00:00Nearly six years after the release of director Hideo Kojima's Death Stranding, we've finally
00:10played the sequel, Death Stranding 2, on the beach. While what we've played was not the
00:16final version of the game, the playable portions demonstrated a density and completeness you
00:20would expect from a final product. Fundamental elements such as movement, dialogue and presentation
00:25are highly integrated, and the intention to expand upon the experience that the first
00:29game delivered was evident throughout.
00:342019's Death Stranding transcended the framework of ordinary video games by metaphorically
00:39depicting cosmology and even anthropology through the act of delivery. It was a game that challenged
00:45the idea of human connection through refreshing gameplay mechanics that fundamentally re-examined
00:49the very act of movement. To me, Death Stranding was an undeniable masterpiece that delivered
00:54a viscous flow of concepts. Now that I've played its sequel for more than thirty hours,
00:59I'm starting to realise that it may have been only the beginning.
01:04Death Stranding 2, on the beach, can be seen as an attempt to take the premises of the first
01:08game to the next level. While taking the player on a journey across the border of the United
01:12Cities of America, its symbolic depiction of connection feels more dynamic, yet less certain,
01:16than its predecessor. What questions will this new journey of legendary delivery man Sam Porter
01:21Bridges bring, and how will they be answered?
01:25In the first game, Sam reconstructed connections between people while uncovering the truth behind
01:29Death Stranding, a mysterious phenomenon that caused disconnection between cities. Through
01:35Sam's journey of delivering supplies, players experienced movement in a way video games had not offered
01:39before, while the story gradually unfolded its views on life, death and cosmological visions.
01:46The setting of Death Stranding 2 moves from the rebuilt UCA to the Mexican border region,
01:51the photorealistic graphics that meticulously depict Mexico's desolate land are nothing short
01:55of impressive. From the texture of the dried surface to faintly rippling sand dust and rocky
02:00mountains in the distance, the game's visuals drew me in right away. Photorealistic modelling
02:05and subtle facial expressions of characters have also largely improved from the first game,
02:09and the art style creates an aesthetic that transcends mere realism, forming a powerful foundation
02:13supporting the game's surrealistic worldview and story. The part that plays in Mexico functions
02:18more or less like a tutorial, not just in terms of gameplay but also story and settings.
02:24While the first game overwhelmed players with numerous terms and settings in its early hours,
02:28Death Stranding 2 is conscious of being accessible even without prior knowledge. The game also offers
02:33a recap mode in novel style as well as a glossary function called corpus, showing careful consideration
02:38for players who have not played the first game, or those who did but found it too complicated.
02:42I feel that the game design of Hideo Kojima's work often comes in three layers. For example,
02:49the Metal Gear series gameplay consists of infiltration, danger and stealth, while its movement can be
02:54divided into walking, crouching and crawling. The same philosophy can also be seen in Death Stranding,
02:59where your Odra Deck scanning device visualises terrain danger levels in three different colours.
03:04Death Stranding 2 follows the same rules. Just like in the original Death Stranding,
03:09once again the player has to manage cargo weight and balance while traversing unstable natural terrain.
03:14Footing must be secured on slopes while the centre of gravity must be controlled
03:17to avoid being swept away in rapid water streams. The risk of cargo damage is present throughout the
03:22process, which makes traversing the world itself a nerve-wracking task. Constructions such as ropes
03:27and ladders can be used to traverse the world more conveniently. These infrastructures go beyond individual
03:32player experiences, as structures installed by other players are shared in the world by the social
03:36strands system. As you make use of ladders and bridges left by someone else, the solitary exercise
03:45of delivery gradually transforms into a more connected and social experience.
03:51In addition to highways, Death Stranding 2 allows the player to construct monorails too,
03:56which makes traversing its world a lot smoother. Highways and monorails require a lot of materials,
04:01forcing the player to utilise the game's minds to gather them. As a result,
04:05establishing trade routes has become more central to gameplay than it was in the first game.
04:10While traversing the world itself has become more convenient, environments have become more
04:14challenging in return. The width of rivers can double due to rainfall, and natural hazards such as
04:19earthquakes and sandstorms can occur. As a new feature, the time of day also changes in real time,
04:26which causes additional challenges for Sam. These natural elements interfere with player actions in
04:30various ways, such as footing collapsing due to flooding and earthquakes, or visibility worsening
04:35in sandstorms and nightfall. The sequel also boasts more room for customisation. The Porter grade
04:42indicates Sam's current proficiency in a more direct way, while skill points can be used to enhance
04:47stats and obtain new abilities. You can specialise in either delivery, movement or combat skills.
04:51This shows that once again, Kojima is utilising three layers of gameplay in which the player can tackle the
04:56game's missions and obstacles. While delivery, movement and combat skills can all be customised,
05:04combat plays a greater role in Death Stranding 2. In the first game, combat was limited, and functioned
05:09merely as a way to secure supplies or to make your way through bases. Death Stranding Director's Cut
05:14already added infiltration missions into mule bases, but Death Stranding 2 builds more varied stages and
05:19systemised combat in the open world, seemingly as an extension of that.
05:22New human enemy forces such as bandits and armed survivalists appear, and their bases are designed
05:30as stages with simple three-dimensional structures. BTs, or creatures that appear due to the Death
05:38Stranding phenomenon, also have new types. Larger BTs with stronger attacks make the combat more
05:43challenging than it was in the first game. Combat has become more tactical as well. By throwing a speaking
05:51doll, called Dollman, you can observe the insides of bases from above to grasp enemy placement and
05:56movement lines. While close combat remains important, remote stealth attacks with the Blood Boomerang,
06:03precision shooting with sniper rifles, and utilising assault rifles and grenade launchers
06:08give the player a multitude of new options. It's even possible to put down Sam's backpack,
06:12allowing for more agile and nimble movement by completely separating him from his cargo. Weight
06:17management directly connects to mobility, which greatly enhances tactical flexibility.
06:25Whether to engage in direct combat, choose stealth, or avoid combat altogether,
06:29freedom of approach has increased when compared to the first game. You can even refund your used
06:33skill points, welcoming trial and error to find the playstyle that suits you best.
06:39As partially revealed in trailers, after a series of dramatic events, Sam will cooperate with
06:44Drawbridge, a civilian company established by Fragile. As the setting moves from Mexico to Australia,
06:50a new journey begins. A mobile base called DHV Magellan, named after the explorer Ferdinand Magellan,
06:56who travelled around the world, functions as a hub for the player. As the name DHV Magellan suggests,
07:01the story steps into themes reminiscent of colonial domination. Furthermore, the rise of a private
07:06political organisation called APAC shows similarities with the PMC depicted in Metal Gear Solid 4.
07:13Since I haven't witnessed the story to its conclusion, it is too early to speculate on how these motifs
07:17will come to fruition in the full game. In Death Stranding, people were isolated and only porters
07:23traversed the dangerous outside world, which many noted seemed to foresee the COVID-19 pandemic.
07:28In Death Stranding 2, the APAC seems to resonate with recent movements of America's doge.
07:33With such eerie points of convergence with reality, I can't help but feel that there is a significance worth
07:38noting in contemporary times regarding how connections will be redefined in Death Stranding 2.
07:45Of particular note is the presence of actor Luca Marinelli, who plays a mysterious man.
07:50Both Marinelli's acting ability and the presentation of scenes he appears in
07:54leave a strong impression. The mystery of who this man is and why he stands in Sam's way
07:59will have players speculating for sure. Marinelli and his character are just as captivating as Mads
08:04Mikkelsen's Cliff was in the first game. One concern I had during my 30 hours with the game
08:08was that I realised that the trailers contain content that delves quite deeply into the main
08:12story, to the extent that a lot of what happened throughout the game I was already somewhat aware
08:16of. Could it be that too much has been given away in the trailers? Or is there a big surprise
08:21awaiting players when Death Stranding 2's full picture is revealed? We can only eagerly await the
08:26game's June 26th release. For more on Death Stranding 2 and everything else to do with games, keep it right
08:35here on IGN.
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