I was 13 years old and playing this awesome game called Metal Gear Solid on the PS1. It came on 3 discs – 2 for the game and a third with VR missions. I remember the game so fondly even today. The stellar boss battle with Psycho Mantis dropped my jaw as he read my memory card and highlighted the game genres I like and how I didn’t save the game often enough. He dodged my every move until I unplugged the controller and plugged it into the player 2 port, just so Psycho Mantis “couldn’t read my mind” and I could defeat him. Even at 13, I know this was special. It would be a few years before I became a fan of series creator Hideo Kojima, and Metal Gear Solid 3 to this day is my favourite game from the legend himself.
When I played Metal Gear Solid 5 on my PS4, I was in awe of the variety of ways in which a user could tackle the missions. Want to go guns blazing? Sure! Want to sneak through the level without alerting a single guard? Sure. Go ahead! Want to get crazy by tossing a grenade towards an oncoming helicopter and getting your companion to shoot it just in time to damage the chopper? Yes, you can do that too! Metal Gear Solid 5 also introduced time slowdown when an enemy spots you or even the lens flare effect in a variety of cutscenes. When I started playing Death Stranding 2 and experiencing some of the brilliance I first experienced in Metal Gear Solid 5, I knew Kojima was back!
It isn’t that Death Stranding 1 was a bad game; it was slow. There was little combat, and more trekking through a vast landscape delivering orders, and the fact that the game was released during the COVID-19 pandemic hit differently. And now, for the past couple of weeks, I’ve been knee-deep in Death Stranding 2. While I am yet to roll credits on the story, this is one adventure that I enjoyed embarking on.
Here is the short review: If you liked Death Stranding 1 (or even Death Stranding Director’s Cut), then you will enjoy Death Stranding 2. If you liked any of the past Metal Gear Games (excluding Revengence), then you will enjoy Death Stranding 2. If you are a fan of Kojima’s crazy storytelling style, which deals with real-world topics in an over-the-top fashion, then you will love Death Stranding 2. It is truly a stunning work of art.
Table of Contents
Story
The story of Death Stranding 1 was about connecting a world that was divided by a disaster called the Death Stranding. Here is a good video to watch if you want to catch up on the events of the first game. Death Stranding 2: On the Beach begins 11 months after the events of the first game, with Sam Porter Bridges (the lead protagonist played by Norman Reedus) and his baby, Lou, living the simple life in Mexico. Your old friend Fragile asks you to “reconnect” Mexico as you did for the USA, and as usual, things don’t go according to plan. While I won’t spoil the story here, know that the bulk of the game takes place in Australia. I won’t even begin to try and explain the nuances of the story including things like “The Beach”, the BT’,s how Higs is back as the main villain and why he has an awesome guitar, but the game explores a lot of personal themes, including loss, regret, being misunderstood and more. It is a good story, and the fact that the lore is available to you at the tap of a button makes some of the more complex subject matter easier to digest.
A particularly touching story comes from a character called Rainy and how she was an outcast because wherever she went, Timefall (the rain in the game that ages everything rapidly) followed. However, she has the power to de-age the things around her at a radius of 1.5 meters. It is a small thing, but it tugs at the heartstrings of those who have experienced being misunderstood and the expense of people’s own beliefs.
Overall, the story is great and one I won’t delve into too much, as the twists and turns are worth the experience.
Gameplay
The gameplay is where the game has evolved the most. While the game is still a walking simulator where you are delivering packages like an Amazon delivery agent, there is more moment-to-moment action that makes each byte-sized delivery more enjoyable.
The content of Australia is divided into different areas – from open deserts to lush forests, tar-filled strips, rivers to cross, and even a snow-capped mountain. The diversity in terrain is also a testament to the game’s visuals (more on that later).
Death Stranding 2 is a third-person action-adventure game where you make deliveries from one point to the next and “link” each delivery location. You have a base of operation called the DHV Magellan, and as you link each new area of the map you link, this mobile base of operation moves with you.
The rate at which new equipment is unlocked is also very frequent, keeping the gameplay elements fresh. You unlock vehicles quite early on in the game, and after unlocking vehicles, there were only a handful of deliveries I made without resorting to them. Just like DS1, you can spend resources to build roads, bridges, and this time around, a very cool monorail to get around the map more easily. The only downside is that for most of my playthrough, I had server issues to couldn’t connect online, leading me to have a more “offline” experience of building the world. Hopeful that will change post-launch.
The gunplay in the game also kicks off fairly soon, and your arsenal quickly grows from a simple pistol and assault rifle to a sniper rifle that packs quite the punch, to shotguns, grenades, a decoy (similar to MGS V), a bomb that creates some fake cover and a whole lot more. The gameplay is just that much more fun and engaging with each delivery, and apart from a few backtracking missions where fast travel wasn’t available, the pace of the game is excellent.
You will, of course, sneak past the supernatural elements of the game called BTs, and encountering one of them can either lead to a voidout or you having to take on a mini-boss battle.
Speaking of boss battles, they are some of the best. The first boss, which is the only one I’ll talk about here, is an 8-tentacled robot. You need to take out its weak points, and the boss fight is very reminiscent of the Raven boss fight from MGS 1.
While you meet a host of characters throughout your journey, you have a constant companion in the form of Doll Man, a little puppet doll who hangs around your waist, akin to Mimir from God of War. While he isn’t as witty or lore-filled as Mimir, he is a companion you can toss into the air to recon an area before you delve in.
Overall, the core gameplay loop is a lot of fun, and while the inventory management is still annoying for me, it’s something I can live with in the grand scheme of things.
Graphics and sound
Visually stunning is the first thing that will come to mind when you boot up the game. The opening level in Mexico to the sandstorm desert in Australia, and even the starlit sky, all look stunning. The game is also one of the better HDR representations I’ve seen. Playing the game on my LG B9 OLED TV was a stunning experience. There are some sequences where you have a boss fight with Neil (played by Luca Marinelli), which look breathtaking. The first fight takes place in a dark arena lit by firecrackers all around, and the contrast, along with the highlights, looks nothing short of cinematic.
Even the direction of the cutscenes looks like they were directed for Hollywood, and a special mention to the performance of Troy Baker as Higgs, the antagonist. You really hate him in the game, and he invokes the right emotions all with his fancy red guitar!
The game has a performance mode and a quality mode, and I played the game using the performance mode and noticed no real issues. But the pixel peepers may want to check out Digital Foundry‘s review of the game.
Sound design is another place where the game shines. From the stellar voice acting with legends like George Miller making and appearance as well as Guillermo Del Toro reprising his role in the game as Dead Man, the voice acting and the overall performances of the characters sucks you into this over the top story.
Not to mention the soundtracks by Woodkid, which hit the right tunes during the journey. Sure, the opening of DS1 with Low Roar – Don’t Be So Serious is still my favourite, but DS2 has its moments too!
Verdict
I liked Death Stranding 1, but I love Death Stranding 2 simply because the moment-to-moment gameplay loop is engaging, and the story this time around feels more polished. It has a great cast of characters and is a visually stunning masterpiece. While there are some inventory management issues and a bit of backtracking that feels like slight bloat, the overall package will keep you hooked till the credits roll!
Editor’s Rating – 8.5/10
Pros
- Stunning visuals
- Immersive sound
- Great moment-to-moment gameplay
- Weapons and perks unlock at a steady pace to keep things fresh
Cons
- Some backtracking and filler delivery missions
- Inventory management on the go can get a bit irritating
Developer: Kojima Productions
Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment
Platforms: PlayStation 5 (PS5)
Reviewed on: PlayStation 5
