For as long as we've been giving you reviews on Gamersyde, we've encountered every conceivable scenario in the press world: very restrictive NDAs, short/long preparation times, various technical problems, as BlimBlim would have said, it's a tough life for us reviewers sometimes. When a title as eagerly awaited as Death Stranding 2 is sent out so early, when the publisher and studio give us twenty days to prepare some worthy content, while even giving us permission to offer a sixty-minute video review containing extracts taken from the first thirty hours of the game, there really is no possible complaining. For the following review, we haven't skimped on the number of pages, but don't worry about the video equivalent: we never intended to hold your leg for an entire hour. We therefore hope that the fruit of our hard work of the last few weeks will live up to your expectations.
We've had to wait no less than six years to see Sam Porter Bridges again, but only eleven months have passed for him and Lou (Louise) when Death Stranding 2 begins. As you certainly know from the first installment, its ending sees the hero spare his trusted BB, or Bridge Baby, the name given to seven-month-old babies brought out of the wombs of their brain-dead mother and whose function is, among other things, to reveal to their carriers the presence of Beached Things (BTs), those ghostly, menacing beings who roam areas subject to Timefall. When Sam left Bridges to become a surrogate father for the child, he decided to live in isolation, concealing his shelter behind a hologram simulating the presence of threatening BTs in front of a rocky cliff - a good way of keeping any curious onlookers at bay. When Death Stranding 2 opens on a rocky landscape as far as the eye can see, the hero is on his way home from a perfectly ordinary stroll with his daughter. Lou has grown up since the last installment, as has his savior's attachment to her. Sam may have fully embraced his new life as a recluse, but that hasn't made him insensitive to the child's affection. Quite the contrary, in fact! Of course, while it's entirely legitimate for him to want to claim a well-deserved rest, you can imagine that he's going to have to come out of his peaceful retreat and get back to work. It's through one of his old acquaintances, the mysterious and pretty Fragile, that he finds himself drawn into a new whirlwind of events the likes of which only Video Kojima can imagine. While what was left of the U.S. had finally been reconnected to the chiral network thanks to the efforts of Sam and his allies, the young woman asks him to do the same for Mexico, this time on behalf of a non-governmental corporation. Gone is Bridges, and in come Drawbridge and APAS, whose aims seem essentially to make sure the human race is safe and connected. Initially reluctant to leave Lou behind (his level of reluctance depending on the player and his own stubbornness, with an initial note of intent from a mischievous and incorrigible Kojima), he is eventually persuaded to get back to work, and he eventually embarks on a new important mission. Unsurprisingly, what was originally intended to last just a few days turns into a lengthy adventure that will happily exceed fifty hours of play, provided you stay focused on the main orders/objectives. We won't reveal any more about the plot, its ins and outs - you know how much we abhor spoilers, and how much we respect people's choice to stay away from all the promotional content released in recent years. All you need to know is that you'll obviously run into many of the familiar faces from the first episode, but that the new encounters you'll be able to make will be no less memorable.
In the great tradition of Kojima's games, each of the protagonists' names takes on a particular symbolism, referring them to their own personal history and condition. Dollman, for example, is a puppet animated with stop motion and endowed with speech (for reasons we'll let you discover), Tarman's story is intrinsically linked to the tar (that black, viscous liquid in which the BTs like to dabble), and as for Rainy and Tomorrow, we'll leave you to make your own predictions. What you do need to know, and what we're perfectly willing to share with you about them, is that all these characters are particularly interesting and well-written, and that ultimately, you will become more and more attached to them as the story unfolds. Seeing their doubts, sharing their smiles, the dramatic moments or the lighter ones, all help to create a bond between them and the player. In fact, the very fact that Sam can count on an entire crew to accompany him on the DHV Magellan (a vessel capable of navigating pitch currents), not to mention Dollman who will always be with him, that they are all going to go through the same terrible events, makes certain scenes all the more touching. It has to be said that character faces, which were already top-notch in the first opus, reach new heights here. Performance Capture works miracles, and the accuracy of the acting makes the cutscenes as captivating as ever to follow, which contrasts somewhat with the mission briefings or most of the exchanges, generally much more mundane, between Sam and the survivors he'll have to visit for the many deliveries he'll be charged with. Some of them, more important to the narrative, do get a few dedicated cutscenes, just as great as the others in terms of dramatic intensity, but when it's just a matter of conversing briefly with their hologram at the entrance to a bunker, the few words exchanged are, as in the past, far more dispensable. Nothing to criticize in itself, of course, but that didn't stop us from finding these passages unnecessarily talkative, even though it's possible not to engage in those lengthy conversations. As for the rest of the writing, apart from the few moments when Kojima still takes a malicious pleasure in pushing open doors, or giving overly obvious plot clues before setting the scene for revelations which, as a result, end up losing their narrative impact, it didn't make the story any less impactful. The big bad guy of the sequel is clearly over-the-top in the way he delivers his lines, but this is in perfect keeping with the character himself, and Troy Baker once again delivers an admirable performance. Kojima even dares to wink at a cinematographic genre that is, to say the least, unexpected in a video game, for a result that is as surprising as it is excellent on the few occasions when it occurs (seal of WTF approved by Gamersyde, you're not ready).
To go back to such a a game world, as rich and bizarre as it was complex to grasp the first time around, is therefore a real treat, and more than ever, we realize that a Kojima production is a delicacy to be savored. Rest assured (or not, as the case may be), you're bound to spend more than fifty hours before you see the end of it, and as usual, the genius creator doesn't skimp on the means to make his final act last with plenty of twists and unpredictable scenes. When the adventure comes to an end, you'll end up drained as never before, stunned by its finale and almost depressed at the thought of having to move on to something else. That said, while the first Death Stranding immediately raised questions about its world and characters, it also raised questions about its game design. That actually explains why our review video at the time generated so much interest on our YouTube channel, even though it was far from being very dynamic. Many people were wondering what they could expect from the post-Metal Gear Solid era, Kojima's first game as an independent creator. The smashing divorce from Konami had quite logically made the headlines at the time, and everyone was waiting feverishly to see how this new project, with its highly cinematic cast (Norman Reedus, Léa Seydoux, Mads Mikkelsen, Margaret Qualley, Lindsay Wagner, among others), would turn out. After all, Metal Gear Solid 5 had its detractors, if only in the choice to replace Snake's iconic voice, David Hayter, with a certain Kiefer Sutherland, also from Hollywood. Death Stranding was therefore eagerly awaited, and its radical proposal was no stranger to this. Not everyone bought into it, but it was a (well-deserved, in our opinion) success, first on PS4, then PC, PS5 and even Xbox Series X|S a few months ago. Six years on, expectations haven't diminished - quite the opposite, in fact - but the question is, what did Kojima Productions want to achieve with this sequel? In the end, the answer is quite simple: a form of continuity sprinkled with a hint of added flexibility. We'd prefer to say straight away, though, that it's not impossible that some of the original fans might feel a little wronged somehow…
For the prologue to this new adventure, Kojima and his team have chosen to offer a sort of condensed version of what the first installment was all about. In a relatively condensed sequence then, despite the presence of a few lost packages to bring back to safety, we are reacquainted with the basics of the Death Stranding experience. Sam has to make his way to Mexico on foot, and even though his shelter is located right at the border between the two countries, he'll have to trudge along with a load on his back, limited at first, then more substantial as he progresses through the (small) territory represented by this first map. The program for the first few hours includes rocky terrain with more or less uneven relief, rivers (sometimes in flood, which is one of the new features) to cross (using ladders, which can now be combined for greater safety), and even, to bring a little freshness to the whole thing, sandstorms capable of disorienting you in no time. Sam now has a three-dimensional voxel map, which comes in handy for anticipating changes in altitude, but preparing a route in advance still feels as uncomfortable as it did in the past, due to a zoom level that's too limited and a lack of precision in moving the cursor. Expect to have to modify your waypoints in real time, or you'll have to endure a few clumsy and pointless climbing sessions. During this prologue, we also discover the implementation of a day/night cycle, an additional feature since we remind you that the first opus only took place during the day - a flaw we obviously pointed out at the time. This sequel therefore has an undeniable advantage in terms of atmosphere, but like many games past and present, Kojima Productions didn't go all the way with this idea and they decided to go for very bright night scenes, all so as not to detract from the player's comfort. Yet, it is explained from the outset that the reduced visibility can be risky when travelling on foot, which is why the Odradek can be switched on manually this time. Unfortunately, the reality is that, apart from rainy or overcast nights, it's just like moving around in broad daylight. It's true that enemies spot Sam much less easily, and incidentally, their exceptional visual acuity (for video game characters that is) is much appreciated, as they can see him from several hundred meters away. That said, we'd really have loved to have been able to enjoy something as radical as the darkness of night in the Dragon's Dogma series, especially as this would have enabled the inclusion of even more tools and gadgets (of which there are already many), such as night vision goggles. We're well aware that this is just a small detail, but in a game that emphasizes the constraints imposed on the player to disrupt his progress, it would have made perfect sense. Some may say that all you have to do is go to the options menu and lower the HDR brightness, which isn't completely untrue, but it can make certain scenes (including cutscenes) look a bit wrong, all this without making nights totally opaque. In fact, the game advises you to keep the default setting, which proves that this is how the experience was conceived in the first place. Apart from this minor drawback, the implementation of a day/night cycle is a real blessing, as it adds variety to the game's many atmospheres, with a few sunsets that will make you want to use the photo mode more than once.
Strangely enough, in this prologue we almost run into no BTs, and with the exception of one area and the boss that quickly follows toward the end, most of the opponents we encounter are human. No more Terrorists or MULEs to contend with in this new episode, we're now dealing with bandits or armed survivalists, and as a further indication that Kojima really wanted to make the Death Stranding experience more accessible, they're no longer even equipped with radars capable of spotting Sam as soon as he enters the perimeter of their base. Yet we remember the tension that accompanied the player when he entered MULE territory with a delivery on his back. With no need to use a scrambler of any kind of gadget to enter an enemy camp, the stealthy approach is made easier, to a certain extent at least. By building a watchtower in the vicinity (provided the area is already connected to the chiral network), a structure you could already build in the first game, you can, for example, display and mark objects and guards to make your task easier, but bear in mind that the AI can really spot you from a distance if you're out in the open (or if your pack is a little too big - there's nothing magical about tall grass here). In the previous game, face-to-face encounters with humans always required the use of non-lethal weapons, but thanks to a clever twist in the script (and in technology), all the weapons available in this sequel automatically adapt to the situation, making it totally impossible to cause death (and therefore an accidental voidout if the body is not incinerated in time), even by hitting them head-on with a vehicle. Most weapons, however, have no silencers, so you'll have to sneak up on your opponents from behind to tie them up, use the taser provided at the start of the game (beware, as some enemies will be less sensitive to it later on) or the bola-gun, or even use certain tools to stun them (the boomerang is a good example, but there are much funnier - and incongruous - weapons). Later in the adventure, the outskirts of the camps will sometimes be equipped with sensors buried in the ground capable of launching an explosive attack on the intruder, although one of the outfits Sam can unlock will enable him not to trigger them. It's clear, then, that in Death Stranding 2, every constraint can be quickly circumvented with a trick that will end up being unlocked (too?) quickly afterwards.
The infiltration passages, while still sufficiently uncertain to make them at least a little interesting, are therefore more enjoyable than in the previous episode, but when Sam's presence is revealed to everyone, the game is also able to make the most of the action. The number of weapons available is substantial, even if they're often variations on the classic rifles, shotguns, grenade or rocket launchers and a whole arsenal you'd expect to find in Metal Gear Solid. Let's take this opportunity to confirm that Death Stranding 2 contains numerous references to Kojima's past work, when he was still with Konami, and that these nods even go as far as the latest installment in the MGS series. Let's be clear: the action aspect of this sequel is clearly more satisfying than its predecessor. The shooting and impact sensations are more pronounced, and the staging of certain confrontations manages to show them off to their best advantage. Even so, we can't help but find some of these sequences a tad confusing and messy at times. On the one hand, all finesse must be forgotten as soon as the alert is given, as enemies come at you from all sides with a varied arsenal, but on top of this, certain opponents you meet later on in the adventure are capable of jumping on Sam and knocking him to the ground, usually causing him to lose his cargo in the process. In the midst of all this chaos, it's not always easy to keep track, even if the game regularly switches to slow motion when an enemy is shot (some may find this effect a little too redundant). The key to success therefore lies in mobility, and even in the use of the dodging movement: when you hold the left trigger to aim, the Cross button allows you to dive out of the way (it doesn't seem to work as well when you're fighting in the tar though), but you can also slide into cover when you're sprinting. However, in the ambient chaos, when facing several enemies, this can quickly become a bit confusing. Death Stranding 2 does, however, include a new upgrade system (more on this later), one of which allows you to be warned when a melee attack arrives off-screen. While we're on the subject, the range of melee moves has been expanded (Kojima is might secretly want to develop a Street Fighter competitor), but to use them you first have to holster your weapon (right button on the directional cross), which takes a little time. Similarly, with the character's inertia due to the detailed animations, attacking and defending in this way is not necessarily easy when you have several opponents, some of them armed with guns, in front of you. Nevertheless, the option remains welcome, as once again, the sensations are really good (successfully countering doesn't require superhuman reflexes, and the feedback is excellent).
If the prologue is to be taken as a note of intent, in addition to acting as an accelerated tutorial for the player, the measured presence of BTs is clearly not insignificant when one has a more global vision of the game. Is this also a sign of a desire to limit friction for newcomers? Probably, but the fact is that these iconic enemies from the first episode are much less in the limelight in this sequel. To put it mildly, and even if it's a gross overstatement, you could almost compare their treatment to that of the Infected in the first season of the TV adaptation of The Last of Us. While the scenario of the first Death Stranding led us to cross paths with them on a regular basis, if only during the long hikes we were required to make, their presence here seems limited to the strict minimum. We can see the characteristic vertical black lines in the sky, indicating areas invaded by BTs or chiral creatures at least, and we still cross some of them, but generally speaking, the threat is no longer as pervasive as in the past, and that's clearly a shame. It continues to rain regularly on the world of Death Stranding 2, but the Timefall is all too rarely a sign of the presence of these menacing beings caught between the worlds of the living and the dead. However, this sequel adds a new type of BT you should be particularly wary of, since the Watchers are able to see humans and warn the others, whereas, the basic ones could only hear their presence (hence the need to hold your breath when passing near them). This makes for some pretty terrifying passages, especially as the atmosphere generally very oppressive with its dark red colors when you're in BT territory.
Thanks to Hemo grenades (blood-based) or firearms (some are less impactful for BTs and others as effective with humans as they are with the undead), you can obviously get rid of them, but you still need to have enough amo (and time to take them down before they catch you and drag you inside the tar). Sam's boomerang can also be used to cut the ties that bind BTs to the world of the living, making it possible to approach these enemies stealthily. A special outfit can also be unlocked to make the hero more difficult to spot by the Watchers, but once again, we can only regret the fact that they should be less present compared to the first episode. We can only imagine that the negative feedback received from players must have weighed in the balance, but given how easy normal mode is (even more than that of the previous game), escaping BTs poses absolutely no problem, even in the face of the biggest and most fearful forms. What's more, Sam has many more ways of avoiding confrontation, starting with the quick availability of vehicles. By the end of the prologue, you get a Trike, a kind of three-wheeled motorcycle which is a modified version of the one from the previous game, but you also unlock an off-road truck fairly quickly after arriving on the Australian continent. Kojima Productions has listened to complaints about the difficulty of navigating the rugged terrain of the first game with vehicles, and the topography of this sequel's terrain has been designed to make it easier to use them, anywhere and under any circumstances. In practice, this means, for example, that getting spotted by BTs on board the truck will generally have no tragic consequences, since you can engage the turbo and get out of the tar before being swept away by the creatures that swarm there. Even so, Sam can sometimes be caught and dragged to the local bigger monster, but the chances of escaping in time are good once you have a good battery-life on the pickup truck or the trike.
And therein lies the problem that will undoubtedly provoke debate among die-hard fans. On the pretext of giving the player more freedom, Death Stranding 2 makes access to its entire world possible for the two types of vehicle available (no real variants this time except for one early truck without a roof, but their equipment and colors can be upgraded and customized). Apart from certain missions where the delivery load is too great to be transported on foot, you can of course always opt for walking and embark on long and memorable treks, but in doing so, you'll also be participating in the propagation of a form of ludonarrative dissonance. In a world where the urgency is still to reconnect humans together, where danger lurks just about everywhere and goods can be damaged by rain, falls or even enemies, why indeed go against the logic of common sense by deciding to walk? As our final statistics ostensibly prove, despite our best efforts to relive the perilous treks of the previous episode as much as possible, our game time spent in vehicles far exceeds that spent on foot. So, of course, they're much more pleasant to drive than in the first Death Stranding, but don't expect the same exhilarating sensations or “subtle” driving as in SnowRunner, where the type of surface has a major impact on mobility. As the ground is less rocky in this sequel, not to mention the fact that vehicles can be made to bounce slightly to avoid getting stuck, progress is never complicated, and you don't have to deal with balance anymore. As on foot, it's sometimes necessary to go around an area to find an access point, but we'd have liked Sam to be able to create passages for them as he can with ladders or climbing pitons when he's on his two legs. Trike bikes are even equipped with sorts of blades that allow them to grip the steepest slopes (even snow-covered ones), and while this isn't initially the case with trucks (that are slower, but still more interesting given the volume of equipment they can carry), you'll end up unlocking special tires that will enable you to reach the steepest heights (normally, each new piece of equipment being obtained by helping isolated survivors in their bunkers with sub-orders) .
Does this take away from the experience of taking part in a long journey? No, not necessarily, but even if some will point out that walking wasn't incredibly fun, it did involve balance management and itinerary choice, which are necessarily much less predominant when you're on four wheels. Does this mean you should prefer long treks on foot, so as not to lose some of the essence of Death Stranding? It's hard to say, as the distances to be covered in this sequel are sometimes very great. And then there's the work of the player community, eager to restore the roads, which not only encourages players to take part in the whole reconstruction process, to make their contribution, but also to make good use of these transportation routes where vehicle batteries are not even used. Death Stranding 2 is therefore more than ever an invitation to look after your mount, repairing it regularly after spending a considerable amount of time outside in the rain, upgrading its equipment (adding batteries for greater autonomy, choosing to increase its defensive or offensive potential, etc.), avoiding the use of your vehicle's batteries. ), and being careful not to fall from too great a height (unless you use one of the jump ramps made by the other carriers), otherwise it'll explode into a million pieces (and then you'll have to rebuild one from the resources of any of the bases/relays). Don't be fooled into thinking, however, that traveling Death Stranding's highways is a guarantee of a trouble-free journey, because if you ever get the idea of embarking on one of the side missions (which will give you the opportunity to take part in an excellent “tribute” sequence unfortunately already glimpsed in one of the latest official videos), you may randomly encounter a few annoyances along the way. Since the game has obviously been designed to let each player approach it as he or she sees fit, we think it's important to keep an open mind, and never forget that, should you start to feel that this sequel doesn't quite live up to your expectations, all you have to do is change the way you approach it, and play in the way that suits you best.
With this same logic in mind, Kojima Productions decided to implement a mechanic for increasing experience that is no longer limited solely to the evolution of Sam's carrier level. While the system is still present, with a nickname given to the player that reflects his/her experience and is displayed online for others in front of his/her constructions, Sam now evolves in several skills according to his actions. He can thus improve his ability to move over rough terrain, carry increasingly heavy goods, manage his stamina and fatigue better, resist enemy blows and electric shocks that could knock him out, hold his breath for a longer time and get better at stealth. Each of these statistics can evolve over five levels, the last of which generally grants a bonus of forty percent (or thirty kilos for the transport skill). To progress in these different skills, all you need to do is practice them long enough, a very natural way of shaping your character to your liking, without having to do it manually via an experience point system (which does exist, however, as we'll see shortly). To take our personal example, since we ended up encountering very few BTs on foot, we completed the adventure with a lung statistic of level two only, where most others had reached their maximum threshold. The same mechanics apply to the different types of weapons available (pistols, shotguns, assault and precision rifles, machine guns and, of course, melee combat). Thus, progressing in their mastery will increase Sam's attack power, reload speed, aiming reticle stability and also limit recoil effects, but in the case of hand-to-hand combat, it will also influence the number of consecutive attacks he will be able to launch. Added to this rather organic system is that of APAS-provided upgrades, which require you to distribute points obtained by completing deliveries in a skill tree meant to make your job easier by influencing different aspects of the game (infiltration, action, interactions with the carrier community, etc.). As it is possible to remove allocated points at any time, so you can use them elsewhere, the system remains highly flexible and you'll never find yourself regretting your choices.
Let us now take a quick look at the enemies in Death Stranding 2, not to give too much away, but to point out that a new type of adversary appears in this sequel at a key moment in the storyline. Like the others, these new foes come in several forms (or classes, if you prefer), which are obviously apprehended differently, and are also more or less difficult to beat. It's from this category that most of the game's bosses are drawn, with gigantic enemies reminiscent of the Metal Gear Solid series. These epic confrontations are always visually impressive, given the size of the opponents and the attacks they unleash on Sam, but be aware that they all rely on a similar design, both in terms of aesthetics and the more mechanical aspect of the combat. This is a criticism in itself, as there was clearly room to let the studio's creative imagination run wild, but at the same time, there's a kind of narrative coherence to it all. And, once again, these sequences are simply a lot of fun to play, and there aren't that many of them either, so they can be appreciated at their true worth. Death Stranding 2 is also based on a story structure very similar to that of the first. On a regular basis, Sam will experience strange flashes of memory from a past he knows nothing about, telling us the story of characters about whom we know absolutely nothing. As time goes by, these snatches of memory become more and more precise, but in the meantime, Sam will regularly have to enter the world of the dead to confront a recurring adversary, just as he had to do with Cliff Unger (played by Mads Mikkelsen). Always highly stylized visually, these sequences are among the highlights of the adventure, even if they are all based on the same concept, namely defeating opponents in a generally frontal manner, all within devastated environments of the most beautiful effect. We'll remember them more for their staging and atmosphere more than for their purely mechanical aspects, but they're still very well done, and one of them adds a nice twist to gameplay. The same can be said of the implementation of natural disasters in the open world. While, on paper, the idea of having to deal with floods or earthquakes is very interesting, the impact on gameplay is quite minimal considering you can spend a lot of time in a vehicle. Crossing a raging river, for example, or keeping your balance when the earth's crust shakes, is no problem in an off-road truck, but even on foot, the risks aren't that great for the player. In the case of an earthquake, apart from the opening scene where you witness a spectacular landslide, you have to make do with a few rolling stones that do not even gather any moss. Player-built structures, on the other hand, can suffer from such events, and in the case of floods, it goes without saying that the destruction of a bridge (or a ladder swept away by the current) can cause some unfortunate setbacks.
Generally speaking, in our experience at least, we didn't feel that this aspect of the game - which was widely emphasized in the studio's communications - drastically changed the game compared to the first installment, but we were nevertheless pleasantly surprised by a bunch of unexpected situations (very occasionally, but all the same). This lends a certain credibility to the game world, as does the implementation of support for cold, heat and lack of oxygen at high altitudes, which has the effect of exhausting Sam more quickly when he's on foot. Some of these constraints can be countered by the use of specific tools - provided they've been unlocked beforehand, of course - but this adds a welcome touch of realism. As already mentioned, Death Stranding 2 also aims for greater accessibility, providing the player with a mobile base (the DHV Magellan) that can be used to travel rapidly from one point of the map to another (except when the scenario prevents it, which happens regularly). Among the new structures that players can build (and share) is one that also allows fast travel (without goods, however). This gives greater flexibility of movement, but we didn't personally take advantage of it, despite lightning-fast loading times. However, this option comes in very handy when you're building roads or monorails (you can rehabilitate several mining centers and connect them to the various relays to transport goods), the latter even being usable as a means of transport for Sam. The DHV Magellan and the usual private rooms, which can now be customized with your own photos, also provide access to VR training, allowing you to perfect your techniques (infiltration and combat) through several tutorials and a series of timed challenges similar to those found in the Director's Cut Edition of the first installment. You'll also be able to indulge in a few photo shoots with the female crew of the DHV Magellan, customize your backpack (by adding extra batteries or ammo pouches, protection against blows, an anti-gravity device to lighten your load, etc.). As for the open world, it may not be as rich in terms of activities as other titles in the genre, but you can save endangered animal species by capturing them and bringing them to a shelter, pick up new types of cryptobiotes (with new effects) or spend your days and nights tracking down all the hot springs that hide there, all to the steady rhythm of the rooster crowing.
We'd like to warn readers who might be in the habit of being overcome by deep anxiety at the slightest criticism of a title they hold dear, that this final segment of the review won't just be singing the technical praises of Death Stranding 2. Expressed more clearly, yes, you can expect a few well-argued criticisms on our part, in addition to the one already made about the choice not to make the nights dark enough. Nevertheless, we're not going to argue with those who say it's impossible not to recognize the visual tour de force Kojima and his team have demonstrated with this sequel. Unless, perhaps, you need a new pair of glasses, it's impossible not to recognize the enormous qualities of its overall production. For a start, on PlayStation 5 Pro, the two available graphics modes are so closely matched that it's hard to tell the difference between them, to the point it seems there is actually no difference at all. In Quality mode, however, you might notice better image stability on very distant elements (trees, for example) or textures (such as snow-covered rock surfaces), bu apart from that, from a purely visual point of view, and even in terms of image quality, there's really little to no gap between the two modes. In fact, you'll even find the same little flaws, such as the soft ground textures (which can only be seen in first person view), or their filtering on certain viewpoints where the draw distance is important enough to notice. As nitpicky as we are, we were also able to spot a few traces of shimmering on foliage on certain occasions, a bit of color banding during snowstorms, as well as a rendering of water and its reflections that was sometimes a bit messier when viewed from a distance. PSSR is not to blame though, as it was not used at all in the game, Kojima Productions having opted instead for the upscaling solution developed by Guerilla for Horizon. Another minor technical problem includes moments when the level of detail abruptly changes to replace a poorly textured/detailed area, but this is most noticeable when using the compass (i.e. subjective view) and staring at a distant location without moving for a few seconds, something you probably won't do in normal play. However, when we compare the overall result with that of the Director's Cut of the game on the same machine, it's clear that the traces of aliasing are much less visible this time. This is not to say, however, that the first episode now pales in comparison with this sequel, as its landscapes still look incredible today, even six years later. It's clear, however, that a great deal of progress has been made in a number of areas, starting with the lighting, which is far more realistic, especially in scenes with indirect lighting, not to mention the exceptional modeling of the various characters, more lifelike than ever. Their gazes and facial animations have been taken to a whole new level, and when combined with the more masterful staging, even a simple dialogue sequence is transfigured. The original game was already impressive in this respect in 2019, but Kojima and his team haven't rested on their laurels and have truly made Death Stranding 2 a visually stunning game. There have even been noticeable improvements in the faces of the characters we only get to see as holograms (some of them being famous people you'll probably recognize immediately).
On the landscape front, progress is also very consistent overall, even if we suppose their resemblance to those of the first installment might give the false impression that they've evolved less than the rest. Don't get us wrong, Death Stranding 2 does indeed offer more varied vistas than the first game, but we can't help regretting the absence of certain types of biomes, notably in Australia. While the map of Mexico does offer a short passage through a slightly denser wooded area, it's a shame not to be able to explore the famous Australian rainforest, for example. There are a few areas where you'll come across small clusters of trees, but it's a far cry from what Horizon: Forbidden West was able to achieve in this respect. Of course, the post-apocalyptic world of Death Stranding can in no way correspond to the reality of a country as we know it today, and Kojima Productions has nevertheless made the effort to integrate a few iconic vistas, such as the Jim Jim Falls or the scorching dunes of the Simpson Desert (or, at least, places that clearly evoke them). However, the climatic diversity of modern Australia is not necessarily all there, and to maintain a certain degree of cohesion with the first episode, we still come across a lot of rock formations, with some passages still very reminiscent of Iceland. Despite this, the differences between the different regions remain clearly marked, and the high altitudes of the snow-capped peaks make for splendid vistas, if not geographically credible. Although highly unrealistic in its geographical approach, the journey we embark upon is ultimately far more exotic than in the previous opus, and if the surprise effect is obviously lessened, this in no way detracts from the pleasure of discovering another part of the world turned upside down by the Death Stranding. Proof of this is the considerable amount of time we were able to spend in the in-game photo mode (a very comprehensive one to say the least), capturing a number of magical moments made possible by the enormous potential of Guerrilla Games' Decima Engine. Atmospheric effects are more striking than ever, and there's no doubt that the implementation of the day/night cycle adds enormously in terms of visual atmopshere and variety. Passages in the rain are also very well executed, particularly in terms of lighting, because even though BTs are unfortunately more discreet in this sequel, the Timefall is still very much present. Unless we're mistaken, however, the iconic rainbows of the first episode seem to be a lot less systematic, even though they were regularly visible throughout the previous adventure. But maybe that's just us not paying enough attention.
As we've said, the visual differences between the two graphics modes almost non-existent on PlayStation 5 Pro, but of course, where they are most visible is in the framerate. No one will be surprised, of course, since this is what justifies the existence of several modes in the first place. Having said that, we'd like to point out that the one that favors quality, although limited to thirty frames per second, is not only perfectly stable in all circumstances, but is also very pleasant to use, even on an OLED TV. As proof of this, we've spent many hours in this configuration, without it ever having the slightest negative impact on our gaming experience or feel. So, if you're interested in the (very) slight graphical advantage of Quality mode, and you're worried about missing out on a slightly more stable image and you don't mind playing at thirty, there's really very little downside to opting for this way of playing in terms of gameplay. We certainly wouldn't have said no to a Balanced mode locked at forty frames per second, but quite honestly, we can't find anything to complain about in terms of on-screen rendering and control responsiveness when played at only thirty. Then again, with so few differences between modes, it's an easy choice to make in the end. In Performance mode, Death Stranding 2 is rock solid at 60 fps. It engages VRR in a 120 Hertz container but it's not unlocked as some might have expected. In our captures (limited to a refresh rate of sixty Hertz without VRR), we didn't notice any slowdowns either, which suggests that this sequel has been perfectly optimized. The result shouldn't be much different on base PS5, which only differs from its little sister in that DRS is a little more aggressive. The cherry on the cake is that we encountered no real bugs or technical problems whatsoever over the extended period we were able to test the game. Further proof of the excellent work done by Kojima Productions, DualSense and its specific features are well exploited in Death Stranding 2. The haptic feedback is a real plus for immersion, as are the adaptive triggers (at least, before you can equip yourself with an exoskeleton - of which there are a few more), and of course, we're entitled to use the controller's speaker and its gyroscopic function. While not quite up to the level of Astrobot or Returnal, this is still a top-notch use of the DualSense controller in a game. last but not least, and we've already mentioned it before, the sound design has also benefited from the greatest care, whether it's the sound effects, Woodkid's original soundtrack or the various artists who regularly intervene during Sam's long journeys. We're dealing here with a very high level of production, and we'd expect nothing less from Kojima.
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