On the wild new mechanics about to be unleashed by Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, if the backdrop of the first one already gave you an impression of a wild ride, then just wait. The latest madness from the Hideo Kojima laboratory ensures your playstyle isn’t just about fast-paced package carrying; it’s actively shaping Sam Bridges. No pressure or anything, really.
There you have it: actions that you take in the game?-they go way beyond just affecting the world or what NPCs do to you. Actually, those actions directly affect some of Sam’s stats. If you sprint everywhere across the map, dodging BTs in something of a parkour style, Sam will gather some massive potions for stamina. Otherwise, if you go all stealthy, sneaky, and slow and steady with your deliveries, some other set of stats get buffed. It is like the game is silently judging you in the background and adjusting Sam accordingly. That is truly Kojima.
That is far from being trivial; it is a fully dynamic system reacting to your style of playing. Given it comes from Kojima Productions, there is probably some utterly ridiculous and nonsensical lore reason for it that will not make any actual sense for at least the first twenty hours of gameplay. Maybe Sam’s body is evolving according to his trauma? Perhaps the Beach is rewriting him? Who knows. But it’s going to be very weird, and we welcome it.
More insight is given by the hands-on report (the link is in the tweet, please do check it out), but the bottom line is this: were you hoping for Death Stranding 2 to be less of a mind bender than the first? Uh… nope. It is taking the strange side of things to an even greater degree, and that is what we signed up for as a collective.
Hey, you know back then they were saying it was just a walker? Yeah, that opinion did not age very well. Now, we have stats that change depending on how reckless or cautious we are with our deliveries. It is somewhat like an RPG but filled with more existential dread and baby pods.
We do not yet know if the stats will influence how often Norman Reedus cries during cut-scenes (probably won’t, but let’s hope), but one thing sure seems definite: Death Stranding 2 is shaping up to be another love-it-or-hate-it masterpiece. If you hated the first one, well… why are you even here?
So, yeah, get ready to shape Sam in your own image. Or don’t. Either way, Kojima will make sure it is an experience you will never forget. Just don’t come back and blame us when you start questioning your very reality at the midway point.
