Death Stranding 2 Review: Hideo Kojima delivers an all-time great sequel and one of his best

The original Death Stranding, with its delivery missions across hauntingly beautiful Icelandic landscapes, was an admirably unique, but deeply divisive debut for the reformed Kojima Productions.

With Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, the studio has made a sequel that significantly improves on the original in virtually every way, with a stunningly designed world, greatly expanded gameplay and player choice, and one of Hideo Kojima’s most compelling narratives and cast of characters to date.

Death Stranding 2 delivers on the core concept the original game promised in a package that admirably balances Kojima’s Hollywood sensibilities with top-notch action and unmatched atmosphere. It’s undoubtedly one of the best sequels in recent memory, and arguably one of Kojima’s best ever games.

Watch our Death Stranding 2 review video…

On the Beach is once again a story of a lone courier travelling across a hostile land to reconnect the world. Following the conclusion to the first game, Death Stranding 2 begins with Sam Porter Bridges (Norman Reedus) attempting to start a quiet life in the Mexican wilderness with his infant companion ‘Lou’ – now a playful toddler – as they attempt to live out their new lives together as parent and child.

Unsurprisingly, Sam’s domestic peace doesn’t last long, and soon old colleague Fragile (Léa Seydoux) comes knocking on his door, and it’s time to connect another continent through the means of package delivery.

Death Stranding 2 takes place roughly a year after the first game. With America connected to the Chiral Network – a sort of futuristic internet designed to connect cities following the apocalyptic Death Stranding event – Fragile has established a new company, Drawbridge, which aims to extend these connections to other countries, starting with Mexico.

Sam agrees to help Fragile connect Mexico. However, in reality, Mexico is just the beginning: Connecting America appears to have had unforeseen consequences. Notably, a mysterious cult dressed in red has appeared, alongside a supernatural gate to another continent: Australia. Once Sam has connected Mexico, which takes just a few hours of playtime, the vast majority of Death Stranding 2 will take place Down Under.

While some of the more esoteric edges have been sanded down, and Kojima’s usual on-the-nose approach to characters and storytelling may roll some eyes, Death Stranding 2 is otherwise a much better-written, well-paced, and overall more enjoyable story than its predecessor.

Kojima says Death Stranding 2 is a much “weirder” game, and tonally it feels much more like a campy sci-fi action movie than the obtuse, sombre dread of the first. Though an early story event sets high emotional stakes for Sam and the player, Death Stranding 2 is a broadly less po-faced story, with Kojima freeing himself to explore more fun and interesting ideas, having established the stakes of the universe in DS1.

“Kojima says Death Stranding 2 is a much “weirder” game, and tonally it feels much more like a campy sci-fi action movie than the obtuse, sombre dread of the first.”

Drawbridge operates from a colossal floating base, the DHV Magellan, which is helmed by Tarman (George Miller/Marty Rhone) and can teleport around the world map by riding the paranormal ‘tar currents’ manifested by the Death Stranding event. Having a consistent base of operations allows for some compelling character interactions, and Death Stranding 2 is full of personality in ways the original was not.

For a start, Sam now has a new companion, Dollman, a man trapped inside a puppet who travels on Bridge’s belt and drops occasional wisecracks and commentary. During gameplay, characters will even send you text and picture messages, adding a further layer of optional narrative.

Important plot moments are far better paced than in the original, with new ideas and twists coming thick-and-fast, and frequent introductions to new characters. In a smart and welcome tweak, dialogue trees have been introduced, making deeper story exposition optional, and there’s even an in-game wiki which players can consult at any time (even during cut-scenes) to double-check lore references.

And so begins another game about delivering parcels, and connecting humanity. While the difficulty of doing so and the novelty of the game’s Buckaroo-style cargo system have faded since the original, the peaceful, almost relaxing menial task of moving things from one place to another remains.

What makes Australia a significantly different prospect to reconnect than the US is its inhabitants. While combat was an afterthought of the first game (though given more prominence in the Director’s Cut release), action is far more inherent to Death Stranding 2. Threats, both human and otherwise, will quickly complicate your routes, and an improved combat system is the player’s way of dealing with them.

Gunplay feels much improved, and stealth and non-lethal options are more fleshed out. Yes, the spectre of Solid Snake hangs around every enemy base that you take out silently, but this isn’t a MGS tribute act. It’s easily one of the best-playing Kojima games to date, with player autonomy greatly expanded.

“While combat was an afterthought of the first game (though given more prominence in the Director’s Cut release), action is far more inherent to Death Stranding 2. Threats, both human and otherwise, will quickly complicate your routes”

Exploration is also more entertaining, with a plethora of dynamic elements introduced that force players to think on their feet. Earthquakes can occur, knocking you off balance and causing rock slides; timefall can now flood rivers, making them more dangerous to cross; sandstorms drastically reduce visibility and make you slower, or faster, depending on wind direction; and bushfires scorch through vegetation, creating a dangerous roadblock.

The biggest improvement to Death Stranding 2’s gameplay, however, is in how it empowers players to approach challenges in their own style. There’s a far greater variety of objectives here, and more optional paths for the player. The main story may task you with clearing armed militia soldiers from a town (stealthily, or guns blazing), tracking the footsteps of a lost ally, or even escorting an injured kangaroo to an animal shelter.

Speaking to other reviewers, it was striking how different our approaches were to tackling objectives – and that’s clearly something Kojima Productions has set out to facilitate with On the Beach. You can sneak, traverse, or strap two machine guns onto your truck and fly in at 60 miles per hour: It’s up to you. This is a walking simulator, or a chaos simulator.

During one late mission, I was tasked with traversing from the top of the map, to the bottom. As I took on the mission, I was warned that my cargo was extremely delicate, and I had to overcome a dangerous enemy base. Now, you could methodically take out everyone on the base, then load up a truck with the delicate cargo, and slide down the hill.

However, I’d just spent several hours on an arduous hike, during which I almost died multiple times. I wanted to let Sam’s hair down. So I loaded up one floating crate with the cargo, and attached another. I stood in the empty crate, aimed at the bottom of the hill, and flung myself towards it at top speed. It was hilarious, strangely majestic, and a perfect example of how frictionless this game is compared to the original.

Another deviation from the first game is the way the game handles BTs. These ethereal, terrifying creatures from the original are far less prominent, and outside of a few main missions, can be almost entirely avoided. Sam is also very well equipped to handle them from the beginning of the game, so the innate terror that they instilled is largely gone.

“The main story may task you with clearing armed militia soldiers from a town (stealthily, or guns blazing), tracking the footsteps of a lost ally, or even escorting an injured kangaroo to an animal shelter.”

When you, and if you choose to, encounter BTs, however, they’re often in the form of more dangerous variants that actively patrol and search for the player, like Metal Gear guards, which is far more compelling than the invisible minefields of the original.

As Sam connects Australia, new methods of delivery open up to him. The country has a monorail system that can be rebuilt, which allows the transport of large cargo much more easily. Like the first game, the social strand system, which sees players all over the world contributing to in-game structures, has a huge impact, and remains one of the best uses of online connectivity in a single-player experience.

At the start of the review period, the servers were awash with community-built roads, ladders, and bridges. Only the Souls series is as good at portraying the struggles of other players going through the same toil as you. Conversely, as we approached the end of the game, the servers went down for maintenance, evoking a much lonelier experience. Every road we built ourselves. Every ladder, climbing anchor, and bridge was built off our own backs.

All of this is in service of one of Hideo Kojima’s best stories. Few other game makers evoke such a visceral reaction when their storytelling is discussed. While the quirks of Kojima’s writing are still (appropriately) Marmite, the cast of Death Stranding 2 are undoubtedly some of his best ever characters.

Sam (Norman Reedus) remains an excellent vessel through which the player explores the world, and his relationship with Lou gives such higher emotional stakes to Sam’s second journey than it did the first time. Similarly, Fragile (Léa Seydoux) takes on a much larger role in the sequel. Her performance is wonderful throughout, and she forms a loveable triple-threat with Rainy (Shioli Kutsuna) and Tomorrow (Elle Fanning).

The crew is rounded out by Tarman, Heartman (Nicolas Winding Refn/Darren Jacobs), and Sam’s constant companion, Dollman (Fatih Akin/Jonathan Roumie). Dollman hangs off Sam’s hip throughout his journey and offers insight into the world, context about the areas you’re exploring, and some comic relief. He’s also animated at half the frame rate as everyone else, which gives an impressive puppet effect.

“While the quirks of Kojima’s writing are still (appropriately) Marmite, the cast of Death Stranding 2 are undoubtedly some of his best ever characters.”

Dollman is also practical. Sam can throw him high into the sky to provide an overview of the dangers that lurk ahead, or to scout an enemy base. While we must avoid specifics, Dollman’s presence, which initially seems like some comic relief or a somewhat cheesy side character, is expertly paid off in the game’s closing act.

Where Death Stranding felt so isolating, we were constantly heartened to return to the DHV Magellen to catch up with the rest of the crew.  Every few visits, the game will reward the players with a brief vignette exploring life on the Magellen, like a supernatural soap opera.

These sequences don’t always impart important exposition or story progression; they’re just a snapshot of fun characters spending time together.  Sam has a found family to return to. Some of the best parts of the game are back on the ship, helping Tomorrow come to terms with her new world, or taking a Polaroid of the crew.

Further reading

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How Hideo Kojima is evolving Death Stranding 2’s formula with a bold Australian frontier

VGC travelled to Kojima Productions to play 30 hours of Death Stranding 2 and speak with Hideo Kojima

It’s here you’re reminded that On The Beach is also one of the best-looking games ever, and Kojima Productions absolutely knows it. There are numerous moments where the developer utterly stuns the player, showcasing photorealistic environments and best-in-class performance capture.

One boss fight, set in a dark area illuminated by a blinding rain of sparks, is one of the most visually impressive sequences we’ve ever played. Another sequence – a shootout on dark streets lit entirely by candles, fireworks, and giant Catherine wheels – we could hardly believe was running on a PS5.

By the time the credits roll, Death Stranding 2: On The Beach feels like the realisation of everything a Hideo Kojima game should be. The Hollywood glamour and blockbuster action are backed up by excellent, varied, and adaptable gameplay. The A-listers deliver A-list performances. The game’s soundtrack feels like Kojima has let you borrow his iPod, and it’s virtually pitch-perfect. Australia is vast, vibrant, and utterly beautiful. It’s a game that excels in everything big it tries, and even its smaller, stranger quirks are made more palatable.

What’s perhaps most impressive is that Death Stranding 2 tells a genuinely moving, subversive story with one hand, and with the other, parades Troy Baker in a mech suit and drag makeup, and it never feels like one outweighs the other. Kojima probably won’t make many more games of this size (he’s already claimed Death Stranding 3 could be made by another creator). Beyond the unavoidable reality of getting older, the last decade has opened him up to so many more projects and opportunities. He’s already committed to OD and Physint, not to mention the film projects he’s involved in.

If this is one of Kojima’s final blockbuster offerings, it’s an utterly stellar one. When he’s hanging about with Hunter Schafer or hobnobbing with Jordan Peele, it’s easy to forget that Hideo Kojima is also an excellent game designer. Before he was Hideo Kojima, the personality, he was Hideo Kojima, the creator. Death Stranding 2: On The Beach is an excellent game made by an excellent game maker.