Platform: PS5
In the midst of Lockdown, many of us opted for virtual escapes. For some, it was connecting with friends (and falling victim to debt-imposing raccoon Tom Nook) on an island paradise in Animal Crossing. For others, it was stepping into the boots of a lone porter, delivering cargo across a dystopian future America. Death Stranding, released just before the pandemic, was also about connection — about rebuilding a fractured world at a time when we’d never felt more isolated. Its online component, which allowed players to build structures that would then appear in other players’ worlds, provided a strange strand of attachment that made everything feel a little less lonely. Essentially a sci-fi-themed Deliveroo simulator, the gameplay certainly didn’t resonate with everyone, and the story was flat-out bonkers, but with Death Stranding, auteur game director Hideo Kojima presented players with a genuinely original experience. Six years later, Death Stranding 2: On The Beach arrives in a post-pandemic world — a solid sequel, albeit one that struggles to have the same impact as its predecessor.
The (still gonzo) story picks up 11 months after the first game. Sam (Norman Reedus) is once again tasked with reconnecting a country — this time Mexico, and then Australia — and it’s not long before he’s back to his old tricks, trekking across the landscape fulfilling the role of a dystopian delivery driver. If you enjoyed the first Death Stranding, much of this will feel incredibly familiar, and that’s not necessarily a criticism. If the gameplay clicks (and for some, it certainly will), it’s easy to get swept up in the satisfaction of delivering post-apocalyptic parcels while dodging robots, robbers and the odd spectral whale. There’s something deeply rewarding in how clever use of the cargo management system and some careful preparation can turn near-failure into success. You’re stranded off the grid, your trike’s out of power, and you’re clinging to ropes and ladders to survive, finally making it to your destination against all odds, with precisely packed cargo intact. Later, gliding back over that same terrain thanks to a zipline network you’ve built using your own resources provides quite the giddy sense of achievement.
Manages to amplify both the highs and the lows of its predecessor.
This time around, Sam’s parcel route features a lot more obstacles to contend with, including gate-quakes that send debris crashing down, and storms that feel ripped straight out of Mad Max: Fury Road — a film that’s referenced numerous times, from a flamethrower-wielding, guitar-blasting baddie, to actual George Miller showing up as a character in the game. Firefights are more frequent, too — a notable change from the first game, where killing a human could lead to a ‘voidout’, literally causing half the map to explode. It’s refreshing to be able to unload bullets into enemies without the worry of wiping out half of Australia. Stealth is a feasible alternative this time, as well. Previously, attempts to sneak into enemy camps often descended into being chased in circles, Benny Hill Style, while lugging 14 boxes on your back. It’s a welcome improvement that, thanks to long grass to hide in and more varied base types, sneaking in, nabbing the cargo, and slipping away now feels viable.
Minor gameplay tweaks aside, though, On The Beach's biggest surprise is how familiar it all feels. There’s the familiar setup, the returning villain, and even the reappearance of the first game’s dreamlike boss sequences. Those expecting a huge leap in either game mechanics or story will find little innovation here. And for all the game’s impressive action cutscenes, Kojima has doubled down on his penchant for nonsensical exposition scenes. There’s nothing quite as batty as Metal Gear Solid 4’s hour-long cutscenes of frying eggs, but a song-and-dance number during one of the game’s more dramatic moments comes close in terms of sheer absurdity. No one’s out there doing it quite like Kojima, but with half-a-dozen tonal shifts in a single scene, it certainly takes some getting used to.
If you can get past the game’s weirder aspects, however, the highlight here is once again the social elements. Asking other porters to finish deliveries or build structures remains a wonderful, unspoken language between players who’ll never meet. And when a bridge suddenly materialises across that pain-in-the-arse river mere hours after you requested it, you’ll feel doubly inclined to pay it forward and return the favour for someone else.
Death Stranding 2 manages to amplify both the highs and the lows of its predecessor, and in doing so feels like a natural extension of the first game, if not a notable step up. It’s not here to win over the sceptics, and doesn’t benefit from the original’s element of surprise, but for those tuned in to its unique frequency, there’s a mad, meditative experience here that’s well worth connecting with.