Death Stranding is a game like no other. I vividly remember sitting speechless as I rolled credits just days after the game’s launch in November 2019, left with a feeling that very few games have ever managed to evoke. I went on to put in over 450 hours while traveling to reunite a fractured United States across the PlayStation 4, PC, and Director’s Cut releases, and I’ve 100%-ed the game three times—so it should come as no surprise to hear that Death Stranding is one of my all-time favorite games.
That’s a statement that has left many peers, friends, and acquaintances looking at me with a puzzled face over the years. At release, Death Stranding was notoriously dismissed by many as a “walking simulator”, but it is so much more than that. Death Stranding is a game that explores isolation, loss, the cycles of life and death, and the very fabric of what it means to form connections. This is a game built on mechanics and gameplay above all else, offering one of the greatest worlds in video games. It is an experience unlike anything else in the entertainment landscape. I mean, it is the first “Strand-Type Game”, after all.
You play as Sam Porter Bridges, a lone courier, who is tasked with reconnecting the entirety of the United States of America after the phenomena known as the Death Stranding ravaged the continent. This series of events saw the worlds of the living and the dead connect, allowing for the emergence of Beached Things (BTs), a rain that rapidly ages anything it touches known as Timefall, and the eventual retreat of humanity’s last survivors into underground isolated shelters. As Sam, it’s up to you to deliver packages to these isolated remains of American society alone, just you and the haunting remains of what was once a great nation.
This world that Hideo Kojima envisioned was striking and raw in November 2019. Yet I never expected to see it come to life when the outside world abruptly came to a halt in March 2020 and mirrored the isolation seen in Death Stranding. Suddenly, we found ourselves isolated—unable to form connections with those in person. Even after the events of 2020 were seen as Kojima predicting the future by some, Death Stranding is still not appreciated as much as it should be.
It’s a game that wasn’t made for everyone, and it never once is ashamed of that. For players unable to find meaning in the time-consuming, lonely treks of package delivery, Death Stranding just didn’t work. It was seen as boring or strange, with the game’s key themes of connection and isolation failing to be recognized by many players. However, for some, Sam’s journey across the lonely mountains of America resonated incredibly deeply.
I’m one of those players. I was moved beyond words, and to me, Death Stranding was a complete experience. I was satisfied with watching Sam and Lou walk into the rain together, ready to start a new life beyond the Death Stranding. That’s what made the announcement of Death Stranding 2: On The Beach so surprising to me. Sam’s story wasn’t over, and the looming threat of humanity’s extinction from the Death Stranding remains. Once again, a journey of connection across the remains of a broken society was laid before us.
After pouring over 120 hours into the game, I can safely say that Death Stranding 2 is one of the greatest creative achievements seen in our industry—a game that will be remembered forever. Rather than listening to the crowd, Hideo Kojima doubled down on the mechanics and themes of Death Stranding, amplifying them to new heights. The result is a work that has surpassed or met the original in every way.
Should We Have Connected?
Death Stranding 2 begins eleven months after Sam completes his journey to reconnect the UCA. Sam Porter Bridges, the man who reconnected America, has disappeared off the map with his former Bridge Baby (BB), Lou, now a growing child. While the first game introduced the sci-fi world with Timefall, an encounter with a BT, and a package delivery, DS2 opts for a calm retreat back home for Sam and his daughter. The walk back across the mountainous terrain of Mexico immediately draws you in with the Hideo Kojima-dubbed “Peter Jackson camera”, as Woodkid’s powerful “Minus-Sixty One” plays in the background.
After an unforgettable journey through the harsh, transformed terrain of America, Sam finally has the quiet life he wished for, allowing him to raise his daughter in peace. The two’s unbreakable bond is displayed to the tune of “Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head”, and both Sam and Lou seem to be happier than ever. However, that peace and happiness sadly don’t last for long. Fragile shows up at Sam’s hideout, giving him the chance to completely wipe his record of leaving Bridges, offering an opportunity to not live in the shadows anymore. The UCA contracted Drawbridge, Fragile’s new group, to extend the Chiral Network south to link up Mexico in hopes of forming a Plate Gate, a portal that leads to a completely different continent—and Sam is the only man who can do the job.
With Drawbridge gear in tow, Sam embarks on a new journey—one with a finite and close endpoint. However, upon returning from his expedition, tragedy strikes. When Sam returns home, his perfect life is shattered beyond repair. An unnamed armed group attacked the hideout while he was away, severely injuring Fragile and killing Lou in the process. Sam, who was just feeding Lou and rocking her to sleep days ago, is now forced to hold it together with the crumbling remains of the life he worked so hard for.
One month passes, and Sam is seen at the lowest point of his life, overcome by depression, self-harm, and alcoholism. Even after the countless losses he experienced in Death Stranding, nothing compares to the loss of Lou. Fragile appears, expressing concern for his state, and drags him out of his hideout to invite Sam to join Drawbridge. A moment later, you’re aboard the DHV Magellan, Drawbridge’s base of operations, and a journey of healing is established: Sam will take the BB Pod on one more journey, one to connect Australia.
The journey to connect Australia is a personal one to overcome loss, a stark contrast from the selfless goal of reconnecting America for others. Even with only a few dozen minutes of interacting with Lou, I felt the emotional weight of her loss immensely because of the hundreds of hours I spent navigating America with her as Sam’s BB. The overall narrative extends beyond this theme, too, facing the reality that even despite our efforts in the first game, the dangers of extinction from the Death Stranding still await humanity. I was a bit worried about how this point in particular would play out throughout the game, but everything felt extremely natural and reasonable following Death Stranding.
Even after connecting part of the world, things aren’t magically better for others. In fact, the establishment of the Chiral Network has caused instability in other regions. Australia acts as a new frontier shaped by that very instability, presenting a whole new wave of challenges that were never an issue in America. This isn’t the only stark contrast between the sequel and its predecessor, though. Death Stranding 2 directly challenges the thesis of the first game: Should we have connected? Is connection the answer?
The result is a narrative that feels like simultaneously both the darkest and most personal that Kojima has ever written. Looking back on the themes of Death Stranding, its message about connection in the face of collapse remains as relevant today as it was back in 2019. However, after the last five years, I find Death Stranding 2 to have a more realistic narrative. At its core, the key themes of this game revolve around grief and acceptance, with the conveyed message being that while suffering and loss will always be on the horizon, the only thing we can do is continue moving forward. The world doesn’t stop when things fall apart for anyone—the only thing we can do is continue walking forward, one step at a time.
It’s refreshing to see a theme of this magnitude so deeply tackled with such passion and care inside a game. Grief can be experienced in many ways, and while it can be a theme in any game, the way Death Stranding 2 uses it is ingenious. Sam’s entire journey is about overcoming that grief and learning to live with it, as that’s the only choice he has. The concept of death, of course, is key with this, as it was with the first game. No one will be here forever. Not you, not me, not even Hideo Kojima. Yet at the end of the day, the memories shared from experiences like Death Stranding 2 will last forever—even after death. And thus, tomorrow is in your hands.
At times, Death Stranding 2 can even feel much easier than the first game, but I found that to be purposeful—unlike the first game, where isolation was the focus as Sam carried the fate of the world on his shoulders alone, he now has friends joining him along the way for support. Connections do matter, and even though hardships will inevitably arise, the relationships we forge along the way will help things move forward. It’s a message that I think anyone can appreciate, especially with the state of the world today.
There is a staggering amount of commentary on real-world concepts like the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI), division through social media, and the importance of making connections in person. I found Kojima’s implementation of the overreliance on AI technology, in particular, to be fascinating, as the game stresses that even in an era where digital connection reigns supreme, there will never be a replacement for the human touch.
While these concepts are conveyed and examined through the 40-hour narrative, the best of them shine through each of the cast members. Death Stranding had an exceptional cast, but I feel that Death Stranding 2 shines even brighter thanks to the already established characters. That starts with none other than Sam Porter Bridges, portrayed by Norman Reedus, who gives yet another stellar performance. Sam has opened up tremendously since the first game, but he is still a quieter protagonist—and for good reason. While the horror of encountering a BT for the first time can’t be replicated in this sequel, Death Stranding 2 offers the internal horror of losing a child. It’s this grief that is intertwined in each and every bit of this game, and Reedus captures it perfectly.
Léa Seydoux also shines as Fragile, with her character having an increasingly important role in the story. As the leader of Drawbridge, you speak to Fragile quite frequently, but I never found it to be monotonous or tiring. Like Sam, Fragile shares the grief of losing Lou, but she carries guilt for having been the one looking after her during the accident. Other returning characters like Deadman and Heartman are also a joy to watch and interact with, but what struck me the most was how much more human these two in particular feel. While we connected with these characters in Death Stranding, it feels like I was able to understand them at a deeper level in DS2.
The supporting cast of Death Stranding 2 is what truly elevates this game to the highest of playing fields. As aforementioned, the DHV Magellan serves as the base of operations for Drawbridge. Over time, this ship will feature more and more characters that join and ‘connect’ with you over the journey, almost becoming a family. This includes the endlessly endearing Rainy, a girl who summons real rainfall anytime she steps outside, the stoic Tarman, and many more. DS2 knows when to lean into the strange, and that includes characters like Dollman, a character whose ‘Ka’ (soul) is permanently put into a doll after a horrific accident. He gives Sam guidance and support while he comes to terms with his new reality, does a complete choreographed dance with Daichi Miura in your private room, and even JoJo-poses in photo mode.
While all the characters are exceptional, my two favorites ended up being Neil Vana and Tomorrow, played by Luca Marinelli and Elle Fanning, respectively. Neil is a mysterious character who appears in a similar manner to Mads Mikkelsen’s Clifford Unger and looks a heck of a lot like a certain character. I was curious if Kojima would be able to create a character with a similar impact to Cliff, and boy, was I wrong for even wondering. Neil is a complex, tragic, and beautifully portrayed character by Marinelli, who has so much characterization despite very little screentime. There’s one scene in particular with Neil that’s just a stare toward the camera, but it conveys so much emotion in a scene I will not ever forget.
Then there’s Tomorrow, who mysteriously appears in the middle of the game with an extremely powerful set of powers. Her action sequences are still some of my favorite scenes in the entire game, but her quieter scenes are just as great. Each time you head into your private room in the DHV Magellan for rest, you get to see Tomorrow and Rainy’s relationship grow, bit by bit. This kind of storytelling was not possible in the first game due to Sam’s isolated journey, so these sequences do a wonderful job of embracing the idea of connection. Tomorrow’s story contains one of the most beautiful sequences I have seen in any narrative, and that would not have been possible without the talented Elle Fanning.
Higgs also makes a return from Death Stranding, and Troy Baker may have given his best performance to date. Somehow finding a way back from the Beach, Higgs is an utter monster throughout the game, performing some heinous acts that deal immense emotional shock to both the cast and the player. Despite these actions, I still found myself able to somewhat empathize with Higgs on why he did what he did. There’s something to be said about crafting a villain so monstrous yet still offering humanizing moments. Higgs steals the screen every scene he is in, and I especially love the scenes that had him singing “BB’s Theme”, which felt like he was rubbing salt in the wound of Sam’s loss.
Even the characters with very minimal screentime, like Debra Wilson’s Doctor, shine bright and embody the themes of DS2. It’s that ability to craft such endearing characters, regardless of importance, that makes Death Stranding 2 so enjoyable. Each character has such detailed and purposeful design, thanks to the genius that is Yoji Shinkawa. His work makes characters with even just 10 minutes of screentime, like Red Samurai, infinitely memorable.
One of the most rewarding aspects of the narrative is how it chooses to explore each character’s past. While we got many pieces of the past unveiled in Death Stranding, DS2 dives further in, oftentimes offering an insight into the concepts of the afterlife and death. In a way, each character has experienced loss in one way or another. Some had a child die, some are on the brink of death, and some were even a step away from suicide. Yet each of them is here now, emotional scars and all, connected with one another. These backstories are nowhere near surface-level, either. Even characters like Dollman or Tarman, who have somewhat brief 10-15 minute cutscene backstories, still hit just as hard as everyone else.
Together with its narrative and characters, Death Stranding 2 managed to be one of my favorite stories ever told by the time the credits rolled. It beautifully builds off the first game, acting as a terrific narrative sequel that boldly challenges the thesis of the original. This is a profoundly original story that feels deeply personal for Kojima, who is seemingly grappling with the fact that he won’t live forever, but acknowledges and embraces the fact that his ideas and work will.
It’s worth mentioning that while there are claims that you can experience Death Stranding 2 without playing the first, I cannot recommend against that enough. The reason this journey and these characters have so much meaning to me is because of my experience with Death Stranding. I trekked thousands of miles alone across America to reconnect it, connecting people far and wide as I made one delivery at a time. You cannot replicate that in a story recap or video explanation—it must be experienced.
After rolling the credits, it took me a few weeks to finally feel confident in putting words to paper. Every moment in the story means something, whether you realize it or not while playing. Even today, I still feel my appreciation and interpretation of Death Stranding 2 will grow more with time. While the narrative alone resonated, the mechanically-rich gameplay is what makes DS2 a work of art unlike anything else I’ve ever experienced.
A Wild Australian Outback
While many focus on the narrative and characters when discussing the game, the mechanics and sheer prowess of the gameplay systems that Kojima Productions has created and established get nowhere near the amount of recognition they deserve. Make no mistake: this is one of the most innovative and mechanically deep games ever created. There are hundreds of items at your disposal, and it’s completely up to you on how to utilize them. Kojima has completely perfected the idea of the sandbox-style gameplay found in Metal Gear Solid V and Death Stranding.
Like Death Stranding, you are delivering packages and connecting up terminals to the Chiral Network in DS2. You’re the legendary Sam Porter Bridges, “the man who delivers”. Why wouldn’t you? This time, though, as outlined, your journey isn’t a sacred duty, but one of personal healing. Set across both Mexico and Australia, DS2 features wildly different terrain than the original’s interpretation of America, which looks a lot like Iceland. America was filled with numerous cliffs, hills, and mountains, creating a challenging, rocky environment to traverse. This time, both Mexico and Australia are flat for the most part, but numerous new challenges await.
The biggest of these is a brand-new weather system. A day and night cycle has finally been added, making the world much more immersive. That’s just the beginning, though. Kojima Productions has added natural disasters, including floods, fires, avalanches, sandstorms, and even earthquakes, dubbed “Gate Quakes”. These events cause serious roadblocks to your deliveries, with Gate Quakes sending rocks tumbling, avalanches causing huge rushes of snow, and fires torching an entire outback in an instant. This is on top of pre-existing environmental hazards of Timefall, BT areas, tar, and voidouts. It’s explained that these phenomena are tied to the Chiral Network you established in the first game, which gave form to the Plate Gate connecting Mexico to Australia. While Mexico only acts as your location for the first few hours of the game, the sandstorms you encounter there are no joke, as they severely limit your visibility. I would have liked to see these appear more frequently throughout the game, as most encounters with weather events occur in the narrative, but those I was able to experience were still thrilling and exceptional.
Another major challenge comes from new enemy types across the map. First, regarding human enemies, the MULEs from America are now replaced by Bandits in Mexico and Brigands in Australia. While Bandits are mostly just after your cargo for survival, the Brigands are completely against the expansion of the Chiral Network and are willing to fight you if you come close. Human combat encounters are more satisfying than ever before, but this is just the tip of the enemy iceberg you’ll come face-to-face with in Australia.
A new enemy faction has risen across Australia, causing violence throughout. This group, known as the ‘Ghost Mechs’, is a group of crimson robots acting as a cult controlled by none other than Higgs. These robots have set up camps all over the Australian continent, presenting a huge challenge for Sam thanks to their durability. There are multiple variants of Ghost Mechs as well, requiring you to shift strategy and potential weapons when locking on to your next target.
Finally, BTs return, bringing huge new changes. Since the end of Death Stranding, Sam’s DOOMS level has increased, allowing him to see BTs without needing a BB. Australia also brings a new BT variant, called Watchers, who don a pair of eerie, glowing green eyes. These spirits are not blind, so they can see you if you attempt to sneak around them. Their whole goal is to summon other BTs as soon as they see you, and things can get hectic if that happens. In addition to Watchers, DS2 features a wide variety of new Catchers, more frequent encounters with Titan-types, and the introduction of both Magniceps and Kheir, BTs that resemble a skull and dismembered hand.
Since Sam can now see BTs in the wild with a higher DOOMS level, Death Stranding 2 allows you to walk into BT zones and see the paranormal creatures at all times, which might be frustrating for those who fell in love with the horror-like encounters in the original. While I can understand feeling like the horror atmosphere of Death Stranding is gone with this decision, I believe Kojima Productions’ goal was to provide a different type of horror, one more internal to the player. As discussed previously, Sam’s nightmare of losing his child is the focus of DS2, so there’s still an emphasis on horror here—it’s just not in the environment as much necessarily. Considering that the Death Stranding, BTs, and Timefall are not new concepts in this game, I much prefer this approach to creating a new experience. Plus, many of these encounters are still incredibly tense. You do not want to cause a voidout.
Beyond standard enemies, boss battles have also seen a major overhaul. This was one of the weakest links of the first game, as boss encounters (outside of Cliff), while tense and full of spectacle, largely just weren’t that exciting. Death Stranding 2 remedies that with some incredible new Shinkawa-designed bosses that will have your jaw on the ground. While these fights still retain the pattern-based approach from the first game, I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing. New weapons allow you to take on bosses in new ways, but you’re still forced to play by the game’s rules and scramble around running to pick up items from other players if you run out of weaponry. I found the sheer scale of DS2‘s boss fights to be incredibly satisfying, and I continued to find new spectacles even after completing the main story. There’s even a new “Pretend You Won” option, where you can skip boss fights and just continue with the game if you’d rather not enjoy the spectacle.
I can’t help but rhapsodize over the sheer astonishment I experienced during each encounter with Neil Vana. While I adored the intricately designed encounters with Cliff in Death Stranding across World War I, World War II, and Vietnam, each boss fight with Neil is overflowing with spectacle and creativity in a way that Cliff never was. These environments feel much more personal, and I’m still reeling about how any of those were crafted to run perfectly on PlayStation 5. While Neil’s fights are unbelievable, nothing compares to the final boss of DS2. It’s so out of left field and ridiculously insane that I couldn’t help but have the biggest smile on my face. While I felt a little underwhelmed with the giant Whale in the original game, Death Stranding 2 offers what is easily one of my favorite final bosses ever created.
You’ll even find new Chiral Creatures across Australia, which, while mostly harmless, will drain your batteries quickly if you aren’t careful to avoid them. All together, I found the enemies and environmental challenges in Death Stranding 2 to be a tremendous upgrade from the original. The new variants of enemies do so much to keep you on your toes as you explore Australia, resulting in a game that I never once found monotonous, even after 120 hours. This, however, is not possible without the huge overhaul that the sequel has seen. While the enemies have evolved, so too has your arsenal.
Both stealth and action combat have been vastly improved from Death Stranding, with a wide range of tweaks, new weapons, and upgradeable abilities. One of the biggest shortcomings of the original game was the combat system and gunplay, which felt like an afterthought in MULE encounters, especially. This area was one of immense focus for Kojima Productions in the sequel, as the new gunplay feels absolutely fantastic.
You have access to handguns, assault rifles, shotguns, machine guns, rocket launchers, and so much more. Every weapon feels both fluid and satisfying, with each offering a unique shooting experience. VR Missions made a return in Death Stranding Director’s Cut, and loads of new missions are available in DS2. These are the best ways to understand each weapon, its abilities, and the best times to use it to complete your missions.
The biggest change by far in the gunplay is the addition of new ‘MP’ weapon variants, which are non-lethal guns. This allows you to shoot at human enemies without any risk of a voidout, which is something that was not possible across the board with most weapons in Death Stranding. Essentially, every weapon in the game is non-lethal against humans, so you can shoot away without any care in the world. If you want to shoot lethal rounds, though, there is a way to switch over to lethal bullets (though I do not recommend that for obvious reasons).
There’s a real Metal Gear Solid feel as you sneak around the different Brigand or Ghost Mech outposts, with the choice of either silently taking out enemies or rushing in and killing them off as fast as you can. I was exhilarated each and every time I faced a group of enemies, as I had endless choices to make as I made my approach. Choice is at the very core of this experience, and almost every decision you make is completely up to you. The wide variety of weapons is an excellent example of this, allowing you to equip anything from an assault rifle to a sniper to even the Rubber Pizza, a pizza-dough weapon.
There are almost double the number of available weapons in the first game, so there is infinite room for exploration and testing in your arsenal. Many of these weapons have variants such as LW, or Lightweight, which takes up much less space, or the Silent (SL) variant that comes equipped with a suppressor. I mentioned the wild Rubber Pizza weapon, but you can even wield a Blood Boomerang, Hologrenades that display holographs to distract enemies, or command a fleet of drones with your gun using the Floating Sentry. The diversity is absolutely incredible, offering a level of creativity and freedom that few games even attempt.
The Weight We Carry
But even with the vast number of weapons, enemies, and bosses to discover, at its heart, Death Stranding 2 revolves around one thing: delivering packages. The core loop of planning your deliveries, strategizing over cargo, and executing it is still the focus and soul of this game—and it’s almost unbelievable how Kojima Productions took the first game’s already fantastic system and made it infinitely more compelling. It baffles me that Death Stranding is still called a ‘walking simulator’ to this day, and the sequel does even more to make a statement like that laughable.
I thought the depiction of the United States in Death Stranding was massive, but Australia feels twice as big. The sheer scale of the outback is staggering, requiring more consideration and planning than ever before. Natural disasters require adaptability, and you have to plan accordingly with the numerous enemy camps and BT zones scattered throughout. Kojima Productions could have elected to shy away from the deep and original gameplay systems it established in Death Stranding, but it chose to embrace them, adding to the experience and cementing the focus of delivery. Too often, we see sequels overcorrect to player feedback, especially when considering a divisive game like Death Stranding. However, that didn’t happen here, and I was jubilant to see that originality built upon.
While the act of delivering is important, planning is arguably just as crucial to ensure a successful and highly rated trip. Completing a mission isn’t as simple as wandering from Point A to Point B. You’ve got to consider all of the new environmental factors previously outlined, in addition to terrain, cargo management, and more. Thankfully, Death Stranding 2 gives you many brand-new tools to gain a better idea of what you’re going up against before heading out on your missions. The biggest example of this is the overhauled Route Simulator, a crucial part of cross-checking the cargo you need to bring with you.
If you decide to just run straight toward the delivery point, there’s a good chance you will encounter something you weren’t necessarily prepared for. By planning your routes, you can see your checkpoints as you traverse the world, ensuring you stay on course. Hazards like elevation, BTs, flooding rivers, and more will all be displayed in one neat area here. There is an option to skip this entirely, but it feels like an essential part of staying on top of things and departing prepared, especially since it is a required menu before arranging your cargo.
You also have to consider which enhancements you’d like to use, part of the new APAS Enhancements system. This system allows you to spend Memory to unlock various perks and upgrades that can improve Sam’s equipment. You start with limited Memory allocated, but as the game progresses, you will unlock more and more to use on new upgrades. Upgrades can range from silencing Sam’s footsteps to an Emergency Vehicle Charger that gives you an extra boost of battery in the event you run out. The best part about APAS Enhancements is that perks are completely refundable, so you can mix and match as much as you’d like with no consequence. Before departing for deliveries, you will have the ability to customize this menu, which adds yet another layer to the customization possible inside the game. I loved experimenting with different perks to see how they changed my abilities to approach enemies or scan environments mid-delivery. Different deliveries require different approaches; if I planned to infiltrate an enemy base to steal cargo, I chose to emphasize my stealth perks.
Now that the route is set and APAS Enhancements selected, it’s time to strategize our cargo placement. Cargo management was an area that could have been easier in the original game, and the team at Kojima Productions has rectified that with new enhancements in Death Stranding 2. For the most part, things look the same, but the game makes it clearer and easier to shuffle around cargo with fewer button presses. You still have access to the Auto-Sort that swiftly slots your cargo onto Sam with the press of a button, but I still prefer to place my cargo piece by piece, taking into account balance and weight distribution.
Once you’re in the wild on a delivery, the improvements to cargo management only become more apparent. By holding up on the D-Pad, you can quickly make adjustments to the flow without ever having to open up the main menu. Instead of clicking through menus to sort through cargo you picked up in the wild, you can instantly tab over to remove used weapons or drop materials. This menu is a game-changer for combat situations especially, as you can now offload your backpack entirely to move around faster at enemy camps and avoid cargo damage. You can also now secure your cargo using the trusty Strand, preventing a scattered mess if you happen to slip and fall. These new features are all incredibly useful, especially the menu. Enemy base encounters could quickly get messy with weight when picking up weapons on the fly, so the ability to quickly drop unwanted items without entering the main menu is a godsend. If there is a feature that streamlined the Death Stranding experience the most, it’s this one.
Fabrication is yet another area that is better than ever. Both Private and Shared Lockers return, with each facility having its own stash of resources available for fabrication. Resources are abundant, but in the event you run out, you’ll need to either replenish the supply manually or level up the facility. There are even new buildings called Mines around the continent that can give you a huge amount of materials in exchange for a helping of Chiral Crystals. You can get crafty with these resource dumps and throw them into a major Distribution Center, or be a genius and stock up the DHV Magellan to take with you anywhere.
Naturally, no delivery can be completed without placing the right structures. Australia certainly has a knack for crafting new gear with a Portable Chiral Constructor (PCC). The PCC in Death Stranding 2 now goes up to level three, allowing you to place completed Bridge and Safe House structures. Upgrades have been made to existing structures like the Watchtower, which now allows you to tag enemies, and two Ladders can now be joined together to create a giant one. Zip-Lines are even able to curve now—a true miracle! In addition, new structures this time around include the fast-travel structure called a Transponder, and the Hot Spring Digger, a structure that digs out Hot Springs that can give you temporary buffs. Plus, each of the structures from Death Stranding Director’s Cut has made its way over to the game. In total, there are 12 different structures to utilize and place throughout Australia, and I found each of them to be incredibly useful.
Each time you rank up at a facility, you will unlock new weapons and equipment. This system is incredibly rewarding, and most of the best gear available in Death Stranding 2 is locked behind facility upgrades. If you want the best tools, you need to rank up your facilities and complete the orders they each have available. Many of these unlock higher-level weapons, such as a Level 2 LW Shotgun, which packs more of a punch against enemies. Basically, every piece of equipment can reach a higher level, including Backpack accessories, weapons, and more. It is in your best interest to seek these upgrades out, as the rewards are not only well worth it, but also allow you to explore more of the world with a purpose in mind.
When speaking on upgrades, though, there is no upgrade more important in Death Stranding 2 than building roads and monorails. These structures are built using thousands of resources, which you deposit at different pavers placed all across the continent. Australia has multiple different highways that you can connect up to get around the entire continent at blazing speed. The new monorails are a treat, too, as you can send them from mines to immediately deposit resources at facilities or choose to just grab on to the side and ride along. It’s incredible to me how rewarding and fun walking around and building these roads can be. I got such a satisfying feeling of accomplishment each time I watched the paver build a road before my eyes, and that satisfaction pushed me to continue finding more resources across the map. There’s a feeling of fulfillment you cannot replicate when watching your roads complete one by one, knowing that they will help other players all around the world. If you’re someone who loves getting sidetracked, there are dozens of hours’ worth of building roads and monorails awaiting you here.
Roads can make walking much easier, especially since you can use a powered exoskeleton endlessly due to a lack of battery drain. However, roads became infinitely more purposeful when driving a vehicle. Death Stranding 2 actually cuts down on “proper” vehicles, with just two available this time. Despite this, both of these are exceptionally useful, regardless of what terrain you find yourself in. The Pickup Off-Roader is easily the best vehicle out of this duo of games, with excellent cargo protection and great upgrades to tackle high inclines or rough terrain. Additionally, the Tri-Cruiser Bike is another great option. This bike is much faster than the Pickup Off-Roader, so you can quickly zip between facilities if needed.
I noted “proper” vehicles for a reason, as there are many more ways to traverse through Australia. There are the aforementioned exoskeletons, which can boost Sam’s speed, and the Floating Carrier, a device that can either carry cargo in tow or turn into a skateboard of sorts. Oh, and you can choose to float on a literal mechanical coffin and surf across any terrain as tar spews underneath—because why not? Regardless of how I chose to travel, I never failed to be overjoyed with the experience. Walking is just as fun as Coffin Boarding, and driving is a blast, too. Your traversal experience is whatever you want it to be.
Placing structures and building roads or vehicles on your own is fun and all, yet Death Stranding 2, like its predecessor, is a game about connection. That connection is not just displayed through the narrative but through each and every element of the gameplay. This is led by the Social Strand System, which allows the structures, vehicles, and roads of other players to spawn into your world. These objects can range from a simple sign encouraging you to “Keep on Keeping On” to a Generator that can save your vehicle from dying before reaching your destination. You can give other players’ structures Likes by pressing the touchpad, and these are tallied on your profile. The idea of working together and interacting with other players to help each other out is inspiring, and this is the center of what makes playing Death Stranding 2 such a unique experience. By choosing select APAS Enhancements, you can spawn in even more structures in Australia. Some APAS perks even extend the Like window, so I quickly got familiar with spamming the touchpad to give other players hundreds of likes at a time.
You simply cannot recreate this type of interactivity in any other game, let alone any other medium. Numerous times, I found myself walking to a river with a PCC in tow, only to find that someone had left a Bridge Foundation behind that I was able to contribute materials I had on hand to. Sometimes it was just enough, and other times I found myself running around to collect materials to complete the structure—not just for my game, as there’s always another way to reach your destination, but for other players. This was a common strand across every structure in the game, even the most important ones. On a few occasions, I loaded up my game to handle a few deliveries and found one of my roads had been built by another player. This saved me thousands of resources I would have had to haul across the continent, and I repaid it by building out the rest of my roads.
The Social Strand System is ingenious, and it truly does redefine what online interaction can look like. Every single sign you place, structure you craft, and even the path you take contributes to this ecosystem. It’s bigger than just your single-player experience; everything is for the betterment of everyone. With the abundance of structures and signs from others, it really does feel like there are hundreds of porters out there in Australia helping you, one step at a time.
As I briefly mentioned earlier, Death Stranding 2 can feel like a much easier game than the original. This time around, you get access to vehicles very early on, which is a huge appreciated change from the first game. Additionally, the number of structures in some areas can sometimes make it seem pointless to place your own. While some may see this as simply ‘making things easier’, I see this as Kojima Productions putting player choice above all else. Regarding vehicles, you can play the entirety of the game as ‘Truck Stranding’ if you wish, delivering almost every order with a cargo truck or bike. If you want to maintain the slower pace of the first game, you can also choose to walk entirely on foot. Anything is possible, and it’s up to you on how you approach each order.
And this right here is what makes Death Stranding 2: On The Beach a forever memorable gameplay experience. If the incredibly compelling mechanics weren’t enough, the game truly puts everything in your hands and wants you to run wild. This is an endless creative sandbox that allows you to play any way you’d like. You can play the entire game sneaking around and using your Strand to take out enemies, or you can choose to load up on guns and light them up. Prefer the slower, calming experience of walking? You can walk to every location on foot. However, you can also jump on a Coffin Board and surf there, too. The options are practically endless.
This creative freedom extends well into customization, as well. Sam has numerous different camos that can be equipped, with some giving you bonus effects like camouflage. Dollman’s suit can change colors, allowing you to customize even this small character you can barely see on Sam’s waist. Plus, like the first game, you can customize Sam’s backpack however you’d like. DS2 is a game built around playing however you want, and the original’s barriers have been brought down to accomplish that.
Experimentation is almost always rewarded, as there is a nearly infinite number of secrets to discover just by trying things in the game. The tools are vast, the systems are rich, and the more you experiment, the more the game rewards you. Even now, I’m still wrapping my head around mechanics like throwing Dollman, which allows you to survey an area from above. Playing Death Stranding 2 feels like opening your action figure collection, placing them exactly where you want them, and watching the encounter unfold. You essentially become the Director, with complete control over how each encounter goes.
As a result of this creative freedom, Death Stranding 2 innovates in the medium by creating a mechanically rich adventure with freedom of expression. With dozens of different abilities, mechanics, structures, and traversal options, no two players will have the same experience, and I find that endlessly fascinating.
So Walk Away, I’ll Find You
The first Death Stranding had such a way with music, with Hideo Kojima inserting licensed tracks that play just at the right moments. Every licensed song is expertly placed in the game to further the narrative. I think about scenes like arriving on the cliff to view Lake Knot City or finally arriving at Edge Knot City to complete the journey West often, but the reasoning behind that largely is thanks to the music I associate with those scenes. Of all the artists included on the soundtrack, Low Roar was by far my favorite and the most prominent. Kojima randomly heard one of the band’s songs on the radio while in Iceland, and he immediately went to purchase a CD from a store in the area. The rest is history.
This hand-selected group of licensed tracks was coupled with an eerie and atmospheric soundtrack from Metal Gear Solid V composer Ludvig Forssell, offering one of the most fascinating game soundtracks of the generation. Forssell’s compositions perfectly illustrated the world of Death Stranding, shining a light on the intense, weird, and gloomy world it was designed to be. This won Best Score and Music at The Game Awards 2019 for a reason.
Just like its predecessor, Death Stranding 2: On The Beach offers a fascinating and flat-out masterful soundtrack. It’s as weird as can be at times, but it’s chaotic or beautiful right when it needs to be—it just works. Both Ludvig Forssell and a new selection of licensed tracks return for another go, but this time, Woodkid joined on as a second main composer. Together, these three pillars join to craft an endlessly listenable soundtrack.
Woodkid’s contributions are some of my favorite in the entire game, with his compositions playing at just the right moments in-game. Right from the beginning, the stunning opening sequence is lifted up with “Minus Sixty-One”. There’s a haunting yet somber feeling evoked from “Story of Rainy”, which swells to play amidst some of the game’s most intense moments. “To the Wilder” is a beautiful and emotional song that captures everything Death Stranding 2 is about. And “Any Love of Any Kind” expertly paints the thematic elements of Sam’s reality. Woodkid’s work is outstanding, and this is just the tip of the iceberg.
I had the opportunity to speak with Ludvig Forssell about his work on the game just last week, and his insights into his approach for these compositions were as fascinating as I’d hoped. This soundtrack covers a much wider range than the first game, which is spearheaded in conjunction with the game’s increased action. Tracks like “Good Old Fashioned Boss Fight” give such a rush of adrenaline inside the game, and they’re just as fun to listen to standalone. There’s also wonderful returns to the main arpeggio of the first score, as well as the mesmerizing “BB’s Theme”. The use of Troy Baker in these tracks is both brilliant and narratively relevant.
The final part of the triad of music is Kojima’s licensed tracks, and these are just as memorable as the first game. Every track is placed with so much care, with a wide variety of genres and artists that encapsulate the direction of the narrative. These tracks playing at the right moments were one of my favorite elements of Death Stranding, and I’m still over the moon about some of these moments in the sequel. Take the techno-like “On The Beach”, which mysteriously creeps in as you arrive at the Plate Gate for the first time, a complete unknown. The overall silence and nature of the gameplay soundscapes make moments like this profoundly impactful, creating instances of atmospheric storytelling.
Every single track in Death Stranding 2 was crafted and placed to enhance the gameplay experience and narrative. Everything is relevant, purposeful, and efficacious. This time around, you can appreciate each track endlessly more, thanks to the addition of a new Music Player. This portable MP3 player allows you to create custom playlists and listen to each of the game’s licensed tracks as you make deliveries across Australia. You’ll add to your playlist each time a new song plays in the game, making it feel almost like a personal playlist curated by Hideo Kojima himself, who sends you a few songs at a time as a reward for progressing through the game. Music is such a powerful tool, and it’s hard to find games in the medium that use it better than Death Stranding 2.
Music isn’t the only audio you’ll encounter on your journey, though. I felt the audio design of Death Stranding was its most underrated aspect, and you can say the same for the sequel. Many tracks in the game are dynamic, meaning that they can layer and unlayer depending on player actions. The best example of this is the opening sequence, where “Minus Sixty-One” will loop, drop percussion, or drop to only strings and piano, depending on whether you follow the path home. There are so many different sounds in this game, it’s almost insane. Everything in this universe has a unique sound that not only fits the soundscape but also elevates the presentation as a whole. Whether weather, notifications, menus, or cargo, even the tiniest details stand out. This type of sound design is very unique to gaming, and DS2 is especially a masterwork in this regard.
That same intentionality extends over to the visuals. I can confidently state that Death Stranding 2: On The Beach has the most realistic and beautiful visuals I have ever seen in a game. There has never been a game with such rich animation and visual fidelity, and Death Stranding 2 continuously one-ups itself as the story continues, making this absolutely stunning achievement look effortless. While Death Stranding was visually tremendously impressive in 2019, DS2 almost makes the visuals of that game look like a tech demo. Every single texture in this game is unbelievably rich with detail. Australia itself is gorgeous and immersive as can be, but even the tiny things you never look at, like the different fabrics used on Sam’s gear, are all supremely detailed with unique textures.
The most notable upgrade from the original game is the character models, which each perfectly resemble their actors. I thought Death Stranding at the time had a near-perfect capturing of Norman Reedus, but DS2 makes that first appearance look uncanny at this point. You can see individual pores on each character’s face, with even small details like freckles or moles displayed with high clarity. Both eyes and hair stick out the most for me, as these two received significant upgrades. In a world that is designed with realism in mind, these character models are critical and outstanding in complementing that. The upgrade seen in this area is truly generational, but the real magic lies with the animations.
Sam has countless different animations for every weapon or piece of gear, and each character is able to convey much meaning with subtle movements. Kojima famously discussed “Norman-isms” when talking about Sam, and it’s that attentiveness that elevates the presentation to the heights it reaches. As you watch a cutscene, even the tiniest, natural reaction from a character in the background is captured. These animations do so much to pull you in.
The result is a game that is more immersive than anything I have ever played. I constantly found myself in photo mode (which is outstanding, by the way) to take pictures of the environment or of Sam as I continued my journey. As you can likely tell from the photos seen in this review, Death Stranding 2 never fails to be captivating with its environments or characters. Even just in gameplay, the game never fails to feel cinematic, as if it were shot by an actual cinematographer.
Speaking of, that cinematic direction is more evident than ever in cutscenes, further blurring the lines of film and video games. Kojima’s direction shines bright, with many instances of intentional framing that feel unlike anything else in the medium. The camera work is dynamic, continually offering an experience that sits atop the industry. The emotional cutscenes each deliver an impactful range of emotions, and the action sequences will leave you with your jaw on the floor. The fight between Red Samurai and Higgs, first teased in 2024, was better than I ever could have imagined.
Each cutscene is brought to life not only by the fidelity and animations, but especially by each of the cast. Performances are outstanding across the board with both excellent motion capture and phenomenal voice work. I discussed some of my favorite performances earlier, but it’s worth emphasizing that every actor here delivers an award-worthy performance. Together with the outstanding direction and beautiful soundtrack, the final product is something that will rival any narrative experience, regardless of medium. There are cutscenes in DS2 that I am still thinking about daily, not just for how impressive they were, but for how emotionally impactful they still are.
While much of the industry has shifted to Unreal Engine, Death Stranding 2 runs on Decima Engine, which continues to prove itself as one of the most powerful in the industry. It is flat-out astounding that this game is able to run at a beautiful 4K60 on base PlayStation 5 without much compromise. I was blown away beyond words with the game’s visuals in Performance Mode, and considering the PlayStation 5 Pro is said to look even better, I cannot wait for this game to come to PC. However, an engine is only as good as the developers working on it, and all the credit goes to Kojima Productions for pushing the engine this far. This development team is one of the most talented in the entire industry, and DS2 is the best showcase of that.
Apart from visuals, Kojima Productions delivered yet another remarkable showing of UI. I loved the UI in Death Stranding, but there were instances of it being a bit hard to read in certain menus. That has been addressed with these new menus, which still retain that futuristic aesthetic but prioritize functionality. One of the premier features involving menus is the new Corpus, which is basically a Death Stranding 2 dictionary. I like this implementation even better than the Active Time Lore system in Final Fantasy XVI, but it’s great to see a huge resource like this added regardless. Even as someone who knows the lore like the back of my hand, I appreciated being able to quickly dive as deep as I wanted to inside the Corpus.
But above all else, the one area that gives Death Stranding 2 the originality it profoundly displays is the unapologetically weird and quirky additions you can only find in a Hideo Kojima game. Where one second the game brings up commentary about the gun culture in America, the next it will have you delivering a freshly made pizza to resident Australian v-tuber turned data scientist Usada Pekora. Throw on the hat she gives you, and Norman Reedus will walk around Australia yelling ‘Peko!’. Somewhere in the middle of your journey, you might even come across a Yamamoto Transport sign that plays the company’s jingle.
You truly never know what you might find, and that makes exploration and experimentation all the more worthwhile. One of my favorite finds occurred when I first unlocked a hot spring. Sam was relaxing, but Dollman also decided to take a swim. However, I quickly noticed an option to let Dollman sing, which I immediately selected, resulting in Dollman transforming and performing “Ii Yu Dana” in a choreographed dance alongside Sam. This easter egg from a popular 1980s Japanese comedy show had no real reason to be in the game, but it is—and it’s absolutely amazing.
You’ll also encounter these instances of silliness in the story, with a favorite of mine finding out that the band CHVRCHES have cameos as the Animal Shelter owners. You can capture and pick up animals all across the continent to deliver to them, and yes, Sam throws them in a box on his back like any other cargo. The cutscenes and story also have some classic Kojima 4th wall moments, adding humor even in the darkest of events. Character names are also quite humorous, with each of the Distribution Center contacts having a direction in their name that corresponds with the location of the facility. Looking at you, Olivia Westbury.
Video games nowadays can feel very checklist-y in their approach to player freedom, but these secrets scattered throughout are a perfect example of making a world feel both alive and personal. Sam’s journey is what you decide it to be, and it’s these strange and wild moments that make Death Stranding 2 so endearing. Rather than aiming to appease players, KJP almost threw in whatever they felt like, but it all works and blends so wonderfully together. That feels more authentic than ever in an industry where companies are continuing to attempt to capitalize on trends.
Unapologetically Original
Death Stranding 2: On The Beach is the purest example of raw, uncompromised creative vision, resulting in something none other than art of the highest form. This is a uniquely human experience that can never be able to be replicated in any medium. Only a video game—and only Hideo Kojima—could create something like this. I’ve sat here for weeks thinking about moments in Death Stranding 2 and how they will stay with me forever. Nothing I’ve written here will ever compare to the feelings I got while playing, as it’s something you just have to experience for yourself.
Even when things like grim, or when all hope is lost, we’ll always be connected. The world we live in continues to push more and more digital, and this game serves as a brilliant reminder that no matter how far we go, nothing will ever trump connecting with one another in person. Beyond that, the idea and concept that our time is finite can be troubling to think about, but the memories and roads paved for others will always remain. Death cannot tear us apart.
In a way, Death Stranding 2 is a metacommentary on the state of video games. Instead of chasing the trends of live service games or other prominent trends, DS2 confidently puts together a package that, while on the surface, might seem too unconventional or strange. But it’s precisely that originality and unwillingness to compromise its core identity that make this game so special. The act of delivering packages across a calming, hazardous continent is unlike any other modern open-world game, with the unique Social Strand System allowing for connection in ways not explored elsewhere in the industry. In doing this, DS2 challenges the idea that great games must follow trends to be successful. Mass appeal isn’t the focus here. Kojima has gone on record to state he refuses to accept the idea of appealing to all players, so much so that Death Stranding 2 underwent changes because feedback was too positive.
As I shared in the opening of this review, I adored the first Death Stranding when it released in 2019. Admittedly, I was curious if Kojima Productions would be able to top it with the sequel and retain what made that game so unique. The concept of extending beyond America now with friends alongside Sam provides a different experience, but it’s one that I love just as much as the isolating trek to connect the UCA. I was expecting a game that would blow me away in every way, and even then, my expectations were blown to the ground.
Death Stranding 2: On The Beach continues the innovation established by the first game, improving in every single area to deliver an unforgettable sequel. The six years between the releases gave Kojima Productions enough time to craft what is truly a generational upgrade in both technology and game design. The decision to stick to the rich gameplay formula of the original is one that made me appreciate the game design even more. It makes me hopeful that we will continue to see weird, original games being created in this industry.
I’ve done lots of reflecting on how I think this game will be remembered, and I firmly believe that DS2 will be coupled with Death Stranding. Neither game is complete without the other, and the story told across both comes together as a duology unlike anything else in the medium. The first game offers a deep dive into isolation and overcoming that, while the second shows the power of connections. Where Death Stranding told us connecting is the answer, Death Stranding 2 directly challenged that, proposing the thought of whether or not we should have even connected at all.
Death Stranding 2: On The Beach is undoubtedly one of the best games I have played on PlayStation 5, and I do not expect that to change by the end of the console’s life. In an era riddled with sequels and remakes, it’s unbelievably refreshing to experience something so unapologetically original. I am confident that this will go down as one of the greatest games of the generation. Hideo Kojima and the talented team at Kojima Productions have crafted an innovative masterpiece of a sequel that pushes the video game medium forward.
Equal parts brilliant, emotional, intense, and absurd, Death Stranding 2: On The Beach is an utter triumph, and it’s one I will remember for the rest of my life.
