Sacred Symbols+, Episode 470 | Death Stranding 2: On the Beach Review Discussion and Spoilercast
Added 2025-07-26 16:00:22 +0000 UTCWe all know well enough that PlayStation 5 isn't exactly swimming in exclusives, and the ones it does get don't hang around for long before migrating elsewhere. So it's a treat for us to get to record a review discussion and spoilercast for a rare PS5 game that itself will undoubtedly migrate elsewhere before long. That said, what a game it is! Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is Kojima's long-awaited follow-up to the heady and unique 2019 PS4 original, and there's so much to say about it. To talk about it in-depth, I (Colin) invited my Sacred Symbols brethren to the show -- Chris and Dustin -- as well as Summon Sign's and Punching Up's Brad Ellis. Within our lengthy, winding conversation, we touch on a ton of topics: Gameplay, setting, story, characters, and so much more. But we also recognize that there's even more to say. So in the coming weeks, we'll be solicing feedback from the audience so that we can pull at a ton of unexplored threads, too. In the meantime, enjoy our thoughts on our respective 50+ hour experiences with this new adventure, and let us know what you thought about what could be Hideo's strangest offering yet.
Comments
I just beat the story after 100 hours of game time. Hearing people finish the game under 40 hours does make me question their overall view on the game. IMO - it’s a game which can’t be rushed and if you’re playing just the story beats you might miss a lot of great additional quests and story. Saying that I appreciate the conversations here - we just need a part 2 and please get Gene involved, I think he’s played it extensively as much or more than I have. My short review, is DS2 is great and is so far my GOTY.
Az
2025-09-21 16:45:54 +0000 UTCJuat finished the game a minute ago. Have yet to listen to the discussion. The end of this is an utterly shameless rip of MGS4 ending,lol. To the point where I think it's bad. This game is better in almost every way than the first one. But in doing that... It also isnt as good to me. The first one is better. They completely got rid of the environmental threat in this game. Still really enjoyed it, but the game was just so easy.
Jacob Lesperance
2025-08-22 15:48:35 +0000 UTCNumber of "Legend of Legend of Legends" Evaluations 131. Total Likes Received 753,060 - NPCS 571, 383 Other Porters 181.677 Total Distance Covered 2,374.0 [kml Total Pieces of Cargo Delivered 2,086 Total Weight of Cargo Delivered 29.1 [tl
Saint947
2025-08-20 16:41:33 +0000 UTCI rolled credits (sorry, Colin) yesterday and linked up the my final location today, but I’m still working on getting five stars on all locations. 237 hours so far, but I’ve spent a lot of time building and upgrading all possible roads, monorails, screwing around at enemy bases, etc. And I’m playing on brutal difficulty and a good chunk of that time was spent reloading if a mission didn’t go my way and would have been under S-rank since I also want to S-rank all missions for max “legend of legend of legend” awards. My time might also be a bit inflated from time spent paused, but I don’t let that go for too long unless I leave it paused during a meal or something and forget to quit back to main menu.
Scott W
2025-08-11 09:47:17 +0000 UTCJust wrapped up my time with Death Stranding 2, 105 hours spent in it, a record for me in a single player game (not counting multiple playthroughs with other games). Have 11 facilities left to connect but the slow grind when it comes to the final star has turned me off it, it’s too grindy. Fabulous game, would love another conversation with Gene at some stage, felt like this barely scratched the surface at times.
C
2025-08-09 22:55:41 +0000 UTCI literally just watched the credits of both games to confirm. Heartman does not have different voice actor, he is voiced by Darren Jacob’s in both games.
Thomas Adamson
2025-08-06 16:14:25 +0000 UTCFxck off what?! That’s so cool!
C
2025-08-05 12:02:15 +0000 UTCI believe the game is warning us of techno feudalism. A massive critique of companies like Palantir.
Kojima Made Me Gay
2025-08-04 08:33:48 +0000 UTCDid anyone come across the ghost monorail that dropped exploder BTs on you?
Jimmy Jo
2025-08-02 11:05:54 +0000 UTC
