I'm reviewing Death Stranding 2, here's what I think about the original

Hello. I'm Simon and I'm going to review Death Stranding 2: IGN on the Beach. You probably know that, to say the least, the response to the original death disorder is different, so I think it would be helpful to provide my own feelings about the 2019 sci-fi epic before hearing my thoughts on the sequel.

I didn't review IGN's death barrier – that's the job of excellent Tristan Ogilvie, you can read him Thoughts here. His 6.8 score isn't close to the most negatively assessed death barrier at launch, but it's far from the other people's positive reviews. As I said, the verdict is different and I will add another one to the combination. Opinions are subjective in nature, especially in art, so my idea of ​​death getting stuck is naturally different from Tristan’s, albeit not too much. This is not a re-examination, so you won't get different scores here, but let me explain what I've done with the original and disliked.

Let's start with the story, arguably the most complex and divided aspect of death stranding. This is my favorite element because I totally embraced its little-known fresh sci-fi glossary and ultimately tied to its core character casting. I think it is definitely the more experience you put into the world, and while it's slower on slower times, I do really have all invested in it completely in its last scene. Sam's connection with Lou, and the dynamics between Cliff Unger and Die-Hardman, resonated with me in particular. The final scene of Die-Hardman is wonderfully life-liked by Tommie Earl Jenkins, and is one of the most influential performances in a video game I remember. That's not to say the rest of the other actors aren't great either. From the binary character of Margaret Valley to the complex fragility of Lea Seydoux, I can praise all of this. I look forward to seeing new faces joining them this time, especially Elle Fanning's “The Mystery of Tomorrow” by Elle Fanning, and I'm willing to keep recording and saying I don't trust her at all.

Yes, its doomsday event and the giant oil monster have a huge scale here, but this is the science fiction and post-fiction I really really connect with – grand global stories, rooted in deep personal stories, the arrival of La Denis Villeneuve or the road of Cormac McCarthy. Deaths are in trouble, balancing the astonishing moments, are they huge imminent threats or just walking on the top of the mountain, creating a low roaring dose and having one-on-one conversations that anchor the grandeur of humanity associated with humanity. It’s those very human themes that we all can connect with, and I really enjoy how these people illuminate, no matter how much their stories are thrown away in the 40 or so hours or so.

As far as gameplay is concerned, if the recent hands-on preview is available, it looks like we will get more MGS-Flavour tactical espionage. This makes me excited because no matter how much I like the original story, I would lie if I said I didn’t find the act of playing with death sometimes. Actually, that's what made me bounce when it was first released in 2019. It took me only a few hours on my first walk before deciding that all walks didn’t work for me. Its daily hike, crossing rivers and mountains, before finally reaching the delivery location is more exciting for me, especially in the hard (seemingly never ending) chapter three.

But I'm glad to give it another photo a few years ago, this time it was the director's completion because I found myself having a much more enjoyable time on it. This new version adds deeper combat and new delivery tools, such as Companion Bot and Catapult, introducing some much-needed varieties into the mix. Additionally, because online chiral networks certainly make the journey better than when released, many semi-built highways, useful ladders and convenient bridges have already existed in the world. The further I enter the game, the more I collect the tools, the more fun I find myself. I was bombing on motorcycles and liked to build a postal code system and flew around easily. I hope many of these more convenient delivery options can be obtained from Death Stranding 2.

At that time, it was ultimately beneficial to travel through the world of death, but I still can't say that I ever clicked it completely to fight. Yes, I did laugh in the big lion with blood and pee grenades, but I found it to a large extent BT encountered some treks. This means I avoid conflicts as much as possible – a completely effective way to play death barriers, but I groan every time it starts to rain. I also found myself dodging a large extent from human enemies whose yellow dangerous goods suits usually indicate boring stealth. So, my encouragement that Death in trouble 2 looks like the way you expand your arsenal is more volatile and enables you to deal with threats in a more dynamic way. While I'm not asking Sam to be a super soldier who can take over the enemy directly, I look forward to being able to wield more firepower this time instead of choosing to bypass on the edge of the battle.

So the TLDR version is what I really like about Death Stranding World and its characters, but didn't find the instant gameplay consistently. I like it, but I don't like it. I'm glad to jump back with Death Stranding 2, though – from what we've seen so far, this story seems to be full of intrigue again, and we'll be seen as a sight rarely created outside the Kojima studio walls. I just hope this time there is a gameplay that matches its cinematic ambitions and doesn't make the gap between its gloriously engraved cutscenes so much. I think we will all find the 2 drops of comments on Death Stranding on June 23.

Simon Cardy is a senior editor at IGN who can mostly find feeling desperate in the Open World Olympics, indulging in Korean cinemas, or in Tottenham and the New York Jets. Follow him in Bluesky @cardy.bsky.social.