There are two types of people in this world: Those who loved 2019’s Death Stranding and those who absolutely detested it. I don’t believe anyone who thought it was ‘just alright’ or ‘not bad’ exists, and you won’t convince me otherwise. Personally, I found myself in the latter category: I was frequently frustrated by the balancing act, quite literally, of lugging around ludicrous amounts of cargo and trying to stay ‘alive’ (anyone who knows anything about the game knows protagonist Sam Porter Bridges can’t be killed in the conventional sense).
I also found myself drifting in and out of the odd story full of in-world jargon, acronyms and convoluted backstory. Something about it just didn’t fit together seamlessly. Or maybe it was just my mind revolting against something it was struggling to wholly grasp. I was extremely enthusiastic about the premise (enough to preorder it) and the game was extremely polished, but it lost me with its overall execution. Bottom line: I ended up not caring too much for it, and had my expectations dashed. I was chastened enough by the experience not to get my hopes up too frequently and to preorder stuff even less often.
However, with the sequel on the horizon (June 26)…
For those not in the know (as if anyone like that exists), the original Death Stranding is the story of a post-apocalyptic USA, where players take on the role of Sam, a porter tasked with reconnecting isolated cities through perilous deliveries, all while navigating supernatural threats. The game attempts to explore themes of connection, loss, and hope, using a blend of exploration and social mechanics to deliver a unique (whether good or bad unique, that’s upto you) storytelling experience.
And now we’re all caught up. So, a new preorder trailer for Death Stranding 2: On the Beach was launched at SXSW on Sunday during a panel discussion featuring Hideo Kojima, actors Troy Baker and Norman Reedus, and musician Woodkid, and it certainly piqued my curiosity. It had been teased in previous trailers that the sandbox was going to be thrown wide open, and that Sam would be travelling the world to make connections. Go on, check out the trailer. We’ve got time.
You enjoyed that Solid Snake reference, didn’t you? Me too. In fact, there’s so much going on in that trailer (coupled with what had been showcased in the announcement trailer), that as suggested by Michael Scott above, I’m more than willing to get my hopes up one more time. And there are a few reasons for this. For starters, it’s the increased scope and the greater variety of terrains on offer. Despite my overall disillusionment with the game, one area in which it absolutely excelled was the way it looked. And a large part of that was the terrains and environments. As much as I may have detested making my way up snow-clad mountains, I did enjoy gazing upon them from up on high. As depicted in the trailer, there’s a lot more in terms of gorgeous vistas to look forward to.
Then there’s Higgs Monaghan, the character voiced and mo-capped by Baker. While I felt his initially excellent story arc seemed to fizzle out by the later stages of Death Stranding, I’m intrigued by his role in the upcoming sequel. New mask, new attitude and hell, even a new red outfit — if his part in the new game is anything like it was in the first half of the original, it’ll alone be worth the price of entry. Next, there’s the way Sam is moving away from the ‘lone ranger’ archetype and, as revealed at SXSW, becoming part of a team. Each member, as Reedus pointed out, aboard the ship DHV Magellan brings their own skill set to complement Sam’s own abilities. I’m very curious to see how this shakes out.
And finally, there are the themes and premise touched upon in the trailer. Whether that’s the real-world commentary on environmental degradation or the American love affair with fire arms that was teased, or the ominous ‘We Should Not Have Connected’ emblazoned across the screen towards the end, there’s a lot of interesting stuff going on. Will Sam have to unmake the bridges (metaphorical and otherwise) he built the last time around? Will the Solid Snake-esque Neil (played by Luca Marinelli) be cut from the same cloth as Mads Mikkelsen’s Clifford Unger? Or will he bring something entirely new to the table? And finally, what’s going on between Sam and Fragile (played by Léa Seydoux)? Also, the new tech looks great, whether that’s the seemingly rainproof bridges, the monorail-looking things or the Magellan Man, a huge tar-like creature fused with the ship.
But as always, it’s not all milk and honey because there are some major concerns. Principal among these is the handling of the story. Some Kojima games tend to spin out and lose control in the updraft of their own lore, backstory, and quirks. I saw that happen with Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain and Death Stranding itself, and it’s a not-inconsiderable worry this time around too. Also, we’ve got to factor in the number of moving parts that are going to need to be juggled, both from a story and gameplay perspective. And finally, there’s the very real risk that, much like it’s predecessor, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach just won’t be all that fun in the final analysis.
The good news is that there isn’t long to go until we find out. The bad news (the jury’s still out) is that I’m riding on the Kojima hype train once more. Damnit!
