The overriding feeling utterly coursing through the veins of Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is confidence.

Five and a half years ago, Kojima Productions released its first game after the Konami split to a somewhat mixed reception. Those looking for the next Metal Gear Solid did not find their new Solid Snake. However, time has been kind to Death Stranding, and the original is now substantially better appreciated — the audience now respects what Hideo Kojima and co were going for.

Kojima Productions knew all along it made something outstanding in Death Stranding, but now it knows you all know that too. This confidence has allowed the developer to build the most uncompromising of sequels; one that doubles down on the first game and then proceeds to dwarf it in every conceivable way.

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The focal point remains transporting cargo across a large open world, making deliveries and rescuing lost parcels. Now, though, the cross-country hauls are longer, more challenging, and broken up by firefights and fisticuffs that make the original’s combat look like an early tech demo. Powering those voyages is a detailed, impactful narrative that sees Sam Bridges attempt to bring Mexico and Australia onto the chiral network.

As a direct sequel, Death Stranding 2 has a harder task of developing intrigue and suspense; the rules, terms, and events of its post-apocalyptic universe have already been explained. It cannot base most story sequences, twists, and revelations on the world’s past anymore, so instead it shines a spotlight on the characters, their personal history, and how they can affect the future. They’re more than ready to carry the burden of a follow-up.

Sam (Norman Reedus), Fragile (Léa Seydoux), and antagonist Higgs (Troy Baker) return, complemented by an expanded cast including Tarman (Marty Rhone), Dollman (Jonathon Roumie), Tomorrow (Elle Fanning), and Rainy (Shioli Kutsuna) aboard the DHV Magellan ship. The broad strokes of the plot follow the group as they work to bring the two countries’ populations back into contact with the outside world, and all the troubles they encounter along the way.

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Another thread fuelling the main story is Neil (Luca Marinelli). What he has to do with the events of the sequel and how he links to the main cast has been kept hidden in the lead-up to launch, and we intend to keep it that way. Neil plays a similar role to Mads Mikkelsen’s character Cliff Unger from the first game, interjecting between chapters to elicit mystery and suspense in seemingly unrelated cutscenes.

How the two timelines connect represents Death Stranding 2 in its most vulnerable, poignant state. Neil’s experiences are deeply impassioned and recontextualise the events of the original in a disturbing manner. They also give more purpose to Sam’s journey while expanding the universe with a new layer — as heartbreaking as it is.

These revelations build on an established world, and the assumed knowledge that comes with making a sequel allows the game to hit the ground running. Its story is more straightforward and easier to follow, and a Corpus menu provides explanations of all the series’ quirkier features and affairs if you need a reminder.

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It all builds to a narrative that manages to stay personal despite the global implications of your general gameplay actions. The objective is to reconnect the world, but really, it’s those closest to Sam who matter most. Their performances make the game the most relentlessly gripping of anything on PS5.

Hundreds of deliveries across Mexico and Australia are the vehicles that guide you from one story beat to the next, entrusting you with cargo both vital on one end and comical on the other. Whether on foot or by vehicle, most of the experience is spent completing deliveries in order to convince the receiver to join the chiral network.

The gameplay loop is incredibly reminiscent of the first game; this is probably Kojima Productions’ most iterative sequel to date. You’ll accept delivery orders from terminals, then transport the cargo to its intended destination. Anyone who didn’t enjoy the original won’t suddenly be turned into a believer in Death Stranding 2 — this is a game that wholeheartedly commits to its craft.

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Where it marks progress is in the terrain you traverse, as it shifts and poses further challenges in dynamic world events. Earthquakes (known in-game as gate quakes) break apart mountaintops and send the rubble cascading down towards you. Flash flooding causes rivers to burst their banks, making them more difficult to cross with raging currents. Forest fires can spread at a rapid rate, cutting off your exits, and sandstorms greatly reduce visibility.

Such events happen at random and can turn what was a plain-sailing delivery into a disaster. This goes a long way to making the open world feel more alive and reactive, as the wreckage it leaves behind can damage and destroy the structures you and other players have built.

The potential devastation they bring serves as a reminder of the social strand system, ported over and improved from the original title. As you explore the open world, you’ll often encounter bridges, ladders, climbing ropes, vehicles, and more left behind by other real-life players, who used those tools to complete their own objectives. Now distributed to your game world and others, they provide a helping hand and encourage you to do the same for others in sparser regions.

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On a grander scale, players can combine their resources and restore roads for easier trips to and from objectives. On top of them is the new monorail system that lets Sam transport both himself and vast amounts of cargo across great stretches of land. Much quicker than doing it on land, you can also use the tracks as a makeshift zip line to cross the world.

You’re handed far more options to help complete deliveries, combined with a community that has a better understanding of what the game wants from you. Even during the pre-launch phase our 60-hour playthrough took place in, we often encountered strategically placed tools to make our trek a little easier.

Not all of it’s smooth sailing, for a handful of endurance runs in the final 10 hours become slightly too tedious and frustrating. They take place in an unforgiving mountainous region, and having to carefully navigate their peaks more than a few times hinders the pacing. This, combined with a somewhat unreliable fast travel system (it’s locked off at inconvenient times), causes the odd mission to drag as you await the next big story moment.

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These annoyances are few and far between, though, and a greatly improved combat system lets you blow off any steam they do build up.

In contrast to the original, where shootouts were discouraged, Death Stranding 2 makes combat just as satisfying and involved as its cargo deliveries. Rubber bullets are the norm now, so you needn’t worry about causing a voidout after dispatching a human enemy. These also work just as well on BTs and a new type of entity called Watchers.

Regardless of what you’re up against, the sequel allows for both a loud and quiet approach. Its weapon selection screen eventually rivals a Call of Duty title, but the options that encourage stealthier tactics are just as viable.

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Comparisons have been made to Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain in the build-up to release, and these are apt — to a point. The title dots enemy bases across its two large maps, and if you choose to engage, you can tackle them from any angle and combat style.

Stealth has received the biggest glow-up by far: silenced guns can pick off enemies both near and far while melee weapons like a pair of power gloves can electrocute them at close range. Tall grass masks your movements, and you can create decoys and distractions with a variety of grenades.

Meanwhile, getting caught and fighting back is far from a guaranteed game over screen this time around. Death Stranding 2 is an entirely competent third-person shooter when it needs to be, providing satisfying shooting across multiple weapon types.

All-out firefights are mostly reserved for the main missions — though you’re welcome to put an entire enemy base on full alert if you want — which are where you’ll encounter other new hostiles, such as ghost mechs.

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With the improvements Kojima Productions has brought to its overall combat system, it has an experience devoid of dips in quality. You no longer fear enemy camps; instead, they’re an invitation to mix things up and find more loot.

The sequel doesn’t necessarily add more combat encounters; its main focus is still deliveries. However, when you do wander into a BT area or stumble upon a base, you feel vastly better equipped to deal with what’s ahead. Your eyes light up instead of cowering back and skirting the perimeter to avoid contact.

It leaves the title in a place where its entire gameplay loop, and not just the deliveries, is every bit as sublime as its narrative. Switching between cargo drops and battles, then expanding the chiral network for new lore drops and story updates — it’s an outstanding experience. Gameplay and narrative are on equal footing in Death Stranding 2, one just as exceptional as the other.

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The same can be said of its visuals, which set a new graphical benchmark on PS5. At times, the scenery of Mexico and Australia looks like it’s been directly lifted from a real-life David Attenborough nature documentary. It looks exceptional and answers the cries from some PlayStation fans for a title that demonstrates the power of a true next-gen experience.

It’s a step above the rest in all facets: character models appear life-like, both interior and exterior environments dazzle, and cutscene direction remains unique. This is the best-looking game on PS5 so far — bar none.

Quality Mode and Performance Mode are available in the settings, with the former locking in at 30 frames-per-second and the latter doubling up to 60fps. We chose Quality Mode for our PS5 Pro playthrough and didn’t encounter a single noticable frame rate drop throughout our entire time with the game. In testing of the Performance Mode, the frame rate didn’t falter either.

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The technical efforts from Kojima Productions are industry-leading, and the celebrity status of Hideo Kojima allows the creator to attract musicians and voice actors that elevate Death Stranding 2 beyond normal video game means.

It has a knack for introducing new tracks at just the right time, playing songs as you approach the finish line of an order. They feel like just as much of a reward as the Likes and item unlocks from the cargo receiver you’re travelling to.

High-quality voice acting then heightens the cutscenes, matching the tremendous visuals. The newcomers all do fantastic jobs of bringing their characters to life, but the standouts are Elle Fanning as Tomorrow and Luca Marinelli playing Neil. The arcs their characters take are pivotal to the plot, and their performances go a long way to making the more peculiar elements of Death Stranding 2 feel real.

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Perhaps the only disappointment is the lack of any meaningful haptic feedback or adaptive trigger support for the PS5 DualSense controller. It never feels like the game is utilising the pad beyond standard vibration features, and there’s no distinction between weapon types as you press the triggers — they all feel the same to fire.

Conclusion

In what will prove to be one of the defining games of the PS5 generation, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is a profound achievement of design, gameplay, narrative, and visuals. As all four meet in the middle, Kojima Productions has crafted a cinematic spectacle that flawlessly transitions between action and traversal, all wrapped up in the most absorbing of narratives. An immense upgrade on the first game, Death Stranding 2 is an unequivocal masterpiece.

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