Review: Death Stranding 2 Walks a Familiar Path

I adored the story Kojima Productions told in Death Stranding. I feel like we saw real development for heroes and antagonists alike. Even if people didn’t appear frequently, they felt well realized and like we got to know them. As a whole, it felt poignant and fresh. The journey ended up being satisfying! I loved the lore! Yet most of the time, the narrative in Death Stranding 2: On the Beach let me down. The initial hours seemed fantastic. I loved the idea of Fragile approaching Sam for this “one last job,” the journey across parts of Mexico felt satisfying, and all of the development in those moments felt completely in-character for everyone. It made sense! This continued into the first leg of the journey to Australia.

However, I felt like things fell apart in so many ways after that. I’m going to be intentionally vague here, for the sake of avoiding spoilers. I loved the new members of the cast, such as Charlie, Rainy, and Tarman, but felt they were underutilized. Given how closely Sam worked with them, I suppose I expected more opportunities to get to know folks like Tomorrow. In the case of some other characters, it felt like Kojima Productions wiped away progress or established details in Death Stranding for the sake of either putting them close to square one or in a position where they “needed” to be for Death Stranding 2: On the Beach. I thought Morgana telling Joker to constantly head to bed in Persona 5 felt frustrating, but Dollman telling me to take a shower whenever I talk to him is even more annoying. The story seemed much more predictable than the original too! This isn’t to say I didn’t have moments I loved. There are some supremely silly and awesome segments, and I’ll admit two plot twists did surprise me. Two of my favorite characters from the original game are handled well too.

It is a shame the story does end up hitting familiar and expected beats, since I do appreciate so many of the new delivery options and opportunities. As usual, we can take on main orders during the campaign at designated spots, help with side orders found at certain hubs or prepper homes, and pick up packages found as we cross the country to complete deliveries that, for some reason, didn’t happen. A new addition involves rescuing animals in the outback after a certain point in the campaign. We still are limited to only seeing a brief description of what items in packages are, aside from a few situations in which it’s made more obvious what we’re delivering, but it works really well! The soundtrack is amazing again, and it’s a joy to listen to when walking or driving in Chiral Network-connected spaces.

I feel more options for getting deliveries done came up at a better pace in Death Stranding 2: On the Beach too. Many return from the first game. We have “bikes” early on, then the four-wheel pick-ups. Floating carts can be towed behind us. Different skeletons can be equipped to increase our stability, strength, or stamina, just like before. We can build ziplines, bridges, and roads. Monorails even come up at specific points. While walking is always an option, there’s a degree of variety and accessibility I appreciated with the other methods and enhancements offered in this sequel. If you are getting frustrated, the new fast travel options end up being a time saver (when available). Connecting preppers who aren’t on your scheduled route feels worthwhile, due to the bonuses you get for taking the time to meet them. The new cryptobiote options come in handy. The option to use passive skills if you get enough memory and unlock nodes with new abilities is quite a boon too. I especially loved the ones regarding weather!

That’s because I felt weather is only element that provides a “challenge” when on deliveries for most of the campaign in Death Stranding 2: On the Beach. There can be devastating windstorms that wear down your stamina and keep you from seeing Sam’s hand in front of his face. These are so dangerous that even using the Odradek to scan the terrain and use route planning to set a tentative path to follow become little to no help. Surging currents at rivers make those even more daunting, and I’d get genuinely mad when I realized I didn’t help contribute to bridge maintenance to protect them during storms. (I got especially mad if I had delicate cargo!) Earthquakes can make you lose your footing or damage cargo if you don’t brace yourself when you get a warning. The elements wearing down Sam’s stamina in certain spots can be a real issue too. I genuinely tried to avoid certain paths and conditions, since they could be so bad. At the same time, there’s also a haunting beauty to these extreme situations. We’re witnessing disasters in these storms, but it’s so pretty to watch at a distance.

Yet due to the execution of certain elements, combat and BTs no longer feel like they posed the same threat in Death Stranding 2: On the Beach as in Death Stranding for much of the experience. BTs are present in certain locations and can be dangerous! However, Sam’s DOOMs level in this entry, when paired with the varied arsenal available, made me felt more equipped to wipe them out when I did happen upon these spots. I’d only avoid them if I had especially sensitive cargo. The brigands that appear would be an issue… if we weren’t constantly using less-than-lethal force. As such, there’s no need to worry about Voidouts due to accidental deaths or trips to incinerators to properly dispose of bodies during the campaign. I actively ran bad guys over with my cars whenever possible, since the NPCs will swarm you, end up all clumped together in front of a four-wheel pick-up or bike, and there are no consequences to wiping them out in that incredibly efficient manner.  This doesn’t mean BT encounters and times when Sam needs to get tough with opponents aren’t satisfying or entertaining. I just didn’t feel afraid in the way I did when happening upon a bad storm in an area with uncertain footing. The gravitas of those situations from the original Death Stranding often absent.

Since Death Stranding 2: On the Beach encourages cooperation in the same way Death Stranding did, I also ended up relying on the kindness of others almost immediately. I didn’t need to actually fabricate my own vehicles for much of my trip, as I could tap into online garages or walk outside facilities to grab ones nearby. There were already chargers appearing frequently (and I placed a few myself). Even though I played ahead of launch for my review, I already got to enjoy infrastructure like roads and ziplines. Kojima Productions does introduce us to these building elements fairly swiftly, which works to our advantage as players, and I felt it became a substantial help during some particularly long voyages or more sensitive situations. Since vehicular transportation ended up being my “go-to” for most of my deliveries (and enemy deaths), I really appreciated jump ramps, roads, and bridges.

While Death Stranding 2: On the Beach can feel like a step forward for gameplay, I feel like Kojima Productions took a step back with its narrative and difficulty. Making deliveries is quite fun, with varied options for exploration and different environmental experiences. But fighting often lacks consequences and some characters’ development felt altered. I enjoyed myself when I followed Sam on his way through this gorgeous game, but the Death Stranding sequel can feel rather predictable.

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach early access started on the PS5 on June 24, 2025, and the full release date is June 26, 2025. A limited edition DualSense controller is also available.