We Played Death Stranding 2 for 30 Hours

7Id Entertainment

#IGN #Gaming #DeathStranding2 Death Stranding 2: On the Beach can be seen as an attempt to take the premises of the first game to the next level. And now that we’ve played its sequel for more than 30 hours at a special press event at Kojima Productions’ Tokyo office, we are starting to realize that it may have been only the beginning. Previewed by Koji Fukuyama  #IGN #Gaming #DeathStranding2

Transcript

00:00Nearly six years after the release of director Hideo Kojima's Death Stranding, we've finally

00:10played the sequel, Death Stranding 2, on the beach. While what we've played was not the

00:16final version of the game, the playable portions demonstrated a density and completeness you

00:20would expect from a final product. Fundamental elements such as movement, dialogue and presentation

00:25are highly integrated, and the intention to expand upon the experience that the first

00:29game delivered was evident throughout.

00:342019's Death Stranding transcended the framework of ordinary video games by metaphorically

00:39depicting cosmology and even anthropology through the act of delivery. It was a game that challenged

00:45the idea of human connection through refreshing gameplay mechanics that fundamentally re-examined

00:49the very act of movement. To me, Death Stranding was an undeniable masterpiece that delivered

00:54a viscous flow of concepts. Now that I've played its sequel for more than thirty hours,

00:59I'm starting to realise that it may have been only the beginning.

01:04Death Stranding 2, on the beach, can be seen as an attempt to take the premises of the first

01:08game to the next level. While taking the player on a journey across the border of the United

01:12Cities of America, its symbolic depiction of connection feels more dynamic, yet less certain,

01:16than its predecessor. What questions will this new journey of legendary delivery man Sam Porter

01:21Bridges bring, and how will they be answered?

01:25In the first game, Sam reconstructed connections between people while uncovering the truth behind

01:29Death Stranding, a mysterious phenomenon that caused disconnection between cities. Through

01:35Sam's journey of delivering supplies, players experienced movement in a way video games had not offered

01:39before, while the story gradually unfolded its views on life, death and cosmological visions.

01:46The setting of Death Stranding 2 moves from the rebuilt UCA to the Mexican border region,

01:51the photorealistic graphics that meticulously depict Mexico's desolate land are nothing short

01:55of impressive. From the texture of the dried surface to faintly rippling sand dust and rocky

02:00mountains in the distance, the game's visuals drew me in right away. Photorealistic modelling

02:05and subtle facial expressions of characters have also largely improved from the first game,

02:09and the art style creates an aesthetic that transcends mere realism, forming a powerful foundation

02:13supporting the game's surrealistic worldview and story. The part that plays in Mexico functions

02:18more or less like a tutorial, not just in terms of gameplay but also story and settings.

02:24While the first game overwhelmed players with numerous terms and settings in its early hours,

02:28Death Stranding 2 is conscious of being accessible even without prior knowledge. The game also offers

02:33a recap mode in novel style as well as a glossary function called corpus, showing careful consideration

02:38for players who have not played the first game, or those who did but found it too complicated.

02:42I feel that the game design of Hideo Kojima's work often comes in three layers. For example,

02:49the Metal Gear series gameplay consists of infiltration, danger and stealth, while its movement can be

02:54divided into walking, crouching and crawling. The same philosophy can also be seen in Death Stranding,

02:59where your Odra Deck scanning device visualises terrain danger levels in three different colours.

03:04Death Stranding 2 follows the same rules. Just like in the original Death Stranding,

03:09once again the player has to manage cargo weight and balance while traversing unstable natural terrain.

03:14Footing must be secured on slopes while the centre of gravity must be controlled

03:17to avoid being swept away in rapid water streams. The risk of cargo damage is present throughout the

03:22process, which makes traversing the world itself a nerve-wracking task. Constructions such as ropes

03:27and ladders can be used to traverse the world more conveniently. These infrastructures go beyond individual

03:32player experiences, as structures installed by other players are shared in the world by the social

03:36strands system. As you make use of ladders and bridges left by someone else, the solitary exercise

03:45of delivery gradually transforms into a more connected and social experience.

03:51In addition to highways, Death Stranding 2 allows the player to construct monorails too,

03:56which makes traversing its world a lot smoother. Highways and monorails require a lot of materials,

04:01forcing the player to utilise the game's minds to gather them. As a result,

04:05establishing trade routes has become more central to gameplay than it was in the first game.

04:10While traversing the world itself has become more convenient, environments have become more

04:14challenging in return. The width of rivers can double due to rainfall, and natural hazards such as

04:19earthquakes and sandstorms can occur. As a new feature, the time of day also changes in real time,

04:26which causes additional challenges for Sam. These natural elements interfere with player actions in

04:30various ways, such as footing collapsing due to flooding and earthquakes, or visibility worsening

04:35in sandstorms and nightfall. The sequel also boasts more room for customisation. The Porter grade

04:42indicates Sam's current proficiency in a more direct way, while skill points can be used to enhance

04:47stats and obtain new abilities. You can specialise in either delivery, movement or combat skills.

04:51This shows that once again, Kojima is utilising three layers of gameplay in which the player can tackle the

04:56game's missions and obstacles. While delivery, movement and combat skills can all be customised,

05:04combat plays a greater role in Death Stranding 2. In the first game, combat was limited, and functioned

05:09merely as a way to secure supplies or to make your way through bases. Death Stranding Director's Cut

05:14already added infiltration missions into mule bases, but Death Stranding 2 builds more varied stages and

05:19systemised combat in the open world, seemingly as an extension of that.

05:22New human enemy forces such as bandits and armed survivalists appear, and their bases are designed

05:30as stages with simple three-dimensional structures. BTs, or creatures that appear due to the Death

05:38Stranding phenomenon, also have new types. Larger BTs with stronger attacks make the combat more

05:43challenging than it was in the first game. Combat has become more tactical as well. By throwing a speaking

05:51doll, called Dollman, you can observe the insides of bases from above to grasp enemy placement and

05:56movement lines. While close combat remains important, remote stealth attacks with the Blood Boomerang,

06:03precision shooting with sniper rifles, and utilising assault rifles and grenade launchers

06:08give the player a multitude of new options. It's even possible to put down Sam's backpack,

06:12allowing for more agile and nimble movement by completely separating him from his cargo. Weight

06:17management directly connects to mobility, which greatly enhances tactical flexibility.

06:25Whether to engage in direct combat, choose stealth, or avoid combat altogether,

06:29freedom of approach has increased when compared to the first game. You can even refund your used

06:33skill points, welcoming trial and error to find the playstyle that suits you best.

06:39As partially revealed in trailers, after a series of dramatic events, Sam will cooperate with

06:44Drawbridge, a civilian company established by Fragile. As the setting moves from Mexico to Australia,

06:50a new journey begins. A mobile base called DHV Magellan, named after the explorer Ferdinand Magellan,

06:56who travelled around the world, functions as a hub for the player. As the name DHV Magellan suggests,

07:01the story steps into themes reminiscent of colonial domination. Furthermore, the rise of a private

07:06political organisation called APAC shows similarities with the PMC depicted in Metal Gear Solid 4.

07:13Since I haven't witnessed the story to its conclusion, it is too early to speculate on how these motifs

07:17will come to fruition in the full game. In Death Stranding, people were isolated and only porters

07:23traversed the dangerous outside world, which many noted seemed to foresee the COVID-19 pandemic.

07:28In Death Stranding 2, the APAC seems to resonate with recent movements of America's doge.

07:33With such eerie points of convergence with reality, I can't help but feel that there is a significance worth

07:38noting in contemporary times regarding how connections will be redefined in Death Stranding 2.

07:45Of particular note is the presence of actor Luca Marinelli, who plays a mysterious man.

07:50Both Marinelli's acting ability and the presentation of scenes he appears in

07:54leave a strong impression. The mystery of who this man is and why he stands in Sam's way

07:59will have players speculating for sure. Marinelli and his character are just as captivating as Mads

08:04Mikkelsen's Cliff was in the first game. One concern I had during my 30 hours with the game

08:08was that I realised that the trailers contain content that delves quite deeply into the main

08:12story, to the extent that a lot of what happened throughout the game I was already somewhat aware

08:16of. Could it be that too much has been given away in the trailers? Or is there a big surprise

08:21awaiting players when Death Stranding 2's full picture is revealed? We can only eagerly await the

08:26game's June 26th release. For more on Death Stranding 2 and everything else to do with games, keep it right

08:35here on IGN.

Category

Transcript

Recommended