As someone who reviews almost every game that I play, there’s a point in the process where I kind of start mentally writing my review. Once I’m deep enough in a game, there usually isn’t much that is going to change. The game kind of gets locked into the score and thought process I have for it.
But once in a great while, a game takes me by storm with its conclusion and flips the script.
As I embarked on the last few hours of Death Stranding 2, I felt like I had a pretty good grasp on what my final thoughts on the game were going to be. I figured I would be saying that it’s a tremendous experience with a unique gameplay loop and a strong story, but it didn’t reach the highs of the first game for me.
Then, everything changed.
Death Stranding 2 delivers one of the craziest video games conclusions of all time, with many huge and incredible moments happening over the course of multiple hours. It tied the entire narrative together and surprised me constantly just when I was starting to think that the game wouldn’t be able to surprise me the same way the first game did.
Death Stranding 2 is a fantastic game either way, but the last few hours are when the game finally reached highs that the first game didn’t even reach. It makes every hour spent with the game more than worth it. While I wish that the game was more consistent with its pacing and made a few different decisions, the ending alone is worth the 40+ hours it takes to get there. But I imagine you’ll still have plenty of fun on the way to that epic conclusion.
Props to Anyone With The Energy To Try And Summarize The Basic Concept Of Death Stranding. I Don’t Have That Dawg In Me.
Sam Porter Bridges returns for the sequel, not long after connecting all of America to in the first game. There’s too much weird shit with these games for me to describe the story concepts succinctly, but essentially, the world is destroyed, there are dangerous bandits and remnants of the dead all over the world, and Sam’s goal was to navigate through all of that in order to connect the entirety of America onto the “chiral network”. This network allows easier communication and transportation throughout the country, which, in turn, can allow America to truly rebuild its society in a way it hadn’t been able to.
With that done, Sam is now pulled into connecting Mexico and then Australia together in this outing for reasons that I won’t get into.
From there, the game mostly resembles the original Death Stranding. Your goal is to carry packages from one location to another. As you get to each area, you can bring that area onto the chiral network. This lets you build helpful things in that area and travel back on your ship. Early on, your only form of navigation is walking. So you have to walk from point A to point B while watching the terrain for steep slopes or rocks that might cause you to lose your footing. If you are carrying a lot of cargo, you really have to watch your balance. If you start tilting too much in one direction, you can fall, which can, in turn, destroy the items you are carrying.
You can limit your risk by effectively planning out your routes from one destination to another. The game has a very well-made map that shows elevation and hazards in pretty nice detail, and it has a great system for drawing out detailed routes. It’s always a blast analyzing the map, looking at hazards and other dangers, finding the best route through it all, and then being rewarded for that work with a less stressful journey.
The core “walking” gameplay always creates such an interesting conflux of emotions in a good way. First off, there can be a lot of tension with every step, especially when you are carrying a decent amount of cargo. Having to be on alert at all times, because one slight hazard can send everything tumbling can be pretty intense. There are stretches of Death Stranding 2 where every step feels earned and like its own accomplishment. The game is also generous about doling out real rewards for all the deliveries you do. Every time you deliver something to a new area, you are almost certain to get a new tool, weapon, or vehicle upgrade that will make the next journey that much easier. Oftentimes, the journey itself can feel like a reward in Death Stranding 2, but the more tangible goodies are nice, too.
There’s also an undeniable zen to it all. You spend so much of the game in these giant open areas that are both beautiful and tragic. There is great scenery and visuals here, but there are also almost no people and almost no wildlife in places where both had thrived before. It’s relaxing but incredibly sad.
Death Stranding 2 Is (Unfortunately) Breaking Free Of The Walking Simulator Allegations
As much fun as this gameplay loop is, I did find myself preferring the general design in the original Death Stranding compared to what we have here. I feel like Death Stranding 2 leans much harder into its “zen” elements over the intensity of the original game. There’s a few big things that make Death Stranding 2 feel a fair bit easier. First off, the game is much more generous with its vehicles this time around. You get the two main vehicles in the game, and they arrive much quicker than in the original. These vehicles make carrying large cargo much easier, and it’s a bit harder to seriously damage any cargo that is in a vehicle. The first game also had a lot more elevation and rough terrain that made vehicles feel not worth the hassle in many cases. This time around, once you get a vehicle, it’s almost never a question that it’s easier to use it than being on foot.
At first, this seemed nice, but it slowly wore on me a bit. I know not everyone will feel the same, but being in a vehicle in this game takes away a lot of the beauty of the experience for me. It takes away that feeling of earning your accomplishments step by step. A lot of things that took a lot of thought and energy last time around are just gone when you are in the “off roader”, which can handle damn near everything by the end of the game. I also felt like it took away some of that feeling of tranquility that comes from walking. If you’ve ever walked through a beautiful nature area and then driven through that same area, you know that walking just feels better. It makes it easier to take things in. You don’t have the noise from the car or any other distractions. It’s just you and nature.
After realizing that the vehicles were actively detracting from my experience, I mostly abandoned them outside of missions that would be impossible or really annoying without them (which I will say, the game has several of these, especially in the middle of the game). This definitely helped, but it took a bit of discipline. It’s hard to pass up tools in a game that will make the journey easier. Considering how much of gaming is about getting stronger so that things get easier, it was a little weird, but I was glad I did it. Much like my kid doesn’t love taking her vitamins every day, but I know they are good for her, I often felt like Kojima should have forced us to take our vitamins again, and it may have enhanced the experience in ways that many wouldn’t even realize until they were in it. I do think that the quality of life elements with traversal and a slightly easier map to navigate will make the gameplay loop click for a lot of people who didn’t like the first game, though. So, the decision-making from Kojima was always going to have winners and losers, and I just happen to be someone who doesn’t like the direction quite as much.
This May Sound A Little Awkward, But I’d Like Kojima To Punish Me A Little More
Death Stranding 2 also has this quality of life mentality with its encounters with enemies. You have three main types of foes that you will encounter in the game. There are standard humans that have turned to a life of raiding and being bandits, there are mech enemies, and there are “BTs”, which for simplicity’s sake, I will say are essentially ghosts of the dead that can harm you.
In the original Death Stranding, I mostly wanted to avoid encounters with any of these enemies, and outside of a few moments, the game actually let you do this. You didn’t have a lot of weapons that were effective against the “BTs” in the first game. Killing human enemies also had some potential consequences that I didn’t want to deal with. This and some other annoyances made me want to avoid enemies whenever possible in the first game.
This time around, the game gives you almost nothing to fear with these encounters. You have significantly more weapons that are really easy to use against any enemy. Pretty much every gun in the game also has rubber bullets now, so you don’t have to worry about accidentally killing human enemies like in the original.
On one hand, this could be pretty neat. Death Stranding 2 received some MGS5 comparisons in previews before the game launched, and there is certainly some level of truth to that. It can be fun to scout out a big enemy base from a distance, figure out where everyone is, and then slowly pick them off one by one with a sniper rifle. It’s also nice to infiltrate a base and take out enemies one by one with stealth. The game also has a slow motion mechanic when you take out enemies or when enemies spot you that makes it relatively easy to take out one enemy after another if you are playing like it’s a full-blown action game.
The mechanics all felt a bit clunky with these encounters in the first game, and it’s nice that all of these encounters are now pretty manageable and fun. With these easier battles, Death Stranding 2 also has several more missions this time around that force you into enemy bases. The game knows that its action mechanics are much more traditional and serviceable this time around, so it leans into that. The BT encounters are also significantly easier now. Later on in the game, you can equip your vehicle with weapons that can make taking BTs out no effort at all.
While I certainly enjoyed these action encounters in spots, I slowly started to miss the mentality of the first game the longer I played. As annoying as BT encounters could be in the original, they also were incredibly intense. I’d sneak through areas, constantly alert for enemies. My heart would pound when my radar indicated that one was getting close. This time around, especially near the end of the game, it really wasn’t a huge deal. I could make it through almost any BT area while barely breaking a sweat. It’s the same thing with the human enemies. In the first game, if I saw a vehicle with three enemies nearby, I’d be very on edge and on alert. This time around, I could practically run right at them and take them out with ease. Much like the vehicles, it could feel nice to be allowed to eat ice cream whenever I wanted, but eventually, I kind of realized how much value vegetables can have. I do want to note that these encounters are still well made and enjoyable. I certainly didn’t hate them, but it’s hard not to compare them to the first game.
How Many “Too Much of A Good Thing” Metaphors Can I Fit Into One Review?
Despite my complaints, this all comes together to still create a very unique and engaging gameplay loop. The package delivery elements are like nothing else in AAA games. And now, there are action elements that are at least comparable with other good games in the action adventure genre. This is a distinct experience, and it’s now designed in a way where I think almost anyone can pick it up and enjoy it. I had a hard time getting into the original game in the first several hours, but all of these new quality of life elements (including some much easier inventory management with the menus) make Death Stranding 2 a much easier game to love. But sometimes, you like when someone is a little rough around the edges. I couldn’t help but miss the friction of the first game a lot while I played, which is why I started playing in ways that created more friction for me.
The one area where I do think the game is just a full-blown upgrade is with its boss encounters. The original Death Stranding had occasional boss fights, but they were always clunky, and the inventory management in the game was worse, so you’d constantly have to pause the game to equip new weapons, or drop old ones and reorganize your gear. This, combined with a purposely grounded movement system, just made those fights unpleasant for me. Death Stranding 2 has much simpler inventory systems, so having to readjust gear in the middle of a fight isn’t quite as big of a nuisance as it used to be. They are also just more exciting in general. The game also has a few fun set piece types of battles that I really enjoyed. The boss fights and story battles go from a nuisance to flat out fun this time around, so that is a huge improvement for me.
The visuals are also a huge upgrade, as you might expect after six years and a new console. The Decima engine remains incredible, providing environments and character models that always left me in awe. Much of the appeal of exploring desolate Australia and Mexico comes down to how damn good they both look. Those visuals immerse you and provide a constant sense of awe. Much like the first game, the music also enhances the experience here. A special feeling envelops you every time you reach the end of a mission, and something from the game’s soundtrack comes on your radio. In areas you’ve already put on the chiral network, the game also has a music player that lets you play anything you’ve unlocked almost whenever you want.
This was nice at times. It definitely makes the journey to each destination a little more pleasant when some music plays, especially when it’s an area you have already explored. But much like popcorn, it’s amazing at first and seems like something you could just consume endlessly, but it can overfill you fast if you aren’t careful. In the first Death Stranding, every moment where the music came on was awe-inspiring and special. This time around, those moments aren’t particularly inspiring since music being on isn’t a rarity. I actually started turning off the music for long stretches because I craved that “music hits” moment so badly. But even doing that, these moments still didn’t hit quite as hard as the first game. I feel like the music isn’t timed out quite as nicely with the sequel. It always came on at the perfect moments in the first game, and it feels much more random now The music in the game is also decidedly more upbeat overall, and I never felt like that type of music really fit this world as well as the more depressing stuff that the first game constantly throws at you. It’s still a great soundtrack overall, and the music still enhances the experience a lot. It’s still a big positive for the game, but it was one more area where I found myself preferring the first game.
If I Were To Do a List For “Most Fucked Up” Gaming Worlds, I Think Death Stranding Could Easily Be #1. Wait… New BigNerdGaming List Idea??
I had high expectations for the gameplay in Death Stranding 2, but my expectations were even higher for the story. The original Death Stranding blew my mind in so many ways and had moments that move me when I think about them to this day.
As I touched on in the intro, the story in Death Stranding 2 doesn’t have that same level of consistency for me.
I think there are a few reasons for that (and I’m going to be as vague as I can be here). First off, the original Death Stranding was able to introduce an incredible fucked up world. Everything I learned about how society worked, and about concepts like voidouts, BTs, BBs, and more were all so freaking weird and interesting. The start of the game was able to pull me in with all of its worldbuilding, and then the story started to cook from there.
This time around, we already know all about this world, and the game doesn’t really expand significantly on its lore. So it loses out on some of the impactful moments that the first game had by nature of just introducing all of its basic concepts. But also, the story just has long stretches where nothing particularly important happens. There’s one moment near the start of the game that is a big deal, but for the most part, you do a mission, you get a small hint that something is afoot, and then you are told to continue hooking up the chiral network. Even some of the bigger events didn’t quite do it for me in many of the middle portions of the game. One story beat related to something Sam is dealing with really missed the mark and felt completely off to me as one example.
Many people were excited for the return of Higgs as a villain, and he certainly has his moments, but he mostly runs back all the same gimmicks as the last game, and I just wasn’t quite as compelled by him. While I don’t want to get too into it in this review, I really wish the game had run harder with a different villain, but they mostly focus on Higgs. I was still into the story to be clear, but I found myself wishing the pacing was a little better and that a few different decisions were made in quite a few situations.
Obviously, that all changed at the end of the game. Death Stranding 2 delivers an hours long crescendo that had me in awe from start to finish. Every cutscene hits hard. It’s poignant. It’s shocking. It’s devastating. I will remember those last few hours for a very long time. I think my main complaint until the end of the game was that it hadn’t really surprised me in any way, but it did so and then some at the end.
As awesome as the conclusion was, I certainly wish that some of these big moments were a bit more spaced out. But it’s safe to say that those last hours were so good that it significantly enhanced my experience and even changed many of my perceptions on the game. I still would have considered Death Stranding 2 a fantastic video game either way, but the last few hours put the game right back into feeling “special” over just “extremely great.”
While the plot wasn’t always giving me great moments, the game does at least deliver more excellent character moments than the original did. In the first game, Sam was mostly isolated for the entire experience. This time around, he is on a ship with his crew, so you get a lot more character to character interactions than you did in the first game. This greatly enhanced the character development for characters like Tomorrow, Rainy, Fragile, and Tarman. The game does a great job of slipping in moments where you see all of these characters bond. There is a sense of camaraderie with the crew that is really neat and fits well with the game’s themes of connection. Death Stranding 2 also has an all-star cast and is filled with strong performances from pretty much everyone. The one exception for me continues to be Norman Reedus as Sam, who is written in a way that probably makes it hard to give a great performance, but even in the moments where I felt like he might be able to shine, he still didn’t really click with me. Despite that, I was still really pleased with how the characters in the game are handled overall.
If You Actually Read All 3700+ Words Of This Review… Here’s A Fucking Medal. That Was Probably Harder Than Writing This Monstrosity
This review of Death Stranding 2 felt weird to write in many ways because it is a genuinely fantastic video game. But it is also a direct sequel to a game I hold in high regard. This always makes comparisons inevitable.
Death Stranding 2 is a bit easier on you with both its gameplay and its story. Those changes make the game much easier to pick up and play. I think if I played this game first, I wouldn’t have ever disliked it while trying to figure everything out, which was how the first game was for me.
But sometimes, you want the struggle. There were times when I was pretty sure that Kojima specifically hated me when I played Death Stranding 1. But sometimes, tough love can be a good thing. I missed the feeling of earning every single step in Death Stranding 2. I didn’t always love how the game was a bit gentler on me with both its gameplay and with understanding what the hell is going on with its story. But despite that, it’s still an experience that is literally unlike anything else in video games, and it delivers a conclusion that you will probably remember for the rest of your life. Death Stranding 2 isn’t perfect for me because it can actually feel a little more perfect than it should, but it’s yet another special video game from Kojima that you should absolutely play.
Score: 9.0/10
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