After taking my time and enjoying it, I finished Death Stranding 2: On The Beach last weekend. At least the main story of it, I still want to finish a few orders and max out my connection with everyone — but the main part of the game is done. And man, is it excellent.
Despite the plot being a little shaggier than the first one, it’s still a moving adventure with a lack of subtext that somehow comes full circle into working spectacularly. (I sincerely hope that Hideo Kojima never grasps the concept of subtext and continues making stories about people with names like Deadman and Heartman and Tomorrow.) It also helps that it’s got a core gameplay loop that makes it hard to put down.
In any case, it definitely ends with space for a sequel and, man, for the umpteenth time, I wish game development cycles weren’t so long. It took nearly six years for the second Death Stranding to come out and I don’t wanna have to wait until 2031 for a third one.
Admittedly, I don’t know if there needs to be a third Death Stranding: the ending is a nice conclusion that doesn’t need to be continued, it’s just the door it leaves open is so rich with potential. But then, there’s also something to be said for not needing to milk a franchise dry, to leaving an audience wanting more. Maybe this sounds incredibly vague because I’m trying to avoid detailing the ending while being of two minds about a potential sequel, or maybe it’s because it’s 11pm on a Saturday after a busy week and I just want to finish a post so I can go play more Death Stranding 2. Like the potential for a sequel, it’s open ended.
Essays, Not Rants! 