The first Death Stranding was the hardest review I've ever had to write for a video game because there was a lot to unpack that I didn't even touch the surface of. I find myself in a similar position now talking about Death Stranding 2: On The Beach, a monstrous sequel of immense beauty, terror and hope rolled into an experience that's bound to elicit the same kind of reaction and strong feelings, no matter which side of the spectrum you fall on. However, if there's one thing to take away from all of this, it's simply my earnest recommendation to play it. Now, let me do my best to tell you in some limited words why I adore this game.

*Note: This review is completely spoiler-free.

Death Stranding 2: On The Beach takes place sometime after the events of the first game. Sam Porter Bridges (Norman Reedus) is living a comfortable courier life with his BB named Lou and Fragile (Lea Seydoux), mostly staying off the grid. Events transpire that forces Sam to venture much, much further away from North America and bring a new disconnected continent onto the chiral network – a continent that’s on the other side of the world: Australia.

Story & Characters



While the first Death Stranding had this ominous tone to it that brought its supernatural mysteries to the forefront of its grand world, the sequel feels like a much more personal, introspective kind of adventure where “discovery” is happening in more ways than where we end up on the journey. This is best epitomised by Sam, who goes through a surprisingly gut-wrenching character journey himself that spans the entire game and takes its time peeling back his layers.

If my biggest complaint with Sam was his stoicism in the first game, Death Stranding 2 gives meaning to that hard façade with a strong emotional anchor that left me in tears towards the climax (in fact, I’d say the entire third act of this game throws big emotional punches that all land fiercely). That couldn’t be possible without a terrific leading performance from Reedus, who goes above and beyond with his acting talent to balance nuance with turbulent feelings bubbling just beneath the surface, seeping through the cracks, and threatening to break him apart as a person with every new revelation.



Backing up Reedus is also a stellar supporting cast. If Sam is the soul of Death Stranding 2, Lea Seydoux’s Fragile is the beating heart. Sam and Fragile’s dynamic was kind of explored in the first game but it’s greatly expanded upon and deepened in the sequel. Hideo Kojima chooses to take the “less is more” approach to exploring the inner workings of the characters. With most of the vital world-building already laid out in the first game, the sequel now has time to dig into who these people are, why they do what they do, and what makes them persevere and ultimately, crumble as humans pushing for meaningful connections in an overwhelmingly divided world.

If Sam is the soul of Death Stranding 2, Lea Seydoux’s Fragile is the beating heart.

A ship called the DHV Magellan (is that a Metal Gear?) will serve as the home base of your new company, Drawbridge, for a large majority of Death Stranding 2. The ship’s crew are off-beat and wholesome – some of which I can’t go into too much detail about without precariously rolling into spoiler territory, so let’s just say that Fatih Akin’s Dollman and Shioli Kutsuna’s Rainy are so delightful and endearing, their charm immediately rubs off on you; while a talking mannequin with a JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure anime face constantly breaks the fourth wall. He's great too.



I’d be lying if I said this oddball crew didn’t remind me of a close-knit team straight out of a JRPG at times. More importantly, the crew has a great dynamic that really drives home the themes of bonding and connecting with others through shared happiness and pain, perhaps best exemplified by Elle Fanning’s Tomorrow, a newcomer with a strange past and another fantastic character arc to follow.

As for Troy Baker, he’s back as Higgs, now taking a more central position as an overarching antagonist – equipped with an electric guitar and a mean streak. My praises for Baker’s performance are pretty much the same as the first game: he chews up every scene he’s in and he’s so damn fun to watch, it’s hard to look away. Bear with me, the next part is going to get weirder: there’s also a mysterious eight-foot tall Gray Fox-like cyborg ninja and a totally-not-Solid-Snake soldier (played excellently by Italian actor Luca Marinelli) as sub-antagonists… kind of. In literally every way but name, it feels like Hideo Kojima made a new Metal Gear Solid game.



In short, the characters are the real backbone of Death Stranding’s sequel and so much attention is given to them, which is absolutely essential for where the story eventually goes – and trust me, it goes in very unexpected, but nonetheless bold and exciting directions. That also speaks to the more confident storytelling Kojima Productions uses for the sequel. The pacing is tightened and the plot seems to naturally flow better too. Of course, its excellent story is also driven by equally excellent gameplay.

Gameplay



Death Stranding 2’s gameplay is cut from the same cloth as its predecessor, meaning you’re not going to get anything drastically different with the sequel. The core of the gameplay loop still revolves around making deliveries across treacherous terrain while avoiding hazards like BT zones and Timefall. What Kojima Productions has done here is simply refined that core gameplay to make it feel, well, really fun and engaging. You’re still travelling from point A to point B to drop off packages for most of your playtime while expanding the chiral network, but the amount of options you have during your route preparations is always enjoyable to tinker with as you plan your optimal routes, factoring in things like geography, weather patterns, hazard zones, slopes, canyons, and rivers.

Add a laundry list of celebrity cameos into the mix with Kojima’s godlike Spotify playlist, and you’ve got a good – and often therapeutic - time to look forward to with each delivery.

Certain exoskeletons give you speed boosts or let you carry heavier cargo while vehicles fitted with certain types of wheels can climb steep cliffs or glide through heavy snow. Storms are constantly rotating around the map, while travelling at night can obscure your vision if you aren’t equipped with a light source. Australia is an entirely different beast to North America, meaning Sam has to monitor his vitals under particularly hot desert zones or he’ll gradually loose his stamina, leading to lower carry weights. Taking all of this into account before you even step foot into the world is an addictive and rewarding process when a delivery run is pulled off successfully without a hitch. Add a laundry list of celebrity cameos into the mix with Kojima’s godlike Spotify playlist, and you’ve got a good – and often therapeutic - time to look forward to with each delivery.



Death Stranding 2 also doubles down on combat, which took me by surprise. There are far more situations in the game where you’re pitted against enemies, either in encampments or out in designated zones, that you need to stealthily infiltrate or go in guns blazing. It goes without saying that taking the stealthy approach is motivated under some conditions, especially if you’re dealing with particularly fragile cargo that you need to transport. Again, this just feels like Kojima’s excuse to make a new Metal Gear Solid game and honestly, I’m fine with that.

The emergent stealth gameplay is helped by Kojima Productions’ terrific AI. For example, firing off a single shot won’t immediately alert an entire base to your location as enemies will frantically begin scouting the surroundings, doing laps and finding higher ground. Nightfall provides you with the best cover as you can use the darkness to your advantage – you may not even have to engage with enemies as long as you stick to the shadows. Alternatively, enemies can also get the drop on you at night if you aren’t careful. The guns blazing approach has also been reworked: every weapon feels punchy and satisfying to use (the shotgun is particularly “oh hell yes”). Death Stranding 2 has more combat than its predecessor, but how you handle each scenario (or don't) is entirely up to you and the tools at your disposal in that moment.



Like the first game, the social aspects of the experience are what make Death Stranding 2 so unique, as if you’re part of a greater whole. You’re constantly sharing your tools and creations with other players (porters) in your own respective world for them to find in theirs. Lay a ladder along a cliffside? Someone else can use it to scale that cliff. Abandoned your tri-cruiser in the middle of the forest? You just saved another player’s life that really needed the wheels – all communicated via “likes” which, like real-life, you’ll probably chase for that sweet dopamine rush. In my review period, other reviewers were kind enough to build bridges, create zip line trails up mountains and build long highways linking all the major forts together. I cannot wait to see how far players will go to create even more impressive social link structures since that remains one of the game’s biggest and best selling points.

Boss Battles



Death Stranding 2 doesn’t short-change players on spectacle. The game’s boss battles have been ramped up and worth talking about all on their own. Triggering a confrontation with a large BT will inevitably lead to a cinematic, intense fight for survival against monstrosities far more imaginative than the first game. Attempting to stealth your way through a BT zone was always stressful but in the sequel, Timefall now drapes the screen in an apocalyptic red filter that feels like you’ve literally just stepped into a pocket dimension of hell, made eerier by the terrifying audio design that accompanies the transition. The sequel retains the series’ amazing bursts of horror elements – nothing beats the exhilaration of enjoying a relaxing drive while listening to Low Roar when a BT storm suddenly hits you like a nightmarish freight train in seconds.

Attempting to stealth your way through a BT zone was always stressful but in the sequel, Timefall now drapes the screen in an apocalyptic red filter that feels like you’ve literally just stepped into a pocket dimension of hell.

It’s also worth mentioning that there’s a specific boss fight that happens early in the game which I won’t go into detail about, but the stage and setup for this encounter is – and I say without exaggeration – the most visually spectacular level I think I’ve ever seen in a video game. My jaw was glued to the floor the entire time.

Visuals & Art Direction



Death Stranding 2: On The Beach is built on Guerrilla’s Decima Engine again and Kojima Productions finds more ways to push it to its limit, probably solidifying it as Sony’s best in-house gaming engine. The results of the engine’s potential are perhaps best seen in foliage and fauna. Luckily, there are a handful of dense jungle and forest areas on the Australian map where you can see the engine stretch its legs. However, visually arresting sandstorms can also sweep in and completely change the environment, kicking up dust and dirt while heavy winds threaten to throw you off-balance if you aren’t firmly rooted to the ground. Raging fires and particles explode on screen and move to engulf the surrounding grasslands and trees in real-time. It’s all quite stunning.

The art direction is as strong as ever for Death Stranding 2. Legendary art director Yoji Shinkawa’s designs, particularly for the game’s detailed environments, ships and new enemies, are striking, giving the sequel a distinctively vibrant and sunnier aesthetic that separates it from its predecessor’s darker and gloomier Icelandic visuals. The harsh outback of Australia is captured beautifully with enough diverse biomes – scorching deserts, dense jungles, rocky canyons, snowy mountain peaks, steep cliffs that drop into the sea, large lakes, etc. - to make each network zone feel distinct from one another.

Music



Music has always played an important part in giving Death Stranding its unique identity, partly due to Kojima’s hand-picked song choices and partly due to composer Ludvig Forssell’s incredible original soundtrack. The sequel understands the importance of music a lot better than I could’ve hoped for, with original scores and selected songs that all perfectly capture the hopeful and sombre tone of the experience effectively. Woodkid, whom you may recognise from Arcane season 2, co-composes Death Stranding 2’s music, bringing an exciting new edge to the sounds of the world. The original song and unofficial theme “To the Wilder” is as beautifully haunting as it is hopeful, ethereal and inspiring - it might be my favourite piece of video game music released this year.

Performance



I reviewed Death Stranding 2 on a PS5 Pro for the entirety of my playthrough and it practically ran flawlessly. Performance mode keeps the frame rate at a steady 60FPS with barely any drops, even during particularly busy sections when the action ramps up, while quality mode brings it down to 30FPS traded for higher resolutions. Unfortunately, there isn’t an option for a balanced mode on Pro as it only lets you prioritise one or the other. Apart from that, it’s a pristinely polished game and you’ll barely, if rarely, run into any bugs, glitches or visual hiccups worth making a fuss about.

Verdict

Death Stranding 2: On The Beach, like its predecessor, is going to be quite a polarising game for different reasons – and I imagine it will yet again be a very acquired taste – but as unapologetically as it tells its story punctuated by big emotional swings, sharp turns into chaotic goofiness, and absolutely masterful cinematic moments, it refines and sharpens that familiar experience to near perfection, whether it’s your cup of tea or not. Its focus on character this time makes for very compelling storytelling that’s less about big thrills and more about building those vital connections at the heart of its narrative – but make no mistake, the thrills are amplified too. Kojima Productions has crafted one of the best games of the generation and one of the best sequels ever made.

*PS5 Review code provided by PlayStation