When Hideo Kojima first showed off Death Stranding way back in 2016, there was no telling what on earth was in store. Many years have passed, and I’ve played the first game to completion. Honestly, I still don’t quite understand what was going on. Death Stranding always had me hooked with its immediate premise – you’re Norman Reedus with a fetus. That’s all I’ve ever needed. But the rest of the game didn’t make much sense to me. I found joy in its absurdity, but I never fully understood what I was playing. Death Stranding felt like an all-you-can-eat buffet of partially fleshed-out ideas. When Kojima Productions announced the game’s follow-up, I got excited. The first was already so original and so ambitious, that I had a hard time imagining what he could possibly add to this game while simultaneously staying true to the weird wacky world of Death Stranding. I have played Death Stranding 2: On The Beach for many, many hours. I am confident in saying that it is among Kojima’s crown jewels.
Once again, in Death Stranding 2: On The Beach, you are Sam Porter Bridges, a former high-ranking member of Bridges, single-handedly responsible for connecting the United States of America to the Chiral Network in the first game. Sam is a courier who delivers packages across massive landscapes to those in need. The world Sam lives in was deeply impacted by the Death Stranding – a series of unexplainable supernatural events that left the world in disarray and forced people to live underground. Sam must deliver packages to people while navigating through the world and the various supernatural entities that now inhabit it. Once the client has their package, they will join the Chiral Network – the network designed to combat the effects of the Death Stranding – and expand the range of service, thus connecting a broken world back to where it once was. That is my attempt at explaining the game’s premise, but it goes so much deeper than that; this is barely scratching the surface. Anyway, Death Stranding 2: On The Beach basically has you doing that exact same thing, but this time in Mexico and Australia.
Things are just more interesting in Death Stranding 2: On The Beach, right off the bat. The game immediately hits the ground running (pun intended) and gets your blood pumping. The opening section of the game introduces earthquakes and shows how they can impact the world around you. Mountains crumble in quakes with heavy magnitudes. There are also other natural disasters that can get in the way of your deliveries this time around: floods, sandstorms, literal raining fire, and more. Much like in the previous game, you’ll want to keep your cargo in good shape when delivering stuff to your clients, but these natural oddities will damage your cargo if you aren’t careful. You have to specifically plan your trips around these things, and I found that really interesting and fun!
One of my favourite aspects of Death Stranding 2: On The Beach is just how often you are rewarded through progression. You are constantly getting new toys just through playing the game in any style you choose. As you progress through various missions and deliveries, Sam will gain experience and acquire new titles and accolades, as well as physical items such as weapons, vehicle types, customization options, and upgrades for existing items. At one point, I unlocked a tranquillizing sniper rifle, which could knock enemies out at a long distance. You can also unlock a floating cargo cart that follows you around. If your floating cart is empty, you can ride it as a skateboard! There’s also a ton of exoskeletons you can unlock to make your journey a little easier. Some of them bring your speed up, some of them let you carry way more weight. There’s just so much that is thrown at you that makes it hard to put the game down. Kojima seriously nailed the progression aspect, which is something I felt the original game lacked a bit.
The cast is just stacked with memorable characters – like all Kojima games. Much like the first game, I found Norman Reedus as Sam to be the least interesting person. He acts as a vehicle to support the rest of the cast, and his character allows everyone else to leave a huge impact. Legendary Mad Max director George Miller lends his likeness to the affable Tar Man. Shioli Kutsuna is endlessly likeable and magnetic as Rainy. Elle Fanning is seriously transfixing as Tomorrow. But the best character – in my opinion – without a doubt is Higgs, played by the always excellent Troy Baker. Higgs is Baker’s “Joker” moment. It’s almost as if Kojima just let Baker do whatever the hell he wanted, no holds barred. Higgs is face-painted like The Crow, he shreds on an electric guitar, and he quotes Talking Heads songs. I don’t know what else I need to say. He’s perfect. He’s also immaculately placed across the story. Never overstays his welcome, but is always peppered around every few major cutscenes. I kept hoping he’d show up, and I’d get excited whenever he actually did. The cast is just incredible here, and might be my personal favourite motley crew that Kojima has ever rounded up in a game.
The music in Death Stranding 2: On The Beachreally took me by surprise, mainly because it is helmed mainly by Woodkid, who I’m not crazy about. It just goes to show what two people who admire each other deeply can do when they come together and decide to make something great. I actually found the original tunes Woodkid made for the game really captivating and evocative. I’ve always found his music way too melodramatic and self-serious, but that actually worked really well here, given the game’s general themes. The rest of the soundtrack is also really strong. It’s got Hideo Kojima’s favourite artists like Low Roar and CHVCHES, while one of my personal favourite artists, Caroline Polachek, even makes an appearance. She wrote an original track called “On The Beach” that just rules. It’s this droning ambient-pop track that fits the atmosphere and aesthetic of the game in a way that I found way more successful than CHVCHES original track for the first game. I actually love that CHVCHES track, but I always thought it just sounded like a fantastic pop song and never really fit the vibes Kojima had going. Polachek got it dead on. The music is also dynamic and will grow and shrink in volume as you move closer to where you need to be for the next major story beat. It’s something that you just need to experience yourself to get just how cool it is.
Did you like Death Stranding? Then you will love Death Stranding 2: On The Beach even more. If you didn’t like Death Stranding, then I don’t know if this game will change your mind. It’s a lot more of the same, but it’s just filled with quality of life changes that make the game play a million times better. The graphics are lifelike and truly some of the most staggering visuals the PlayStation 5 will ever have. If you have a TV capable of running the game at its highest settings, you’re a lucky person. It looks mind-bendingly beautiful on my base PS5. The characters and story are some of the best in the entire Kojima catalogue, and the game’s pacing and overall gameplay have been fine-tuned to actually feel fun! Death Stranding 2: On The Beach starts with a bang and just keeps banging over and over again until the credits roll.
