Death Stranding 2 Is Carrying Over The Worst Aspects From The First Game

Death Stranding 2 is shaping up to be an odd game, to say the very least. It’s the sequel to a brilliant but admittedly rather impenetrable experience that pleased a lot of diehard Kojima fans, ushered in a whole flock of new ones, and turned away those that weren’t quite ready for its surreal blend of intricate gameplay and off-kilter sci-fi storytelling. So, it’s no surprise that it’s a little bolder, a little stranger, and a little more Kojima than ever before, introducing a whole host of new features that are sure to entertain those that loved the first game.

However, while these new incredibly bizarre Death Stranding 2 features are certainly a fun addition to the game, and a novel change for the sequel, there are a lot of elements coming over from the first game, and not all of them are great. Kojima has clearly evolved Death Stranding 2 in very interesting ways, but he’s also held on to some of the worst aspects of the first game. While they’re not necessarily game-breaking features, their inclusion is a little frustrating.

Death Stranding 2’s Cameos Feel Indulgent And Pointless

Hideo Kojima Just Wants To Show Off His Famous Friends

Death Stranding 2, much like the first game, will feature a handful of cameos from famous actors, including acclaimed director George Miller, who is best known for directing the Mad Max films. There are returning ones too, including Nicolas Winding Refn’s Heartman, and undoubtedly many more, as the original Death Stranding had so many cameos. Of course, these cameos don’t account for all the famous actors in Death Stranding 2, as many of them, such as Elle Fanning and Norman Reedus, are actually playing the roles they’ve been scanned for.

The main difference is the fact that, just like with most – although not all – of the cameos in the first game, the people they’re based on aren’t performing them. George Miller’s character, Tarman, is being performed by Australian actor Marty Rhone, and Heartman is being performed by Darren Jacobs. It begs the question of why do they even exist beyond simply name-dropping – or rather face-dropping in this case – famous celebrities within the world of film and TV that Hideo Kojima knows.

Only one of the most notable cameos in
Death Stranding
was performed by the person it was based on. This was Conan O’Brien’s character, The Wandering MC, who has a handful of funny lines. Outside of him, the rest only gave their likeness to the role and were performed by other people.

They’re distracting inclusions, completely breaking the immersion, especially when they’re used for frivolous purposes, such as Conan O’Brien’s cameo in the first game. Hideo Kojima has a habit of making a big deal out of his celebrity connections, such as when he spent 10 minutes promoting his new horror game with Jordan Peele during the 2023 Game Awards. However, these cameos feel a little overindulgent, namely because they serve such little purpose narratively, gameplay wise, and in terms of immersion.

In-Game Marketing Returns To Death Stranding

Players Can Buy The Drawbridge Jackets In Real Life

The original Death Stranding had terrible product placement, with blatant in-game advertising completely ruining the immersive experience the game promised. Fortunately, most of the Death Stranding product placement was eventually removed, but for the majority of players, their initial experience was marred by Monster Energy drinks and Norman Reedus upcoming TV shows. Unfortunately, Death Stranding 2 looks set to be following in the same direction thanks to another collaboration with Acronym.

Players may recognize Acronym for their product placement in Death Stranding, which apparently Kojima loved so much that he collaborated with them again for DS2. This time, they made the bright orange and black jackets worn by the characters in-game and sold them just after the Tokyo Game Show Death Stranding 2 showcase for the very small amount of $1,720. Of course, they immediately sold out, making them an incredibly limited edition product that will likely return once the game is ready to come out.

While there isn’t any indication of product placement in Death Stranding 2 beyond these real-life replicas of the jackets, there’s a good chance that more is to follow, especially when considering the amount of product placement in the first game. It’s a shame, as while there was likely some budgetary reason to involve sponsors for the original Death Stranding, it’s hard not to feel like their inclusion was Kojima’s attempt at making his games more like films. Naturally, with the sequel pushing even harder to achieve that goal, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the return of product placement.

Death Stranding 2’s Biggest Issues Could See It Fail

The Game Is Already Confusing Enough

Death Stranding 2 is already shaping up to be an incredibly weird experience that will likely feel incredibly isolating to non-fans of the original game. It’s a sequel to a game that required two parts for its novelization and has led to seven-hour YouTube breakdowns because of how confusing it can get. That’s not a slight against the original game – as Death Stranding is truly a masterpiece – but rather a demonstration of how much is required of the player going into the sequel.

Death Stranding 2 is also a game that features returning characters – one of whom, Higgs, wields a guitar as a weapon -, conversations about having children that devolve into a puppet singing Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head, and so, so many other weird elements. It’s certain to be a marvel to play and experience, but adding any other confusing or otherwise bizarre elements to it will surely push people away. Naturally, cameos of real-life directors, actors, and more will take players out of the game, as will unnecessary product placement, just as it did with the first game.

The original Death Stranding just about got away with it, but the sequel, with all of its questionable design choices and awkward mechanics – that photo mode is really bizarre – may not. Of course, it remains to be seen how prevalent this all is in the sequel, but there’s a good chance it’ll feel as poorly handled and pointless as it did the first time around, proving to be a fun inclusion to no one other than its creator. Hopefully, Death Stranding 2 can avoid the other issues of the first game, even if it is saddling players with infuriating features.

Source: Acronym, X/Kojima Productions