Death Stranding, published in 2019, was Hideo Kojima's first solo project, visionary video game designer known for having created the saga Metal GearAfter a long career at Konami, he founded his own studio, Kojima Productions, based in Tokyo. Now, in his second collaboration with Sony, he presents Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, a sequel with which he aims to consolidate his path as an independent creator. The game, one of the year's standout releases under the PlayStation Studios banner, arrives exclusively for PS5 on Thursday, June 26. In this article, we review the key details without spoilers.
The sequel begins eleven months after the events of the first game.SIE
On the Beach woman continuity in the captivating story of Death Stranding, set in its characteristic and disturbing science fiction universe. Like its predecessor, it's an open-world action-adventure game where the player must deliver supplies to isolated communities, keeping the network of human connections alive. Despite seeming like a simple and mechanical task, the challenge takes on another dimension in an environment full of adversities: enemies—both human and supernatural—and a hostile and unforgiving terrain. The game also invites you to explore this post-apocalyptic world and unravel a dense narrative, articulated through emotionally charged characters and deep stories.
"Should we connect?"
Hideo Kojima began writing the sequel around the release of the first game, but the impact of the pandemic led him to rewrite it almost from scratch. It's telling that Death Stranding, published months before the global outbreak of COVID, already presented a world where people live confined and isolated, exactly as it happened all over the world. On the Beach It picks up on the consequences of the connection established in the first title, eleven months later, and questions whether that union between the United Cities of America was actually a good idea. This raises a question that looms throughout the game: "Should we have connected?"
The new landscapes are more varied and quite different from those in 'Death Stranding'.SIE
It makes sense to address the issue of connection in a title that revives the original's innovative asynchronous multiplayer mode. In a game that is primarily single-player, this system allows for indirect interaction with other people's actions, such as using the structures they've built, following the routes they've taken, or following the signs they've left along the way. This social system enriches the experience and makes navigating the environment easier, uniting players around the world and encouraging a desire to help one another. The idea of leaving a mark in this digital world, steeped in empathy and shunning the prevailing competitiveness of video games, is evocative. Perhaps this is also Kojima's message for our real world.
A sequel with more action
One of the most criticized aspects of the original title was the lack of action and its unpolished controls, although it was partially improved in the version Death Stranding Director's Cut This sequel takes this to the next level, promising greater dynamism and flexibility when facing hostile situations. Players can opt for head-on combat, stealthy infiltration, or strategic evasion, taking on more challenging routes. New infrastructure and specialized equipment allow for greater versatility in the world, reinforcing this balance between action and strategy.
Sinister supernatural enemies, called BTs, will once again be one of Sam's obstacles.SIE
Another of the great novelties ofOn the Beach is the incorporation of natural disasters, which will test the protagonist's abilities. The new settings, which extend across unexplored places in Mexico and Australia, are home to earthquakes, sandstorms, and forest fires, which add to the dangerous and unique rain already present in the universe of Death StrandingThe new day-night cycle accentuates the aesthetic beauty of the pools and reinforces the connection with the landscape, especially in those cathartic moments when the soundtrack takes center stage.
In short, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach improves in almost every aspect compared to its predecessor, from narrative ambition to graphic spectacularity and technical fidelity, thanks also to the fact that it is published exclusively for the PlayStation 5. The duration of the title, if the player also explores some content parallel to the main story, can easily oscillate between 50. While the sequel can be approached without having played the first installment, it is highly recommended to have familiarized yourself with its universe, narrative and mechanics. Death Stranding 2: On the Beach It is released exclusively for PS5 on June 26, although it is not ruled out that it will arrive on PC later, as happened with the original.
The sequel features new mysterious antagonists.SIE
Kojima, between video games and cinema
Hideo Kojima has always been a fervent admirer of cinema, and much of his creativity draws directly from the influences of renowned directors and cult films. He was a pioneer in incorporating narrative elements and formal resources from cinematic language into video games, as he demonstrated in the Metal Gear saga. Years later, the creative director continues to delve into this hybridization of media, thanks to his reputation and current technological possibilities, which allow performers to be reproduced with almost photographic fidelity. Kojima works closely with leading names in the world of cinema to endow his games with a strong dramatic and expressive charge.
Death Stranding 2 brings back a good part of the original cast, including Norman Reedus (Sam Porter Bridges), Léa Seydoux (Fragile), and Troy Baker (Higgs), but also incorporates new faces such as Elle Fanning (Tomorrow), Shioli Kutsuna (Rainy), and Luca Marinelli (Neil). The game features performances by other notable names such as Australian filmmaker George Miller (Tarman), German director Fatih Akin (Dollman), and Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn (Heartman), who reprises his role from the first game. This commitment to prestigious casting is no coincidence: many of the supporting characters are also played by figures from the audiovisual world, many of them close to Kojima's circle of friends or regular collaborators.
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