Death Stranding 2: On The Beach

Developer: Kojima Productions
Publisher: Sony
Platform: PlayStation 5
Release Date: Available Now
Price: $69.99 USD – Available Here $124.95 AUD – Available Here

Overview

Back in 2019 Death Stranding arrived with one heck of a pedigree behind it. Sporting the famous Hideo Kojima at the reins as his first game out of Kojima Productions and featuring Norman Reedus as his lead character, very few fans could have actually expected what the game would revolve around. While it featured all of the nuances and strangeness that came with a Kojima title, the fact that it saw players transferring large bulky packages across the country in a post-apocalyptic world? This led to quite a divisive game at the time where players either enjoyed the experience as it was or were put off a bit by its gameplay, especially since stealth was prioritized and combat was simplified. 

Now, nearly six years later Kojima’s vision for Death Stranding has not only flourished, it has allowed him to continue Sam’s journey in a direct sequel called Death Stranding 2: On The Beach that not only doubles-down on what makes the original so unique, but expands upon other elements to deliver what is hands-down a true showcase of what the PlayStation 5 can do.

Story

Now it is worth mentioning that Death Stranding 2 works as an almost direct sequel to the first game to the point that, other than a brief recap of events through a slide-show, players who have yet to finish or even play the original will feel lost as very little is done to actually explain the various rules, terms, and events that led up to the world being the way it is. Sure, there is a Corpus that fills up over-time and can be reviewed to look up various terms and elements that newcomers don’t know or longtime fans may have forgotten, but it is definitely worth noting that this continuation is enjoyed far better with prior knowledge about the game’s story, especially it’s emotional depths.

That being said, Death Stranding 2 picks up eleven months after the events that took place at the end of the first game with Sam, who helped connect the United States together through the Chiral Network, going into hiding following the fallout with the UCA and his BB, now an eleven month old girl he’s chosen to call Lou. Living in isolation, Sam has managed to thrive with Lou off the grid but when an old friend in the form of Fragile comes knocking at his door asking for his help once again, this time to help expand the Chiral Network to an entirely new country, Sam sees this as an opportunity to return to the world and “reconnect.” Choosing to accept the job with a full pardon for himself and Lou being part of the reward, Sam sets out to Mexico with a number of deliveries to reconnect various bases and prepper shelters to bring Mexico into the Chiral Network and find that, shockingly, a Plate Gate has appeared in Mexico that actually connects the country to Australia of all places, opening up a new realm of possibilities and connections. Or at least it would if Sam hadn’t received an emergency call from Fragile that something was happening and his shelter was under attack. 

While the original Death Stranding may have seemed like it had plenty of unique build-up and an impactful narrative in its own right all while setting the various rules of the world in place, it feels like Kojima was really able to let loose almost right out of the gates with Death Stranding 2. Obviously we won’t discuss the various events that unfold throughout the storyline beyond the initial bits mentioned before because not only would they spoil the experience but lessen the impact they have at the same time. Death Stranding 2 brings with it of course Sam as well as a number of familiar faces that make a return as players spend the majority of their time as part of a crew aboard a Tar-traveling “submarine” of sorts called the DHV Magellan. This includes Fragile as well as a rather eclectic cast of newcomers that add to the already ridiculously eclectic cast that made up the original game, with new additions such as Rainy, Dollman, Tarman, and even Tomorrow having unique story elements that players can choose to dive deeper into through certain examinations, sub-missions, and even fourth-wall breaking elements.

With the crew of the DHV Magellan serving as his back-up, Sam finds himself tasked with initially setting up the Chiral Network in Mexico, as a tutorial of sorts, before settling the main plot in Australia where the massive continent separated from everything else is seeking to be brought back into the light. Of course, not only are there new threats to be found in this location as the BTs have seemed to grow stronger and more varied with the expansion of the Chiral Network, but a familiar villain from the past has also returned even stronger than before and with an entire army at his beck and call. This grander plot is one that players will constantly be delving into between deliveries, all while taking on more somber and occasionally action focused events as well that play just as pivotal of a role in the grander storyline. An unknown soldier that plagues Sam’s travels and disturbs the Tar and the dead brings with him a poignant and emotional storyline that is far grander than it initially lets on and plays perhaps one of the biggest parts to Sam’s actual journey compared to the actual journey itself, minus the various twists that happen to unfold near the end of course. In fact, the numerous revelations that occur in Death Stranding 2 can be downright heartbreaking at times, even if clues hinting to them were there the whole time. This level of expressive writing and the character interactions make the writing in the game just as, if not more, enthralling than what was in the original release, especially since it no longer has to hold anything back. 

That doesn’t mean that things aren’t always somber and depressing moments of introspection though as there are plenty of moments of levity and Kojima-style humor and interactions spread throughout the game and most of these come from unique interactions with the preppers and the various members on the Magellan. Again, for the sake of avoiding things we can’t say what these are, but players will be in for quite a treat when reaching certain star levels of “Likes” and “Bonds” with some preppers, reaching certain parts of the story, or even taking part in optional sub-deliveries. There are some downright hilarious and ridiculous events that can happen that only Kojima could manage to make not feel out of place given the setting. Now that being said, there are moments that the game’s story does tend to drag a bit and unfortunately not only does this happen at the midway point of the title but also towards the end as well. While it is perfectly reasonable, plotwise at least, for some elements to be disabled that would speed things up a bit, players will find themselves having to take part in some rather extreme deliveries from time to time and, as we will mention later, have been ramped up in scale thanks to the elements of the Australian wilderness and the new random weather events that can take place. These long-haul deliveries may be the more intense and challenging ones, but drag the pacing down quite a bit, especially placed where they are in the storyline.

Gameplay

In many ways Death Stranding 2: On The Beach will feel almost the exact same in many ways since players will still find that the primary goal throughout the game is to make countless deliveries across Mexico and Australia using vehicles, all manner of constructions, and of course Sam’s own two feet to make these journeys to try and join everyone together as part of the chiral network. As a result most of the same mechanics from before exist here as well, such is the gameplay loop and those who may not have enjoyed the original because of this fact will likely still find themselves feeling a bit bored by this loop despite the great storyline surrounding it. That being said, players will still find themselves needing to manage Sam’s weight and packages while porting them around, including making sure to hold either R2 or L2 to steady his balance or both together to grip in rough situations and avoid a fall that can not only damage the items but send them tumbling off of his back.

The more interesting aspect here though is that while players still gain access to various tools such as climbing anchors, collapsible ladders that can be placed to bridge gaps, climb hills, or even cross small rivers, players will eventually gain access to things such as exo-skeletons of various types as well as vehicles to make things a bit easier at least when using such an object is possible to actually navigate the terrain. We say this because one element that Death Stranding 2 does introduce far more of is more mountainous and rocky terrain that can block larger vehicles or hills that can make even speedier ones struggle to crest the hill without burning through their battery. In fact, to make things even more interesting, random weather events can now occur as well in certain locations. While rainfall/timefall was always a persistent threat to packages, vehicles, and built items, now players will find that various other elements will come into play as well. 

Crossing through desert locations can see an entire sandstorm kick up, coating Sam entirely in sand and making visibility near zero, making players need to move slowly to avoid crashing or falling off a cliff into danger, rivers that can have flash floods and bust out of their banks, flooding the location and sweeping Sam downriver if he isn’t careful or destroying structures in their path.  Even fires can happen from time to time, though this was far rarer, and would spread rapidly to limit where Sam could escape to to avoid damaging himself or his cargo. Even Gate Quakes (earthquakes) happen randomly around the continent and while some may happen away from players, those happening right in their location will force Sam to brace himself to avoid getting knocked over and, if near a mountain or rock formation, can send debris raining down. Nothing makes a treacherous four-wheeling navigation up a snow-covered mountain more dangerous than having a gate quake trigger a small avalanche and nearly send the vehicle and all of its cargo careening off into destruction. Thankfully, the title does auto-save regularly and players can save anytime outside of combat so if players happen to make a mistake and face a “game over” for destroying a cargo item it won’t set them back far.

Speaking of “game overs” or things that can’t really happen thanks to Sam’s ability to repatriate, the game’s combat system has been vastly improved upon compared to the first game. First of all, every piece of equipment that Sam has created either out of the Magellan or at an allied base will already be using rubber-bullets in some way and make them non-lethal. This means that even if players manage to get caught when sneaking around and trying to take enemies down stealthily with a strand or silenced stun-pistol, they can just go loud with an assault rifle or even a shotgun without worry. This means that various missisons that see Sam having to either go and destroy a piece of equipment at a bandit base or retrieve something stolen, they will find the fighting far more enjoyable as a result. Of course stealth is also just as viable as players can improve their relationships with certain preppers and gain silenced versions of previously unlocked firearms as well as extra things such as unique grenades that are as simple as smoke grenades to holographic ones that can lure an enemy right where players want them.

The same can be said regarding encounters with BTs. While players can still try to avoid encountering them as much as possible by sneaking around, holding their breath, and making use of things like blood grenades to eliminate them at a distance, players can now make use of the fact that, after a certain point, even standard weapons are equipped to deal damage to BTs. That being said, it is just as easy to get dragged away and having to fight against some twisted tar monster if players aren’t careful. Combine this with other weaponry such as an incredibly handy and powerful blood boomerang that is just as good at taking out BTs as it is knocking out normal humans and players will feel vastly more equipped to handle the many threats they come across in their deliveries and, of course, the different boss encounters and extended story conflicts that take place throughout the story.

As with the original game, as players bring different locations online with the Chiral Network, and in small forms without it, players will notice various helpful elements left behind by other players that have crossed over to their world through the strand system and “connections.” These can be as simple as a ladder already placed in a difficult climb to far more complicated ones like generators that refuel Sam’s batteries, roads that make navigation easier, to even monorails and mines. This mechanic remains as strong as ever and players can leave little “Likes” to show their support for items built by others and their own items, such as making a “launch ramp” that prevents fall damage to skip past a massive drop safely, will reward them with Likes as well should it appear in other players’ worlds.

Audio & Visuals

It is a bit hard to describe how outstanding Death Stranding 2: On The Beach looks without sounding like an exaggeration but it must be said that every single character model in the game is almost as realistic as the actor they are based off of in real life. These characters are incredibly expressive and it makes the many poignant moments throughout the story hit even harder because there is no “uncanny valley” here, these look like real people having real emotions to the point that a family member asked if I was watching an old episode of The Walking Dead at one point during an inside-sequence that we won’t spoil here. 

The world itself is also presented in gorgeous detail and while things may be a bit bland at times, considering the locations are Mexico and Australia, meaning there are often plenty of areas filled with deserts and sand, the more thriving locations filled with greenery and various prepper locations are outstanding looking. Even the BTs and enemies that players encounter look better than ever and react as intensely as ever, with the aforementioned improved combat making fighting human enemies more interesting to watch and the BTs just as horrifying when taking them on, especially when players need to take down a boss-style one or get dragged away into a battle.

It is also worth noting that the game has mostly realistic looking sunburn, blood, tar, and even sand effects on Sam’s equipment and gear as he walks around. Traveling without a hat can give Sam a burn that only vanishes without a shower while a dust storm will leave him coated head-to-toe in gritty sand that can ironically be washed away just as easily by a tar coating or a trip through some timefall rain. This attention to detail is extensive to the point that players can easily miss out on the little things but still appreciate the overall package because of how impressive it comes across.

Considering all of the voice actors in the game are presented as themselves within the game, it is easy to say that the voice acting here is absolutely top notch. The voice acting in cut scenes is absolutely outstanding and makes every scene pop, including the more outrageous ones, and both the returning cast and new characters introduced this time around are wonderfully portrayed here. In fact, even the preppers themselves have quite a few references including a certain bunny. The soundtrack for the game is similarly stellar, with a number of standard sets of background music through the game’s cutscenes as well as songs that will play when players are getting close to a main-delivery location, something of a reward for making the journey. Thankfully, players can take all of the songs they’ve unlocked or been gifted by preppers and various facilities and put them into a playlist of music that will play in the background while traveling, giving players all the time to enjoy their favorite songs as long as they aren’t near an enemy location or separate from the Chiral Network.

Overall

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is Kojima at his finest. Refining the travel and delivery mechanics of the first all while expanding on both combat and stealth options make the title simply a masterpiece that is nearly flawless. Between an enthralling storyline that is as emotionally poignant as can be but isn’t afraid of being ridiculous at times and the gorgeous presentation in every regard, Death Stranding 2 is a must-play for anyone who even had a hint of liking the first one, though this sequel won’t do much for those that didn’t like the original.

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