There’s always some weirdness in Hideo Kojima’s games, and the Death Stranding 2 review explains why his latest work is the weirdest of all. From talking puppets to moving crash test dummies, there is a lot to discover in Kojima’s latest open-world delivery game. I knew what I was getting into when I booted up Death Stranding 2, but the Japanese game maker surprised even an old fan like me.
If you’ve played the first Death Stranding, you know what to expect from the sequel. Fortunately, even if you’ve spent a hundred hours in the first game, the sequel will still find plenty of fresh ways to keep you guessing. Death Stranding 2 review won’t be complete without praising how almost everything from the graphics to gameplay has been improved. Even the weirdness is kicked up a notch, making Death Stranding 2 a wild ride from the start to the end.
Table of Contents
Death Stranding 2 Review – Cinematic Story
The story picks up after the first game, with Norman Reedus back as Sam Porter Bridges. He is living off the grid with Lou (the baby from the first game), but is soon found by Fragile. Fragile needs him to connect Mexico to the Chiral Network. So, once again, Sam gears up and starts what he does best: doing deliveries. It may sound easy, but in practice, Sam has to fight BTs (ghosts from the realm beyond), bandits, and Metal Gear-like giant monsters.
Kojima is known for drawn-out cutscenes with cinematic flair, and Death Stranding 2 is no different. Some of the cutscenes also take a long time to finish. However, the story cutscenes are separated by large chunks of delivery missions, which makes them digestible. The voice acting is good, and the motion capture looks excellent as well.
Overall, there are plenty of twists and turns in the beautifully crafted world of Death Stranding 2. The first game had amazing-looking facial animations, but the sequel upstages it by a lot. A lot is going on in terms of story, and I don’t want to spoil the game for you, so if you like Kojima’s style, you’ll love Death Stranding 2. I’d be first in line if and when Kojima makes a movie; it’s very clear that the man wants to transition into filmmaking.
Death Stranding 2 Review – Legging it
The moment-to-moment gameplay remains essentially the same. Pick up an order, load up, reach the destination, and deliver it. That being said, there are numerous moving parts in the gameplay. Surprisingly, a significant amount of decision-making impacts the results here. For example, traveling light lets you move faster and sneak more efficiently. However, being caught unprepared can also have disastrous repercussions.
During one delivery run, I decided to go without any equipment, except for the package I needed to deliver. I sneaked easily through a bandit camp, was invisible in tall grass and no packages were poking out either. Unfortunately, the rain raised the river, and I didn’t have a ladder on hand to cross it. Death Stranding 2 is not punishing, though. I backtracked to the bandit camp, took out a bandit with a ladder, and went on my way. Similarly, I was without blood grenades and got ambushed by BTs; a quick environment scan revealed a few grenades nearby. Kojima has thought about everything, and it shows.
Death Standing 2 review also needs to acknowledge improvements to the combat. The first game was criticized for lacking an in-depth combat system. Long-term fans of Kojima expected another Metal Gear-like combat experience, but were disappointed to find none of the flavors in Death Stranding. I’m pleased to say that Kojima listened to the fans, and the sequel has significantly improved combat, which includes enhanced gunplay and stealth. It’s still not as deep as Kojima’s previous work, but it is satisfying and enjoyable.
Death Stranding 2 Review – Desolate Beauty
The Death Stranding 2 review has to address how beautiful the world looks in the game. There are two significant areas you explore, and both of them look stunning even on the base PlayStation 5 system. Kojima Productions did a great job with the Decima engine in the first game, but this time around, they outdid themselves. The game looks stunning, even without ray tracing. I often found myself stopping and just looking at the vast wilderness before me.
Guerilla Games’ Decima engine is working wonders, especially when it comes to open-world environments. The sand, the rocks, the snow, and even the moss all look beautiful here. This level of detail is vital because you’ll be spending a lot of time observing the terrain and plotting courses. Death Stranding 2 is about connecting remote places, and more often than not, you’ll be walking across the map. Social mechanics also return; you can discover structures made by other players. This parallel universe mechanic is unique to Death Stranding. Vehicles and mech suits also make a return in the sequel. There is a lot of character progression here, despite the game not being an RPG.
The world is dynamic this time around; the first game already had rain, but the sequel brings sandstorms and earthquakes. It’s remarkable how Kojima repurposed and upgraded the Decima engine to fit his game. More PlayStation studios should experiment with the engine in various games. Mexico serves as a training area for Sam to get back into things. After a few missions, you are sent to Australia to connect the continent, just as Sam did with the USA.
Conclusion:
Death Stranding 2 improves and enhances every aspect of the first game, like a true sequel should. It’s a bit more accessible this time around, but the core gameplay mechanics remain the same. There’s the same excellent story running in the background, but it’s the moment-to-moment gameplay that makes it truly special.
I recently reviewed The Alter, which had similar building mechanics, but Death Stranding 2 is something you need to experience yourself. The Death Stranding 2 review concludes with the recommendation that you should play it if you enjoyed the first game.