Summary
It has now been over five years sinceDeath Strandingintroduced players to one of the strangest worlds and gameplay loops in gaming history by putting them into the shoes of Sam Porter Bridges — a porter tasked with reconnecting America by delivering cargo to various locations across the fractured world. Despite being innovative and bold,Death Stranding’s delivery-style gameplay loopwas largely divisive, causing many to label the game as a “walking simulator.” However, regardless of the controversy,Death Strandingmanaged to deliver an incredibly compelling narrative and approach to gameplay, now tasking its sequel,Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, with living up to its name.
Based on what has been revealed so far forDeath Stranding 2: On the Beach, Sam has somehow been called back into action, despite his decision at the end of the first game to live an isolated life and focus on raising Lou. In the footage, Sam can be seen traversing various environments in the same way that he did inDeath Stranding, meaning the first game’s gameplay loop is set to return. That being said, there is reason to believe that, whereas the first game focused on Sam’s task of reconnecting America through a physical journey, the sequel’s story might be more psychological than physical.
Death Stranding 2’s Story Appears to Shift From Physical to Psychological
While Death Stranding Was About Physical Traversal, the Sequel May Be About Psychological Warfare
Death Strandingwas all about physical traversal, to the point that probably about 98% of its gameplay involved traveling somewhere. After all, Sam’s responsibility was to reconnect America through using his ability to make physical delivery runs between locations. However, now that America has been reconnectedfollowing the events ofDeath Stranding, it may not make sense forDeath Stranding 2’s narrative to primarily focus on what Sam is capable of accomplishing through making deliveries. Instead,Death Stranding 2’s story might be less about the physical challenges that come with rebuilding and more about the psychological toll of the journey.
Hideo Kojima is known for his deep, introspective storytelling, andDeath Strandingis a perfect example of that.Death Stranding 2, though, already appears as though it will delve even deeper into the psyche, especially given its subtitle, “On the Beach.” After all, the Beach inDeath Strandingis described as a reflection of the subconscious, soDeath Stranding 2is likely to emphasize psychological warfare even more than its predecessor. This will prove especially true if a substantial part ofDeath Stranding 2’s storyactually plays out on the Beach itself.
This doesn’t mean the delivery gameplay loop will be lost entirely inDeath Stranding 2, only that it might have less to do with the story than it did in the first game. If a part ofDeath Stranding 2’s gameplay sees players regularly returning to the Beach, it could involve them intentionally putting themselves in harm’s way, as Sam’s death would send him to the Beach.
Death Stranding 2’s Story May Be More Personal Than the First Game
ShouldDeath Stranding 2get even more introspective than its predecessor, it could be a far more personal story than the first game. While the firstDeath Strandingwas largely about Sam reconnecting America and had his character arc developing alongside that,Death Stranding 2’s story structure could be the opposite of that. In other words, rather thanDeath Stranding 2’s story being about Sam’s purpose, it might instead be all about Sam himself, as well asDeath Stranding’s other characters. This would, as a result, make it a more psychological story than a physical one.
IfDeath Stranding 2: On the Beachembraces an even moreintrospective narrativethan its predecessor, it has the potential to offer a much different experience from the first game while still maintaining its themes. WhereDeath Strandingwas a journey of physical reconnection, its sequel may shift the focus even further inward, exploring the lasting effects of Sam’s past and the deeper implications of the Beach as a psychological battleground.
