Death Stranding was the sort of game I could never imagine getting made. A big-budget, 40-hour-long delivery man simulator set in a postapocalyptic world where death has broken and mysterious ghosts called BT roam the land? It's the kind of thing you wouldn't see if not for the clout of Hideo Kojima. Despite the sheer weirdness of the game, it found an audience, and I was among those glad to see when a sequel was announced. The good news is that Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is everything you could hope for from a sequel. Just be prepared for something even more absurd and bizarre.

Death Stranding 2 opens up about 11 months after the first game ended. Sam, the porter who connected the United States, has gone into hiding to live with his daughter Lou, away from the prying eyes of the government. Their peaceful life is interrupted when Fragile, Sam's old friend, returns to recruit him for one more job. There is a new Chiral Network being built in Mexico, and Sam's unique talents are the only hope of success. Reluctantly, Sam leaves Lou and sets out to once again connect the people of the world in the strange world of undead creatures.

Death Stranding 2 has a straightforward plot that is told in the most insane way possible. Each cut scene is more absurd than the last, culminating in a final sequence that had me cracking up at each new absurd thing. How much you'll enjoy the story depends on how much you're willing to sit back and accept that the most ridiculous thing you've ever seen just happened. I found the plot points to be predictable, but the way they are presented made every twist enjoyable in the way they played out. It's also fair to say that if you're not onboard with Mr. Kojima's Wild Ride, there's a good chance the game will absolutely lose you. This stuff gets wacky even by the standards set by the first Death Stranding.

As an example, the crew of Fragile's new company Drawbridge is absolutely bonkers. The director of Mad Max, George Miller, plays Tarman, a man capable of driving a ship that travels through the Tar because he lost his arm in an accident and can "feel" the tides via phantom pain. Sam's new close companion is Dollman, a sentient doll possessed by a spirit medium who moves in jerky stop-motion animation. You get your orders from Charlie, the upper torso of a mannequin that emotes by having a mouth and eyes projected on it like some kind of old-school YouTube short. That's not even getting into the characters who join later!

Despite this, I liked the cast of Death Stranding 2 more than the cast of Death Stranding 1 because they feel more connected and more likable. Even returning characters like Fragile feel more sympathetic and enjoyable to spend time around. Dollman is the standout. He rides along in Sam's belt and serves as a combination ally and confidant, and he adds some flavor to the proceedings as an incredibly likable little puppet man.

If you haven't played the first game, I'd strongly recommend doing so before approaching Death Stranding 2. The plot has recaps and a surprisingly good interactive encyclopedia that gradually updates as you encounter characters and events, but a lot of stuff goes unexplained, and several revelations don't hit home without the knowledge of the prior game. Death Stranding 2 isn't stand-alone in any sense of the word.

The core gameplay in Death Stranding 2 is pretty much the same as the first game. Sam returns to the porter life, and his goal is to gradually connect Mexico and then Australia to the Chiral Network by performing deliveries. You do this by visiting underground cities and various enclaves around the map, picking up deliveries, and delivering them to other locations around the map. Each delivery not only expands the network but also gradually levels up that location, which then lets you get better items and equipment to help Sam progress.

There are tons of different kinds of equipment to find in the game. You can get ladders and ropes, vehicles to drive, mechanical exoskeletons that allow you to carry more, teleporters, the ability to shoot yourself out of a cannon, power gloves that can drag items to him, and much more. Some of these are returning from the first game, but a bunch of entirely new. Even returning ones have changed. Teleporting can now be done from and to any teleporters you build in the field. You still can't take cargo with you, but it makes it a whole lot easier to reach distant outposts to pick up cargo.

Vehicles feel a lot better in Death Stranding 2. The primary vehicles you'll get are the tricycle and the off-road pickup. The tricycle is fast and energy efficient, while the pickup is durable and has a built-in shelf to store cargo that protects it from the dangerous environments and also keeps it steady — great for pizza deliveries. In the first game, I did not like the vehicles at all, but they received a number of small improvements in the sequel that make them shine. They are better able to handle tough terrain, control more smoothly, can be upgraded with further features, and have more clearly defined limits for weight.

In general, getting around in Death Stranding 2 is a lot easier. Early on, it can be a tad rough, but the more items you get, the easier it is to make deliveries. This was also true in Death Stranding, but there are so many tools now that you will find things that can make even the most annoying segments possible. For example, I had one frustrating delivery where I needed to transport some incredibly fragile stuff up a snowy mountain past some dangerous BTs. After an ill-fated attempt went badly, I realized that I could set up a cargo cannon on a nearby mountaintop, aim carefully, and literally shoot myself to the far-distant location rather than having to go past the BTs.

Death Stranding 2 absolutely hasn't forgotten the all-important "strand" mechanics. Assuming you're online, your world will be shared with other people playing the game, and in turn, their world will be shared with you. This allows you to build bridges that others can use, place ladders, pave roads, and more. Early on, I had an easier time than I would've thought because I was following in the footsteps of other players who had already begun to pave roads or build monorails to transport materials from one location to another. Not only was it immensely satisfying to help build a road, but it also meant that when I began to outpace the buildings, it made things feel more dangerous. It's a cool mechanic, and I'm glad it's back in full force.

A major change in Death Stranding 2 is the combat. In the original game, the combat was secondary and unsatisfying, with a clear intent to make you want to avoid fighting wherever possible. That made any area with forced combat rather tedious and unenjoyable. Combat in Death Stranding 2 feels a lot better. Weapons are stronger and pack way more of a punch, and almost all the weapons function properly on all types of enemies. This means that when you encounter BTs, you can fight them more easily. There's still a meaningful difference between BTs and living beings in that BTs are fast and agile and tanky in a way that humans aren't. Likewise, melee combat has been significantly improved. You have more attack combos, the ability to parry, more options for melee weapons both lethal and nonlethal, and more.

Stealth has likewise seen huge improvements. For one thing, you now can carry your pistol in a holster, allowing you to keep a lower profile. There are now special pieces of equipment like holographic decoys that can distract enemies. You gain early access to fast-acting silent tranquilizer pistols and long-range sniper rifles that let you pick off enemies before you even enter the base. Bases are now more designed like Metal Gear Solid V, with multiple routes in and out. In general, it feels better and more akin to a Metal Gear game than the first ever did.

The result is that I enjoyed fighting in Death Stranding 2. Combat feels fast, impactful and fun, and going loud or going silent both have enough options to justify doing them. Sometimes I'd go in with shotguns blazing and tear through an enemy camp and then walk out with the cargo I needed. Other times, I'd sneak in, grab the goods, and leave before I was ever noticed. Both had their advantages and disadvantages, but outside of the boss fights, I never felt shoehorned into a play style. The boss fights are also more fun, with the improved weaponry making it feel more impactful to blast through BTs or evil robots.

If there's one thing that may disappoint people about Death Stranding 2, it is the loss of some of the friction inherent to the game. Everything is so much better, and you have so many options that there's a lot less stress involved. The game's improved vehicles and gadgets make deliveries far easier, the combat makes dealing with Mules and BTs a lot easier, and in general a lot of the "problems" in Death Stranding are more easily solved, especially once you get some cool gear. I don't think this is necessarily a bad thing, especially because you're offered a ton of different ways to approach problems.

Death Stranding 2 looks absolutely gorgeous. The cut scenes are masterfully crafted bouts of pure insanity, but the environments and exploration are delightful. There's a wider variety of areas to explore from lush forests to snowy mountains, and the entire game runs buttery smooth on Performance mode. Just the act of moving and exploring is a pure joy, and when you get into a dramatic firefight in the middle of a burning forest, it drives home how amazing these games can look. The soundtrack and voice acting are also largely stellar, with a ton of songs both licensed and original that set the mood.

Death Stranding 2: On The Beach is an improvement over Death Stranding in almost every way I can think of. It's larger, full of more things to do, and generally a more enjoyable experience. The plot is crazier than ever, which might be a plus or minus depending on your tastes, but if nothing else, it isn't boring. The only complaint I can think of is that the game is perhaps a touch too easy at times, and even that isn't a huge problem. If you liked the first game, it's very easy to imagine you liking the sequel. Just be prepared for things to be as unfathomably ridiculous as possible at every turn.

Score: 9.0/10