2025 is officially wrapped up, and what a year it was for games. We saw numerous independent game releases soar to new heights, as well as massive sequels; many new developers also entered the scene this year.
At Final Weapon, our Game of the Year award goes to the game that innovated the most, pushing forward the industry – and medium – as a whole in the process. We published over 230 reviews this year (a new record!), awarding three 5/5s in the process: Death Stranding 2: On The Beach, Ninja Gaiden 4, and Hollow Knight: Silksong. After much deliberation, we’re thrilled to crown Death Stranding 2: On The Beach as Final Weapon’s Game of the Year for 2025.
Final Weapon’s 2025 Game of the Year – Death Stranding 2: On The Beach
Death Stranding took the world by surprise in 2019. You either loved it or hated it. Players praised the incredible direction, narrative storytelling, world design, and soundtrack from Kojima Productions, but some were frustrated by the gameplay systems and design. With any sequel, Hideo Kojima had a monstrous task in front of him, not only having to follow up such a unique game, but to find a way to address critiques of the original without losing the essence of it.
It’s safe to say that this task wasn’t much of a hurdle at all, as Death Stranding 2: On The Beach addresses almost every critique and builds upon everything its predecessor set up. It becomes clear that this sequel still has what made the original so special from the opening moments, as Sam overlooks the most realistic-looking mountain range we’ve ever seen in a game with ‘Minus Sixty-One’ humming underneath. However, One The Beach ends up as something even more impactful.
With DS2, Kojima homes in on a key focus of grief: how do you live on after the loss of a loved one? The beginning of the story sees Sam return home, only to find his beloved daughter, Lou, missing, presumably dead. We see Sam lock himself away, drowning in grief of not being there to save her, where he is given a chance to walk a journey of healing by Fragile.
This journey sees Sam travel to Australia and connect the entire continent, whilst aboard the DHV Magellan, Drawbridge’s mobile base of operations. It’s much different than Sam’s adventure across America; this time, instead of traversing the apocalyptic, rocky plains of the Midwest alone, Sam navigates the outback with friends by his side. The power of connection, something heavily explored in the first game, is directly brought to resolution in the sequel, with the theme even being questioned throughout the narrative.
Death Stranding 2 balances the theme of grief with others like trauma, even exploring concepts like artificial intelligence. It’s a narrative that will touch anyone who plays it. Much of this is thanks to the outstanding cast, who all deliver incredible performances once again. Norman Reedus shines with new emotion as Sam, who has opened up after the events of Death Stranding. New characters like Elle Fanning’s Tomorrow and Shioli Kutsuna’s Rainy both stand out with incredible emotions. Troy Baker (Higgs) and Luca Marinelli (Neil) deliver best-of-year performances.
Numerous gameplay enhancements make the experience more satisfying than ever before. Environmental hazards now pose a threat to Sam as he delivers orders, with floods, gate quakes, and fires possible, in addition to standard Timefall. Combat has been vastly overhauled, with gun combat now reliable thanks to new bullet technology. Kojima Productions prioritized player choice above all, truly allowing players to approach each and every mission however they’d like. You can take on a mission stealthily, Metal Gear Solid-style, navigate Australia on foot to explore every nook and cranny, or jump in a vehicle and play some “Truck Stranding” to quickly complete orders. That creative freedom is seen in very few games, reminiscent of Tears of the Kingdom.
Guerrilla’s Decima engine powers one of the most visually striking games ever created, easily up for contention as the best-looking game of the generation. Yoji Shinkawa’s character and mechanical design once again deliver as a key piece of this world. The game is elevated greatly thanks to its terrific use of music, with phenomenal compositions from Woodkid and Ludvig Forssell, as well as Kojima’s personally curated selection of tracks. As you roam Australia, it’s hard not to feel like you’ve been transported into the mind of its creator.
It’s no secret that Hideo Kojima is not getting any younger. The auteur turned 62 this August, and in many ways, Death Stranding 2: On The Beach can be viewed as a reflection on the fact that its creator does not have infinite time left. Despite this, his work will live on forever. Just as stated in-game, death can’t tear us apart. There’s no telling if we will ever see Death Stranding 3, as Kojima already has both OD and Physint in the works, with numerous other non-game projects in the pipeline. But one thing is for sure: Death Stranding 2 and its predecessor will live forever, through new players til the end of time.
DS2 is an uncompromised creative vision put into the form of a game. It is so unapologetically original, something that can be truly hard to find nowadays. There’s no chasing trends, sales, or player counts here. Death Stranding 2: On The Beach is exactly what its creator wanted it to be. It embraces the weird and wacky while balancing it with some of the hardest-hitting themes that Kojima has ever tackled. The result is a wonderful, powerful adventure that stands tall as some of his best work.
Congratulations to Hideo Kojima and the entire Kojima Productions team for winning Final Weapon’s Game of the Year 2025 award!
For more on Death Stranding 2: On The Beach, check out our extensive review.
