Death Stranding 2: On the Beach Review

Kai Taylor
Jul 7
8 min read

Genre: Action/Adventure

Developer: Kojima Productions

Publisher: Sony Interactive Entertainment

Release Date: June 26th 2025

Available On: PlayStation 5

Every once in a while, a video game comes along and leaves such a profound impact on you. Something that will stay with you forever, and something that you always reminisce about. Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is a game that has left a lasting impression on me. Hideo Kojima has not only surpassed the original Death Stranding, but he has refined the entire gameplay experience to create one of the best PS5 games of all time. Death Stranding 2 is the poster child for what the PS5 is capable of, and no other developer has been able to showcase the console's true power. Arguably one of the most graphically beautiful games ever made, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is a remarkable video game that takes the core gameplay of the original and refines. The combat is much more fluid, delivering packages is still an addictive and rewarding gameplay loop, and the story is a lot more digestible and nowhere near as convoluted as the original.

THE MAN WHO DELIVERS

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach takes place eleven months after the events of the first game. Sam and his Bridge Baby, Lou, are living a quiet life in Mexico, away from the United Cities of America. Just as Sam and Lou are getting acquainted with their new lives, Fragile appears and brings Sam back out of retirement. His new objective is to connect Australia to the Chiral Network, the database that reconnects every location and city, much like the internet. This new journey reunites Sam with old friends and enemies from the first game, as well as a cast of new characters. Some of the new characters he meets include Tarman, the pilot of a ship named the DHV Magellan; Rainy, a young girl who can manipulate Timefall, rain that rapidly ages anyone it touches; and Neil, a mysterious soldier who poses a huge threat.

Neil Vana, the new mystery antagonist in Death Stranding 2: On the Beach

Kojima’s cast of characters is varied, and all of them have fascinating backstories. Some characters get more attention than others (more on this later), but all of them serve a purpose on Sam’s journey. Sam’s nemesis, Higgs, is also back, and he is even more menacing than he was in the first game. Higgs was already a great villain, and he is given a lot more screen time in this game, and the climax of his conflict with Sam is a beautiful display of fan service for Kojima’s fans. Without spoiling the ending, I will say that the game is highly rewarding for fans who follow Kojima and his previous games.

Higgs, the main antagonist in Death Stranding 2: On the Beach

Like the original, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach centres on you delivering packages from location to location across the continent and connecting each area to the Chiral Network. You receive a specific package from one location, plan your route on the map, and then either walk or use a vehicle to get to the location. This time, On the Beach gives you access to a bike fairly early in the game, making early deliveries a lot quicker. Later on, you can get a huge off-road truck, a hoverboard that resembles a coffin (I am not making that up), and you can even build a monorail line to get to locations instantly. Every route feels different, and you have to prepare for any eventualities on the way. If Timefall occurs, it can damage your packages, so be sure to bring a few cans of container repair spray to minimise the damage. If you are climbing to a high altitude, you will want to get ladders and climbing anchors to help you ascend and descend safely. Later in the game, you can unlock Climbing Gloves to reach higher surfaces easily, and you can even equip special tyres to your vehicles for better grip and power on a hill.

Traversing the mountains in Death Stranding 2: On the Beach

You also have to take into account potential hazards on your route, like deep rivers, Armed Specialists and BTs; all of which can damage you and your cargo, leaving you with a worse score at the end of the mission. This is just a fraction of the upgrades and mechanics available when delivering a package. There are dozens more, and the game encourages you to tackle any route however you want. That level of freedom is what I always loved in the first game, and Death Stranding 2: On the Beach gives you even more freedom.

SAM THE MAN

Sam, in the words of Fragile, is ‘The Man Who Delivers.’ That is true, but Sam has a lot more tricks up his sleeve in Death Stranding 2: On the Beach. There is a much bigger emphasis on combat in this game, and you have a huge selection of guns, grenades and melee moves at your disposal. Many of the weapons from the first game are back, like the Bola Gun, Blood Grenades, and Assault Rifle. In the first Death Stranding, combat was not a focus and attacking enemies was only included if it was necessary. It didn’t help that the melee combat in Death Stranding had clunky controls. Luckily, the only missions that required heavy combat were the boss battles. This time around, Kojima has focused significantly on combat, making it much more engaging.

Gun gameplay in Death Stranding 2: On the Beach

There are a lot of main missions in Death Stranding 2: On the Beach that require you to infiltrate an enemy camp and retrieve a package. You can do this either by using stealth to eliminate enemies without being seen or by equipping a weapon and taking them head-on. Taking on enemies head-on was always my choice because the shooting in this game is fantastic and a far cry from the combat in the original. Every gun feels different, and the vibrations and adaptive triggers on the PS5 controller were incredible. Not to mention that specific weapons are more effective against various kinds of enemies. For example, you can equip a silent tranquilliser gun to take down regular enemies, but enemies with armour will withstand multiple shots before going down. Or you could use the machine gun, which works great on armoured enemies, but is a lot weaker against mechs. Some weapons are silenced, and some will alert you to enemies within your vicinity. Once again, there is a lot of freedom in how you tackle each combat encounter. It does not reach the same heights as Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, but the combat is fantastic and gives you the freedom to tackle any encounter however you want. Death Stranding 2: On the Beach constantly rewards your efforts in delivering by giving you different guns and grenades to try out in combat. You can even equip your backpack with additional ammo and grenade pouches so you can carry more and not run the risk of running out during a combat encounter.

Fast-paced delivery while escaping a bushfire in Death Stranding 2: On the Beach

To get better acquainted with your weapons and Sam’s melee attacks, I recommend you spend some time in the VR Missions menu. The VR Missions can be done when you get to a private room, and they teach you the ins and outs of the combat. There are stealth missions, shooting missions and even missions that combine stealth, shooting and delivering to prepare you for the worst-case scenarios. I did not do every VR Mission during my 36-hour playthrough, but I completed a fair few. Death Stranding 2: On the Beach prepares you for the long journey, and if you choose not to explore the VR Missions, I believe you will be at a disadvantage.

The tri-cruiser in Death Stranding 2: On the Beach

As well as the combat, Sam can also customise his attire and equip specific modifiers to help with deliveries and combat. I already mentioned the grenade and ammo pouches for the backpack, but you can also equip a backpack protector to shield your cargo from enemy fire. There are different gloves you can wear to deal more damage, and even different boots to match whatever terrain or area you will be travelling in. Some mechanics from Death Stranding return, like the skeletons that Sam can equip to either make you run faster or maintain your balance when crossing rough terrain. PCCs also make a return, and they allow you to build postboxes to store cargo, generators to charge up your vehicles and skeletons, and the fan-favourite zip lines, which you can place all around the open world to make travel instantaneous.

Using the zip lines in Death Stranding 2 On the Beach

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach not only gives you better weapons and tools, but Sam now has a skill tree and a levelling-up system. The levelling-up system works in a similar vein to Ratchet & Clank, where the more you use a particular weapon or mechanic, the more it levels up automatically. If you frequently use an Assault Rifle, it levels up, so handling and reloading become more effective. Additionally, if you enter BT territory and hold your breath to escape, that also levels up, so you can maintain it for longer. Sam can level up all of his core mechanics in terms of combat and traversal.

The skill tree is a brand-new feature, and new upgrades open up to you the more you increase Sam’s Porter Grade. The Porter Grade levels have several different sectors, including Traversal, Stealth, Combat and Servicemanship. Whenever you increase your score in one of these areas, a new upgrade opens up to you. Additionally, you also gain XP when completing an order, and you use this to buy upgrades on Sam’s skill tree. The skill tree itself is a great addition to the game, allowing players to experiment further.

SHOULD WE HAVE EVER CONNECTED?

Death Stranding 2: On the Beach takes the core gameplay of the original game and adds more to the mix, refining the overall experience. I much preferred the story in this game as well, and it was nowhere near as confusing. However, some characters in the game felt under-utilised in the grand scheme of things. The first character is Rainy, who has a fascinating backstory, and the cutscenes that reveal more about her are amazing. But after the initial reveal, there is nothing else that adds to her arc. I expected her to have a bigger role in the climax, but by the end of the game, I did not feel like she had a place within the story. It’s disappointing because she has a great backstory, but the game doesn't provide any further details after that.

Tarman is another character whose narrative arc was put on hold. His backstory is tragic, and it has a profound impact, but some of the mystery surrounding his character and relationships remains unanswered. There are details which are inferred in the story, but they were not enough to give Tarman the arc he deserved. Every other character in the game had a beginning, middle, and end, and that makes Rainy and Tarman stand out, sadly.