Death Stranding 2: On The Beach: PS5 Review

Developed by Kojima Productions
Published by Sony Interactive Entertainment
Platform: PS5

The latest outing from Hideo Kojima retains a lot of the stubborn edges he and his studio brought to the first Death Stranding.

There's an inordinate amount of time to be spent just walking cargo from one destination to the next, stumbling in the wilds and losing it and plenty of obtuse cut scenes that look cinematically enthralling, but are utterly inpenetrable in parts as to what's going on.

And yet, if you're willing to forego the eccentricities and go on the journey, Death Stranding 2: On The Beach is a weird, wild and haunting experience that builds on the nightmare of the first game.

The Walking Dead's Norman Reedus returns as Sam Porter Bridges, who (as a handy recap from the first game will remind you) went AWOL with his baby Lou after the end. Trying to live life off the grid, Sam's contacted by one of the characters from his past and asked to try connecting others in Mexico and Australia to the Chiral network - meaning he has to once again head out into the wilds and face the unknown.

To say more about Death Stranding 2: On The Beach's plot is to rob it of both the mystery and the surprises that evolve. But suffice to say, what transpires has Kojima's eclectic touches all over it.

But there's much of this game that feels like it's repeating the first. 

From endless deliveries to a degree of a walking simulation, the game has much of a deja vu element to overcome. Yet it does achieve a degree of that after it changes location to Australia where Sam gets more access to vehicles and thr drudge of walking across wilds is somewhat lessened.

It's a wise move to open up the world like this and allows some of the combat edges to shine. The sequel is more interested in taking down enemies with increased amounts of weapons and skill trees coming to the fore and proving a point of difference this time around.

As ever, there are different ways to play the game and common themes with the first.

Offline offers you a lone experience, one where help has not been left by others who've ventured on your path. Connecting to the game's network gives you enticing shortcuts that occasionally leave you feeling cheated of the challenge. 

Though this time around, weather seems to play a larger part with quakes and rain figuring greatly as Kojima makes vague parallels between our connection with the world we live in currently.

It's a game that's open to interpretation once again and will be as polarizing as ever.

With overly cinematic cut scenes and characters that look incredible, the game visually pushes the PS5 to its limit.

From treacherous mountains that are littered with detailed rubble to rivers that swell and threaten, the artistic attention to detail is astounding - even if it's never quite as immersive as you'd hope it would be. 

Weirdly this still feels like a game series that wants to hold you at length, something that's surprising given it's about connection.

Ultimately Death Stranding 2 feels like the ps5's most singular experience of 2025.

Whether that's enough for casual players is debatable, but for hard-core Kojima fans, it's nothing short of gaming catnip.