Sperm and Eggs. Sam’s also carrying a medicine pack and anti-BT guns.
21:22 – Sam stands within the radius of a beacon tower playing a pop song. It appears to restore all cargo’s conditions. This also seems to have been placed by another player. It looks like the levels of these structures go up as some sort of needs are met. It also seems as though the structures can be customised.
22:20 – Sam removes the cargo containers from the floating carrier and then stands on it, using it like a hoverboard. He uses it to ride down an incline towards a small camp. Upon reaching the bottom of the incline, Sam folds the carrier up and stores it on his back.
22:52 – Approaching the camp, Sam is able to use a pulse scan that highlights elements in the world. This pulse does not highlight enemies, but by tagging the items they carry the scan does provide helpful data in this regard. The sequence is very reminiscent of Metal Gear Solid 5.
23:28 – Sam uses a Strand, a non-lethal melee weapon used to tie up unaware enemies and parry attacks, to incapacitate one of the enemies in the camp.
23:44 – A postbox within the camp is accessed to retrieve a Bola Gun, which fires binding wires that immobilise people. The tooltip explains that the wires are “infused with Sam’s blood, so are also effective against BTs”.
24:33 – As enemies are alerted to his presence, Sam uses the Bola Gun to take down a number of attackers. A slow motion effect can seemingly be triggered while in combat
24:51 – Cargo containers can be thrown at enemies to incapacitate them, but the impact damages the cargo.
25:04 – The Power Skeleton allows Sam to boost his running speed, up to the point that he can match the speed of a truck. Running alongside it, he pulls the driver out of the cockpit and takes control of the truck himself. Kojima apologised to the driver at this point.
26:02 – Large chasms can also be leaped over using the Power Skeleton’s boost, but at the cost of battery drain. It appears that the boost function will help reduce the need for items like ladders, so long as your battery has enough juice.
26:39 – Sam uses a power beacon found in the world to rapidly recharge the Power Skeleton’s battery.
27:29 – Crafting materials can be harvested from the world. Sam discovers a hand-shaped growth that provides Chiral crystals, and further down the road finds a dung pile surrounded by fly-like Cryptobiotes which he collects.
29:04 – Sam walks into an area filled with BTs, and can hold his breath while sneaking around them. The Bola Gun can be used to incapacitate them.
30:00 – BTs erupt from the oily ground and attack Sam. They can be shaken off, but Sam fails and is pulled downwards. It appears that he has been dragged by the BTs to the other side.
30:25 – Sam faces a huge, tentacled dog-like creature that must be defeated in a boss fight. The creature is pretty mobile and can attack with a tail-whip and by projecting a beam from its face.
30:47 – The boss can be attacked using a variety of biology-based weapons. Sam has Ex-Grenades, which contain “condensed body fluids collected from the shower”. He can also use blood-based Hematic grenades, which are powered either by collectable blood bags or Sam’s own blood (which will leech his health). Both are considered non-lethal weapons.
32:54 – Other players can appear in the game as white, ghostly apparitions that can throw helpful items at Sam.
34:00 – Sam equips an Anti-BT gun, another blood-based weapon that is used to deal massive damage and destroy the dog. As the creature collapses and disintegrates, the robotic arm on Sam’s back waves goodbye to the creature, and BB gives Sam likes.
35:26 – Hot springs in the environment can be used to bathe. Sam strips off and relaxes, while BB floats in the spring. Sam can soothe BB with a song for likes, and wash himself in the water.
37:20 – A large variety of signs can be left in the world for other players. These signs can indicate distances, identify types of locations, such as motorbike jumps, or even just notify others of a particularly nice vista.
38:00 – Vehicles can left by other players in the world. Sam discovers a motorcycle left behind by a player called gd_ichiro, and loads it up with cargo.
38:44 – Large constructs such as bridges can also be made by players and left for others to discover. Sam is able to cross a river on the motorcycle by using a player-made bridge.
41:20 – Licensed songs seem to play as you reach important areas. As Sam discovers Port Knot City, Asylums For The Feeling feat. Leila Adu by Silent Poets plays.
47:00 – Sleeping in city rest areas fully restores all stats. Sam can also use a shower, and is offered the option of using the toilet either standing or sitting. Yup, it’s seemingly not just peeing that you can make Norman Reedus do. Delightful.
