Kojima's Magnum Opus, DS2 reminded me why I love video games.
By Ameer Ammar
I already loved Death Stranding 1, it was one of the most emotionally profound and theraputic games I had played and I've replayed it twice over the years, overall putting that game at a 9/10 due to some minor flaws with pacing and gameplay system frictions.
Death Stranding 2 is an evolution of DS1 in every possible way, I need to start off talking about the story here because I haven't been left this emotionally distraught after finishing a game since maybe Red Dead Redemption 2, the story of Death Stranding 2 is one about profound loss, grief, connection, and most importantly love. for the sake of avoiding spoilers I won't speak about any details but the ultimate journey of DS2 is one that will take a long time for me to process, this is a story that speaks to the soul and every one should experience. Be sure to play the first game or watch all its cut scenes in advance.
DS2's Gameplay loop is enhanced by so many QoL features, new activities, new structures and new elements that make DS1's already enjoyable gameplay an absolute blast, there's definitely way more combat in this one as well which helps break the more monotone moments of traversal while traversal itself is made far more interesting thanks to the world itself being more of a character, so much happens now between point A and B whether that's natural disasters, combat scenarios, or just gorgeous music playing like in the first, the gameplay loop of DS2 is deeply addicting, I spent maybe 20 hours of my overall 50 hours playtime just rebuilding the monorail and road networks around the map which was deeply satisfying and the mechanics of building structures that other players can utilize is still here and feels as rewarding as ever. DS2 is a blast to play through.
It also helps that DS2 is one of the most jaw-droppingly gorgeous games that I've ever played, I'm talking graphics that look photorealistic, impeccable art direction, Face animations that look almost indistinguishable from real life, environments that take your breath away constantly, just LOOKING at DS2 running at 4K is a joy, this is one of the most "next-gen" looking games I've played by far and it all runs basically flawlessly on both PS5 devices, DECIMA Engine is an absolute beast.
DS1 introduced me to Low Roar's incredible music and DS2 continues the tradition of introducing me to incredible music artists like Hania Rani and Grimm Grimm while having its main themes composed by one of my all-time favorite music artists Woodkid, Woodkid's music elevates many of DS2's story moments and they are truly incredible pieces of music, Low Roar makes a return as well as Silent Poets whose music made DS1 as good as it was and their music is just as amazing here, the new music player allowing you to play songs at any time is a massive plus as well which has made all these songs inseparable from my experience with the game, Of course credit to Ludvig Forssell for his incredible OST.
FINAL VERDICT
DS2 is one of the best games of the year, one of the best games of the generation and possibly of all time, I will cherish my experience with DS2 for a long time.
Death Stranding 2 - 10/10 - MUST-PLAY
A review copy was provided by the publisher