Have people figured out what is the genre the game is going to be like...I get a feeling it's going to be Alan Wake meets metal gear
I'm sure it's gonna have many new mechanics and systems, but at the same time it fits in the action genre; that it's a game that ask players to react to the different situations the game puts in front of them in a limited timeframe. I kinda believe that it's an survival action game.
My prediction is that It's an open-world mission based action game, that revolves around delivering packages in its dangerous world. I think each player controls his own version of Sam and they all exist simultaneously and interact with each other, in a way that players can invade each other's worlds and affect those worlds. If I'm not mistaken, kinda like the idea of Let it Die: players who die, are transported to the world of another player, but probably in a more complex and layered way.
All in all, it seems like the idea of parallel worlds is the basis of Death Stranding.
For its gameplay, I think players can choose the equipment before starting a mission, and while they can choose many guns and grenades and destroy everything in their path, the fights can also be avoided using stealth and other new ways. It seems like there are grenades in the game that affect Timefall (speed-up time) and by using many new items and weapons which are all based on the unique logic of the game's world. I believe the game can even be completed without killing bosses.
I think survival and staying alive while treading towards the destination is also a big part of the gameplay. Players should find a balance between the amount of packages they carry and their weapons and equipment. They can use robots or vehicles to help them carry their inventory. I think something like a Survival Viewer, as in Metal Gear Solid 3, could be part of the game, and players can heal themselves, change their boots after wear and even denailing themselves to treat infections.
I don't know how, but I think even the act of walking and treading the different landscapes is part of the gameplay. Scaling mountains, crafting transportable bridges and using them to pass valleys, and even managing stamina by choosing where to walk or how to walk, could be parts of the gameplay. Everything is also in hands of the players, and they choose how to deal with each situation.
This is wishful thinking, but I kinda think Death Stranding doesn't end after finishing its story and there is an endgame. Players can work towards getting and crafting all the items in the game, probably together and by helping each other, or trying to complete the left-over side missions, getting better rank on story missions, or new periodically missions and challenges that are added to the game. After all, it's a game about a delivery guy who accepts different missions.
Also, let me say that while everything I said above is based on what I've seen of the game and what I've heard of Kojima, they're all my speculations, and all of them can be wrong.