Despite the first game being somewhat contentious, Hideo Kojima’sDeath Stranding 2: On the Beachis well on its way to becoming one of the most hotly anticipated games of 2025. Excitement surrounding the project was renewed and elevated thanks to the recent, substantial pre-order trailer, which highlights a number of fascinating prospects, including kaiju-like creatures, a Sam-Fragile romance, and evensome decidedlyMetal Gearvibes.
But in a sea of esoteric references and vague allusions, two snippets of dialogue stand out: “a world divided, made whole, with a few sticks for encouragement,” and “the more we seek to unite the people with metaphorical ropes, the more essential sticks become.” Though not quite so explicitly referenced in the first game, Kojima has long been clear about “sticks” being his preferred metaphor for violence, while “ropes” are metaphors for any implement, physical or otherwise, used to unite people—to bind them together, as it were. Between these quotes are some predictably on-the-nose musings about America’s gun culture, clearly likening it to the philosophy ofDeath Stranding 2’s antagonistic force. The combined meaning of these elements from a narrative perspective is rather obvious, but they could have serious implications for gameplay as well.
Why Death Stranding 2’s ‘Stick’ References Suggest Significant Combat Improvements
How Combat Functions in Death Stranding 1
In the firstDeath Stranding, combat is significantly de-emphasized. Players do have several combat resources at their disposal, but the actual process of fighting enemies, especially head-on, is disincentivized: Sam is incredibly weak, for one thing, and fatally dispatching enemies will require players to deliver their corpses to an incinerator, which is disruptive and inconvenient. All in all, it’s safe to say thatDeath Strandingis intentionally designed for sparse, short-lived combat encounters—something that couldvery well not be the case inDeath Stranding 2.
Lindsay Wagner, the actress who portrays Bridget Strand inDeath Stranding 1, was hesitant to accept the role due to her perception of video games being exclusively violent, prompting Kojima to use the stick-rope metaphor to convince her. Interestingly enough, it would appear thatWagner will be absent inDeath Stranding 2.
Death Stranding 2: Trading In a Rope for a Stick
InDeath Stranding 2’s Game Awards trailer last year, the grotesque reincarnation of Higgs regards Sam’s gun, jocularly observing that he “traded in that rope for a stick.” This is another clear hint thatDeath Stranding 2will have a greater focus on combat, but this reference, along with those aforementioned, arguably only apply to the narrative side ofDS2. That is to say, the game will follow heightened tensions between various factions, cranked up due to conflicts associated with forming the UCA. There’s a lot of storytelling potential here, but it doesn’t necessarily mean deep or transformative changes to the combat sandbox of the first game.
But knowing Kojima Productions, it’s likely that such narrative decisions will have reverberations in gameplay. There hasn’t been anything resembling agameplay deep dive forDS2so far, but the brief looks at combat in the two most recent trailers indicate a handful of mechanical changes, including vehicle combat and greater mobility on the field of battle.
Beyond these interpretable elements, it would be interesting to see howDeath Stranding 2handles the IP’s core themes, specifically those related to peace and conflict avoidance, in light of such possible combat developments.The world ofDeath Strandingis anything but pacifistic, which is what makes endeavors for nonviolence so meaningful in the first game. But now, with Lou seemingly missing and the stakes higher than ever,DS2could have a lot of interesting things to say about the utility, nature, and consequence of violence, and these observations could be elevated via gameplay.
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
WHERE TO PLAY
Embark on an inspiring mission of human connection beyond the UCA. Sam—with companions by his side—sets out on a new journey to save humanity from extinction. Join them as they traverse a world beset by otherworldly enemies, obstacles and a haunting question: should we have connected? Step by step, legendary game creator Hideo Kojima changes the world once again.
