When Death Stranding first released, it was generally pretty well-received but it got criticized for being too much of a walking simulator without a ton of action. Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is going to change that, as evidenced by all of the action-packed trailers we’ve seen so far.
In an interview with Edge Magazine — the same one where he talks about that famed USB stick — game creator and director Hideo Kojima explains why Death Stranding 2 will be more combat-focused.
“I have a ‘stick and the rope’ theory. So many games are just about the stick. Even in games where you’re connected to each other online, everyone’s just battling with the stick,” Kojima says. “In Death Stranding, I wanted to make a game that was all about the rope.”
By “rope”, Kojima means that he wanted Death Stranding to be about the connection. That ties that bind players together.
With Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, Kojima states that “the sequel balances the stick and the rope.” The sequel will still have a large focus on connection, but Kojima hopes to strike a better balance between connecting and combat.
It’ll be interesting to see how this gets executed in-game though. In Death Stranding lore, dead bodies are very bad news. They explode, leaving a huge crater in their wake, which can really devastate the world. So if combat’s going to happen a lot more frequently in On the Beach, how is that going to impact the continent? Are there going to be a whole lot more craters around?
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is a direct sequel to the first game. Actor Norman Reedus reprises his role as Sam, who must know travel across Mexico and Australia to reunite the continent once more. Lea Seydoux also reprises her role as Fragile, and trailers have teased the return of Higgs, played by Troy Baker.
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is set to be released on PS5 on June 26.
