Summary
While the launch ofDeath Stranding 2: On the Beachis rapidly approaching, there’s still plenty of time left to speculate on what it might bring to the table in terms of its narrative and worldbuilding. The game’s developer,Hideo Kojima, is known for embedding layers of deep and thought-provoking themes within his work, and considering how compelling the firstDeath Strandingwas in that way,Death Stranding 2will presumably be just as gripping, if not more so. What’s most interesting aboutDeath Stranding 2, though, is that its themes already look to be moving in the opposite direction from its predecessor.
The firstDeath Strandingwas all about connection, and on multiple levels, even. Set in a post-apocalyptic America where people are isolated in underground bunkers after a catastrophic event called the “Death Stranding,“Death Strandingput players in control of Sam Porter Bridges, who was responsible for reconnecting the country by delivering packages and linking outposts to the Chiral Network. In this way, it was bothDeath Stranding’s gameplay loop and one of its core messages on mending brokenness between people. Despite everything Sam went through in the first game, however,Death Stranding 2looks poised to undo it all with a sequel that seems more about burning bridges than building them.
Death Stranding 2’s Story May Undo the Work of the First
Death Stranding 2’s Latest Tagline Implies the Consequences of Connection
One of the clearest indicators of what one of the sequel’s core themes will be lies in its latest tagline, which was established near the end ofDeath Stranding 2’s pre-order trailer.Death Stranding 2’s initial State of Play announcement trailer ended with the tagline, “Should we have connected?” as a callback to the first game’s most important mission. The recent pre-order trailer forDeath Stranding 2, on the other hand, gives a direct answer to the game’s previous tagline with the statement, “We should not have connected.”
Despite everything Sam went through in the first game,Death Stranding 2looks poised to undo it all with a sequel that seems more about burning bridges than building them.
Clearly,Death Stranding 2won’t be delving further into the goal of increased or strengthened connection and will instead likely examine the consequences of connection. Everything thatSam Porter Bridgesand his allies accomplished in the first game will presumably be put on trial inDeath Stranding 2, with even greater potential now that all that work will be intentionally undone for what is perceived to be the greater good. Knowing Kojima,Death Stranding 2’s story won’t be as black-and-white as simply severing those connections, but more so a scrutinization and exploration of their duality.
Death Stranding 2 Looks Poised to Explore the Dual Nature of Connection
Essentially,Death Stranding 2may revolve around the idea that connection isn’t inherently a good thing and actually has a dual nature that is largely unavoidable. For example, while connections can heal and unite, they also open the door to betrayal, grief, and disappointment. Connections can heal trauma, restore identity, and build trust, but they can also create codependency, enable dysfunction, and keep people stuck in cycles of insecurity, irresponsibility, and fear of being alone. Considering its latest tagline,Death Stranding 2’s storymay be more about the downsides of connection than the benefits.
If that ends up being the case,Death Stranding 2’s gameplay loop might involve Sam looking for ways to break some or all of the connections he made in the first game. Based on what has been revealed so far, it looks likeSam’s journey inDeath Stranding 2might be less about making deliveries in order to establish connections and more about making deliveries that sabotage or disrupt those connections. Whatever the end result is, it’s clear thatDeath Stranding 2seems bent on undoing what was done in the first game.
