Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is right around the corner, and will undoubtedly be one of the most talked about games of the year for a variety of reasons. Firstly, we just don’t get massive games as often as we used to (though, as a makeweight, they have become even more massive), so triple-A tentpoles get a lot of oxygen. Secondly, it’s Kojima. If it’s even rumoured he’s involved with a video game (possibly one that turns out not to be a video game or anything at all), it’s national news, at least for the Gamer Nation.
But there’s also something very specific about Death Stranding 2, if the previous game is any indication. Death Stranding is a highly indulgent video game. Though the descriptor is usually a criticism, I think Kojima himself would agree. It indulges in all the creative expression Kojima had to battle for with Konami, and had to wedge into the existing (and exceedingly complex) framework of Metal Gear Solid. It’s Kojima at his most Kojima. For a lot of people, that means one thing, and one thing only: Death Stranding sux.
Kojima’s Style Is Not For Everyone, But It Can Still Be For You
These people aren’t wrong, per se. Kojima’s style can be an acquired taste, and requires a leap of faith. There are going to be very stupid charactonyms, the plot will twist and fade away and sometimes seem to barely work at all, while some of the lines will land with the thud of an anvil. Being hit by a wrecking ball. On Jupiter. If you’re looking for things to dislike about Death Stranding 2, you’ve found them before you even start.
But that’s key – if you’re looking for them. Death Stranding is not for everyone. It’s not intended to be. You could argue it’s not for anyone at all, but is made by Kojima, for Kojima. I have my issues with accrediting massive triple-A games to the mind of a single auteur, but I also believe Kojima has more influence over his projects than any other developer working today. However it’s sliced, this is a Kojima game.
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And that will be a sticking point. People will play this game on the lookout for a stupid name, then will find one and hold it up as a tribal trophy, a scalp of war held aloft as if to prove you were on the right side of history. And fans of the game, actual fans who are here to embrace the game, will not care that the man who sells you a new hat is called Billy Hatsellman. They’ll be having a much better time than those forcing themselves through a victory dance for an empty audience.
Will some of those people also be lying to convince you that they ‘get’ it? Absolutely! Everyone on this planet besides me is annoying and wrong about all things. But wanting to understand art is far more virtuous than wanting to outsmart it. Trust me, I have played both sides of this field. Truth be told, I find a lot of Kojima’s style grating. Death Stranding 2 is not amongst my most anticipated games this year. But when I play it, my mind, eyes, and heart will be open. It’s the only way to be.
Wanting To Enjoy A Game Is More Fun Than Being Proven Right About Not Enjoying One
I’ve experienced this before with Tears of the Kingdom. I didn’t like Breath of the Wild. Across two separate, fairly spaced out, ten-hour playthroughs of the game, I ran off in different directions, explored freely, and let the colours of the wind take me wherever the will of the wilderness decided I was supposed to go. I waited and waited for something to click, and it never did. But I can earnestly say I tried. I’m not sure I can make that claim about Tears of the Kingdom.
I played Tears of the Kingdom not expecting to like it. Some of this was a justified expectation – in reusing the map (admittedly with more layers), continuing the story, and maintaining the same art style and design philosophy, Tears of the Kingdom told you it was just Breath of the Wild, again. Part of it was also my job here – naturally, a lot of people at TheGamer loved Tears of the Kingdom, so as someone unconvinced, there was a lot of space for me to dig into precisely why I didn’t like it and explore those elements, when playing as a regular gamer I would have just ignored them or abandoned the game completely.
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Would I have ever loved Tears of the Kingdom? Probably not. Would I have had a better time with it if I went into it hoping to, instead of expecting not to, instead of looking for loose stones to stub my toe on just so I could hold my swollen foot aloft as proof positive that I was right all along? Almost certainly. And that is how people will play Death Stranding 2 – having already made up their mind, seeking evidence that fits their hypothesis rather than arriving at a hypothesis after examining all the evidence.
I don’t know how I’ll feel about Death Stranding 2. I don’t know how you’ll feel about Death Stranding 2 either. But both of us, all of us here together, will have a better time with it if we surrender that superiority complex that tells us this will be another Kojima flavoured bucket of slop that posers will slurp down and pretend is haute cuisine. Maybe if we let go of ourselves enough to stick our snouts in there with them, we’ll discover they were right all along. If not, at least we’ll be able to say we tried.
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
4.5/5
- Released
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June 26, 2025
- ESRB
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Mature 17+ // Violence, Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Strong Language
- Publisher(s)
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Sony Interactive Entertainment
- Engine
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Decima
- Franchise
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Death Stranding
- Number of Players
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Single-player
