Death Stranding 2: On the Beach Reviews
Kojima Productions' best project yet is Death Stranding 2: On The Beach, and it's largely thanks to how refined and an improvement it is on its predecessor, rather than being the perhaps expected unconventional sequel. The star-studded cast and their conjoined chemistry have helped craft a more interconnected and personal world this time, only bolstered by the unbelievably gorgeous, detailed and technically impressive open world where every journey is its own story. Every job and delivery is a delight and an immersive challenge against the greater elements. Picking you up off your feet and prodding you along are all the other players' structures and creations around the world. In Death Stranding 2, you are never alone. That remains true whether it's paying respect to those that came before, or paving the future of open world games that Kojima Productions, and even you, the player, are actively doing at all times. What a bright future it is.
Death Stranding 2 On the Beach is a brilliant game which I largely do not care for. I think it’s inoculated me from the impulse to ever play a new open-world action game again, and I weirdly appreciate it for that.
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, developed by Kojima Productions and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment, is a new journey with a tonal shift compared to its predecessor, as the narrative is smaller in scope and far more personal. On the gameplay side of the tracks, the new game tightens a lot of loose ends from the first game, expands the world of Death Stranding through new environments and gameplay improvements, and exceeds all expectations with how a game should look on PlayStation 5. This is a solid contender for Game of the Year.
Death Stranding 2: On The Beach does everything it can to eclipse the original in practically every way, improving on the systems surrounding the already solid core of the original. The result is a livelier world to explore, an engaging story to experience and an overall much better paced adventure through Australia that I struggled to put down. It's well worth your time and more respectful of it too.
But between its engrossing central loop and genuinely brilliant conclusion, it delivers an affecting mixture of grandiose and heartfelt. Together, it allows you to say something rarely true about big budget games these days, or honestly, most blockbuster media: there’s very little else like it.
Death Stranding 2 delivers stunning visuals, refined stealth-focused gameplay, and a richly detailed world brought to life by excellent audio and a memorable cast. It meaningfully evolves the original's mechanics, though its unique style will still divide fans.
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach continues the same gameplay from the original without any meaningful innovations or ideas. That said, the brilliant story and unparalleled music and performances make this worth a look.
Death Stranding 2: On The Beach takes its predecessor's foundation and builds a bigger, better game on top-keeping everything that worked, and improving what didn't 10-fold.
Death Stranding 2 doesn't have to be perfect, but it is exceptional as a game and a sequel. It's hard for me to point out any real flaws. I played like a haunted person, looking forward to the next scenes. This is a complete experience - much bigger, better, more dynamic, much more interestingly conceived and varied compared to the previous installment.
Review in Polish | Read full review
Death Stranding 2 is very much a sequel to Death Stranding. If you bounced off the original's gameplay, then not much has changed here. The changes that have been made, however, all improve on the core concepts that had been solidified in 2019.
Death Stranding 2 is unique, magnetic, but also contradictory – and almost seems to want to make up for the uniqueness of its progenitor
Review in Italian | Read full review
Death Stranding 2: On The Beach feels more like a purposeful yet uncertain journey into uncharted territory. Building upon the core mechanics of its predecessor, it makes the delivery process less hardcore, offering richer possibilities in both combat and stealth. The series' iconic "delivery" is not just an activity, but central to its narrative. If you still believe that "connections" between people hold meaning, then Death Stranding 2 is a journey worth taking.
Review in Chinese | Read full review
Immensely self-assured in the quality of its foundation, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach masterfully iterates and refines, while introducing considered additions that complement the experience, not complicate it.
But there's a genuine creative argument driving every aspect of the game, that might not convince everyone, but it's enough to make you curious. It's enough to make you look and engage with ridiculous ideas. They're far less ridiculous than our reality.
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is a worthwhile sequel that earns its place as one of Kojima’s best games, even if it does come off a bit misguided at times. This is the kind of experience where you lose track of the time when trying to help the community build a highway, and the nagging urge to do one last delivery keeps you up all night.
Death Stranding 2 truly showcases the power of a well-executed sequel, taking an already robust base and significantly enhancing it. Though not a drastic departure from its predecessor, the myriad new additions and subtle complexities are poised to enrich the player's journey like never before. This potential has already put Death Stranding 2 firmly in the running for Best Game of the Year in 2025.
Review in Persian | Read full review
The man is a genius and he will be remembered as the game industry’s first real auteur. Miyamoto and many others were great game developers and artists before Kojima, but Kojima is a true, bona fide auteur. Death Stranding 2 doesn’t harm that legacy in any way.
It's practically the same game as six years ago, but with a different plot and significantly reduced difficulty. Early access to transport simplifies everything, and those who didn't like the previous game because of its slowness will feel more comfortable here. But next time, such a trick is unlikely to work, and you expect something more interesting from Kojima than just a repetition of what has already been done.
Review in Russian | Read full review
Some improvements and refinements are countered by a duller edge while the repetitiveness of its missions is only exacerbated by the way it recycles most elements. Still, nothing beats overcoming a steep hill or helping out your fellow porters by building a road.
Review in Arabic | Read full review
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is everything its fans have been asking for—a soothing, human, and immersive experience set in a world they can't find anywhere else. Hideo Kojima is still at his peak, and he shouldn't be slowing down now.
Review in Persian | Read full review