Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, impressions of a game where Kojima has lost “the touch”

Hideo Kojima has been considered by many as one of the greatest designers and directors of video games, marking a before and after in the industry thanks to the Metal Gear series. I also thought so when I played Death Stranding, because his vision -to a certain extent, “prophetic”- made us reflect on the importance of logistics during the pandemic. It even made us appreciate the work of Uber Eats delivery drivers. As someone from that world, I appreciated it a lot: it seemed like an artistic ode that also taught you the importance of traveling light. But now, with Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, and in a year when titles like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 have showcased new voices full of talent and creative risk, I’m starting to wonder if Kojima has lost “his touch”.

Even going back to the note where he said: “I’m going to be very honest, we have been testing the game with players and the results are too good. They like it too much. That means something is wrong; we have to change something.” This is where it made me hesitate, because thanks to a code provided by the local PlayStation pre-release office, I wondered what had changed? Because after more than 40 hours of gameplay, I saw more of the same, a copy and paste in the gameplay that evolved little or nothing. To the extent that I couldn’t take it anymore (taking as a reference that I am passionate about logistics) and I ended up becoming a creator of roads, highways, and structures within the game, because to be honest, the story lost me around the 30th hour.

What is Death Stranding 2: On the Beach?

This “new” installment of Kojima is a title that only some fans of the first one will love, especially because the dynamics of the gameplay is exactly the same, even with the same animations. Of course, there are new sections, such as a sort of perks and some objects or routes that were not in the first installment, and that “facilitate” the transportation of materials or shipments. But in essence, it’s the same, a back and forth where you have to plan your routes well, if you don’t want to take too many turns, although I do want to say that, even so, you will take them.

The story, in order not to generate spoilers (although it is difficult to generate them because of the endless entanglements, new characters and so on), is a direct sequel to the previous title where Sam reappears to get out of an exile that only those who finished the first game will understand, but they can catch up thanks to a summary that integrates. Throughout the 40 hours I played, I can assure you that the first climactic moment came at hour 20 in a sort of Metal Gear-like dimension, where even the gameplay is similar.

And around the 30th hour, an important character appears that gives an interesting nuance to the plot, which tries to make us understand what “the beach” is, and above all the importance of Lou (BB), but little by little. Some of the characters from the previous game will reappear, and the new ones add complexity to the story, but more of them seem to be a kind of pretext to justify the presence of Hollywood personalities in the game than for their weight.

Visually, the game is spectacular. The optimization for 4K on a standard PlayStation 5 at 30 FPS is remarkable. On the Beach has that level of realism that invites you to walk through its world. The rain, now reinterpreted along with the VPs, generates a discomfort worthy of horror movies.

The sound is majestic. Whether with headphones or a surround system, the experience is almost perfect. Of course, much of the sound design is recycled from the first game, including the effects. The Latin Spanish dubbing is one of the best I’ve heard: it perfectly conveys the emotional intention of each character.

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach impressions

In a year in which games like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 or Split Fiction show the hopeful side of the industry, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach feels like too conservative a gamble. Kojima has delivered a game that innovates little to nothing in gameplay, relying on a surreal story that takes more than 20 hours to get off the ground. It has outstanding graphics, impeccable sound, and interesting moments, but at this point, it is clear that this is not enough.

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