Death Stranding 2: On the Beach Delivers and Daunts

Five years after its mind-bending predecessor, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach dares you to put down distractions for a metaphysical trek across a fractured America. I cleared my schedule, stocked up on snacks and tissues, and plunged back into Kojima’s strange mail-run.

Key Takeaways

• The delivery-hiking-delivery rhythm is tighter and more purposeful.
• New gear and exosuits expand traversal—jump suit mishaps included.
• Worldbuilding deepens with emotional stakes but narrative still demands patience.
• Social Strand system feels richer, though random builds can frustrate.
• Visuals and audio stun, but occasional frame hitches and physics bugs persist.

First Impressions

Booting up on a launch PS5, the familiar melancholic soundtrack and sweeping coastal landscapes hit immediately. The tutorial is minimalist: pick up, balance cargo, walk. Ten minutes in, I was already sliding down a mossy cliff, cursing like it was 2019 all over again. Yet the nostalgia is tempered by subtle shifts—fewer “you are alone” hammer strikes, more quiet moments that let the world breathe.

Gameplay Loop: Carry, Climb, Connect

This sequel smooths out the first game’s slow stretches without removing its unique challenge. On my two-hour trek through a BT-infested ravine, I juggled weight limits, switched gear mid-journey, and improvised a detour when a landslide blocked my path. Tools like the new jump-capable exosuit add vertical puzzle elements—though mistiming a leap still sent me face-first into a creek, cargo and pride soaking wet.

Social Strands and Player-Built Infrastructure

The asynchronous multiplayer returns in subtler form. Ghostly ladders or zip-lines left by strangers feel like small high-fives—until you stumble on one placed in a way you’d never choose. I left a generator on a windy hill and later saw dozens of likes on it, a reminder that this shared world can spark genuine connection. My only gripe: sometimes you want a solo run without someone else’s zip-line rerouting your route.

Narrative: Emotional Punches and Brain Teasers

Kojima’s script is as cryptic and poetic as ever. Early flashbacks and existential monologues set a tone of lingering guilt and hope. Fragile’s return carries real emotional weight in one scene where Sam comforts a stranded survivor using little more than tone and body language. But between those moments lie stretches of heavy-handed symbolism—a beach that literally inverts itself, a lecture on time so dense you’ll need lore videos to follow it all.

Strengths and Weaknesses

• Strengths: Traversal feels more rewarding; side missions include moral choices that reshuffle your world map; the soundtrack nails the mood.
• Weaknesses: Pacing can stall in repetitive geography; boss encounters still lean spectacle over tight combat; abstract detours may alienate players seeking clarity.

Technical Performance

On my early PS5 unit, frame rates held steady through dense rainstorms, though I hit a few physics hiccups—cargo flipping into the void or clipping through rocks. Facial animations are so detailed they border on uncanny. Load times are brief, and minor UI tweaks mean less menu tedium and more time on the trail.

Who Should Play—and Who Should Pass

If you bounced off the first game’s slow pace and surreal storytelling, this won’t change your mind—it’s still a deliberate burn. But if you crave atmosphere, emotional resonance and don’t mind a puzzle wrapped in enigma, On the Beach is a rare treat. For action-first gamers, plenty of other titles deliver instant thrills. Those who once wondered “what if Shenmue got weirder?” will eat this up.

Bottom Line

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is Kojima dialed up to maximum—more refined, more moving, and still thoroughly confounding. It finds new strengths in its delivery loop and side arcs, yet stumbles in pacing and narrative density. I’m 20 hours in and still processing everything I’ve seen. Score: 9/10 for intrepid explorers, 5/10 if you demand conventional thrills.