As much as Death Stranding 2: On the Beach carries the original’s DNA of delivery, building, and exploration, it offers numerous improvements, new features, and gameplay avenues. Everything, from the combat and stealth to the vehicles and mission types, has been expanded and improved in numerous ways. Let’s dive into some of the biggest differences before the sequel launches on June 26th for PS5.
Note: All information in this article is through official sources.
Faster Paced, More Action
Death Stranding’s starting hours focused much more on exploration, carefully navigating the landscape, and delivering packages. There was also a lot of world-building, which makes sense given the denseness of the lore, the absolute absurdity of some concepts, and all the new characters. With Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, Kojima Productions offers better pacing and thrusting you into the gameplay first, with a heavier focus on action.
Overhauled Stealth
Sneaking was viable in the first game, especially when dealing with MULEs, but the sequel goes much further. Decoy grenades to project B.T.s to scare enemies, a silenced handgun with non-lethal tranquilizing rounds, and much more are available on top of the usual silent takedowns and Bolas Guns. You can even improve stealth traits, like making less noise while moving around, as you engage more with the sneaky business. And in a nod to a certain V, infiltrating bases at nighttime grants an advantage since enemies are less likely to spot you. Even Dollman proves useful – toss him to distract a guard and either sneak by or knock them out.
New Movement Abilities
Sam is also far more mobile than in Death Stranding 1. He can quickly move into cover while staying low or tackling an enemy head-on, and dive out of the way, perfect for repositioning and avoiding damage. Are either of these really the best strategy, especially when carrying tons of cargo? Probably not, but then again, you can now…
Lower Sam’s Backpack
I’ll admit it – sneaking around MULE camps and avoiding enemies while that huge stack of crates on Sam’s backpack stuck out was hilarious. It’s still possible in Death Stranding 2, but Sam can set aside his backpack, dramatically improving his stealthiness and mobility. You’re limited to whatever is equipped, but in terms of infiltration and combat, this is a game-changer. Just don’t forget to collect your backpack later when all is said and done.
Changes to Returning Characters
Ten months have passed, and the world is in a more…curious state than before. Fragile has graduated to commanding Drawbridge, a new company that ventures outside the UCA to connect other countries. Heartman now has a support skeleton that lets him effectively “die” standing up, thus saving his body from potential harm. And then there’s whatever is going on with Higgs, who’s returned from the Beach in clown makeup with an electric guitar. Deadman and Die-Hardman have been confirmed to return, but it’s unknown how significantly they’ve changed (though the latter is no longer UCA president per GameSpot’s preview).
Day/Night Cycle, Dynamic Weather and Natural Disasters
As gorgeously realistic as the world could be in Death Stranding, the lack of a proper day/night cycle somewhat dampened the illusion. Not so with the sequel, which features the same and even offers different advantages (as mentioned for stealth). The changing environments alter gameplay even more – a landslide could mean having to change your route while dust storms obscure visibility. Flash floods can also occur, potentially sweeping away Sam and any packages, while strong earthquakes can cause him to lose balance.
Animal Rescue and Restoring Mines
Whether it’s Australia or the UCA, the usual orders and deliveries are still a core gameplay mechanic. However, the sequel is expanding its repertoire of missions quite extensively, from saving animals and escorting them to reserves to restoring mines and the monorail. Some requests also occur outside of regular orders, further diversifying the range of available activities.
New Weapons and MP Bullets
Death Stranding had its fair share of combat but didn’t heavily lean into its action elements. Not so with Death Stranding 2, especially since director Hideo Kojima wants this to be more akin to James Cameron’s Aliens, with battles giving it a “new dimension.” There are new weapons to utilize, from the Blood Boomerang and Tar Cannon to the MULEs’ Electrified Pole, which can also be thrown and discharge electricity in a small area, and grenade launchers. Then there are MP Bullets, which automatically switch the ammo type depending on the target.
New Enemy Types
If the Beached Things of the original weren’t terrifying enough, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach introduces the Watcher, which can directly spot you and summon others to entrap Sam. The Armed Survivalists are also much tougher to deal with than the MULEs, but you also have to worry about Chiral Creatures, be they spiders, bats or even jellyfish. Be careful that they don’t swarm you – the bat-like creatures can siphon away battery charge if you’re not careful.
Vehicle Changes
Alongside providing quicker access to vehicles, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach improves them in many ways. Turrets can now be attached for self-dense, and you can grapple cargo or Chiral crystals without getting off. Some vehicles are also now usable in water (and hopefully won’t drain your batteries as much).
Connecting Ladders and New Boots
Crossing gaps with ladders is much easier in the sequel since you can now connect up to two ladders. Different kinds of boots are also available, from the silent type, suited for sneaking around, to those that make for stronger kicks in melee combat. That’s not considering the improvements to various structures, including zip lines bending around obstacles to ensure smoother movement.
Corefall
Timefall is still a thing, but there’s now a mysterious new element thrown into the mix – Corefall. This only occurs around Rainy, a new character, as noted by GameSpot’s preview. Timefall within 1.5 meters of her body turns into Corefall, which makes things younger. Considering Tomorrow’s ability to traverse through tar, you have to wonder how Rainy’s “talent” will come into play, given the massive implications.
New Cryptobiotes
Cryptobiotes return as your main means of restoring HP or blood, but the menu has expanded this time around. Electrobiotes will restore battery charge, and Chlorobiotes aid in recovering stamina. It’s unknown if others are available that provide more benefits, but it wouldn’t be surprising.
New Skeletons
If you had the batteries (and charge), Death Stranding allowed for equipping different skeletons with unique benefits: The Power Skeleton for carrying more weight, the All-terrain Skeleton for navigating rougher terrain and the Speed Skeleton for quicker movement. Death Stranding 2 includes three more – the Battle Skeleton, Bokka Skeleton and Boost Skeleton. While the latter two’s functions are unknown, the Battle Skeleton provides extensive damage reduction, making it well-suited for firefights.
Length
The first game is fairly long, with HowLongToBeat estimating 40 to 41 hours on average for the story alone. The sequel’s length is unconfirmed, but various publications spent 30 hours with it, which amounts to about 40 percent of the story, according to Kojima Productions. It would indicate that 75 hours is required to complete the story alone, but considering how much longer the first game could be for completionists – up to 113 hours on average – Death Stranding 2: On the Beach could end up offering many more dozens of hours of gameplay even after the credits roll.