[COLUMN] Death Stranding 2 Is a Game Best Played Slowly | by Marty Sliva

Note: This column contains some minor spoilers for the opening few chapters of Death Stranding 2: On the Beach. It’s a good video game.

Inside of me are two wolves as I play through Death Stranding 2: On the Beach. The first is enthralled by the story, and wants to see how Sam, Fragile, Tomorrow, Rainy, and Neil all tie together before being inevitably spoiled by some YouTube thumbnail or an errant social media comment. That wolf urges me to focus on Main Orders that will push the plot forward, neglecting large swaths of Mexico and Australia in favor of getting to the next lengthy cutscene.

Inside of me are two wolves as I play through Death Stranding 2: On the Beach. The second just spent several hours last night ferrying supplies back and forth in order to build a highway along the northern edge of the continent, reconnect a monorail line, and just overall make the journey easier for those who come after. That wolf is also apparently a herbivore, because he also takes time to stop and rescue any wild animal he might come across and deliver it to the Animal Sanctuary staffed by members of CHVRCHES, which sounds like a fever dream but is actually just a pretty standard day for Hideo Kojima.

As much as I respect that first wolf, it’s the second that I’m listening to as I slowly make my way through Death Stranding 2, and honestly, I think that’s the perfect way to play this (so far) incredible video game.

To give you some context, I’ve put 24 hours into Death Stranding 2 since its early access started a week ago, and I’m currently on Episode 6. That number would be much higher, but I was out of town this weekend, and opted against bringing my PlayStation Portal with me to pull out during a cookout and completely ignore my pals, as tempting as that may have been. But rest assured, as I was away from the game, my mind continually drifted to the countless moments that left an impression on me. The technical marvels, surprise story reveals, much-appreciated QoL gameplay tweaks, tense combat encounters, quirky character moments, and serene sights of beauty, all laid out like constellations across the Australian night sky.

This was not how I initially played the first Death Stranding. When it dropped in November of 2019, I devoured it over the course of a week, focusing on the story and leaving the altruistic multiplayer components to the next Sam in line.

And while there’s no wrong way to play a game, I have to say that I’m gaining a much deeper satisfaction in taking my time to fully live in this world and make it feel like my own. My bond feels deeper with every person I meet along the Chiral Network, which feeds right back into the gameplay. I do more deliveries for them, I get to know them better, and in turn they unlock new abilities and equipment that affords me new options in how to do more deliveries for them.

There are so many small additions and QoL tweaks to DS2 that make the hours of this kind of slower pace fly right by. Stuff like vehicles that are far-less finicky to drive than before, a skill tree that allows you to hone in on the kind of Porter you want to be, and an absolute bevy of new stealth and combat tools that make infiltrating a Brigand base really feel like a spiritual successor to Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain.

Just last night I unlocked a truck with a gun on top that automatically snags packages and items that you drive near, which I fear might turn me into a human Roomba driving across every inch of Australia. I genuinely get excited whenever I reach a new outpost to connect to, not only because it stretches out my playfield and moves the story forward, but because I’m stoked to see what weird new gadget I’ll have at my disposal.

It’s also wild how DS2 conveys such a potent sense of community and camaraderie in what is ostensibly a single-player game. You can’t summon a stranger to help you with a boss, or roam around the world with a couple of pals. But the signs of all of the other players scattered across the landscape make it feel like a collaborative art project. Whether it’s a silly hologram in front of a bunker, a new road that’s already halfway built when you first find it, picking up stray deliveries thats someone else left behind, or finding some serendipitously placed equipment right where you needed it during a long trek, there’s a palpable sense of “we’re all in it together” here that takes what the team started with in the original game, and amps it up to the next level.

That’s part of the reason why I’m so inclined to take my time with DS2. Every time I stumble across something helpful from another player who traveled these paths before I did, I want to do the same for someone else who’s just starting the game. In a time where altruism seems to be dying on the vine, it’s refreshing to see a game where it’s thriving.

I’m not here to tell you how to play this game (or any game, for that matter). But I will say that taking my time to smell the roses and really savor this game has led to some wonderful discoveries that I would’ve completely missed had I made a b-line for the main story missions.

Check out the optional books near Sam’s bed on the Magellan – they might lead to some really memorable character insights. If you like the equipment you got when you first met a new Prepper, think about continuing to deliver for them, and seeing what the upgraded versions of that might look like. And if you see a quokka on the side of the road, maybe take the time to go out of your way and bring it back to the Animal Sanctuary.

I honestly don’t know yet if that last one has any intrinsic rewards, but it feels like the right thing to do, and in both Death Stranding 2 and life in general, isn’t that enough?