Kojima Productions took advantage of the State of Play broadcast on January 31 to share a new trailer for Death Stranding 2: On the Beach. The game is not expected until 2025 on PlayStation 5.
Sony has decided to end the month of January 2024 with a State of Play presentation, a regular event to present future PlayStation 5 games. To close this edition, the Japanese firm has not chosen just anything. We were able to discover a long trailer for Death Stranding 2: On the Beach. Hang in there.
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is neither more nor less than Hideo Kojima’s future video game and the continuation of a unique experience, which left its mark. With this new trailer, the Japanese artist does not change his habits: we don’t always understand where he really wants to go with this. But that’s what makes the magic of his projects.
Let’s try to understand the new trailer for Death Stranding 2 (No)
Visually, it’s stunning
To design the first Death Stranding, Hideo Kojima had toured several studios to find a technical partner. He set his sights on the Decima engine, developed by Guerrilla Games. And when we look at the images of Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, we can’t say that he made a bad choice: it’s truly sublime, with a staggering number of details, surgical precision on textures and particularly striking facial expressions. We recall that Decima had already captivated the owners of a PlayStation 5 with Horizon Forbidden West.
Let us also not forget that Death Stranding 2: On the Beach will be beautiful, too, thanks to its artistic direction. It’s all a bit weird, but there’s a real proposition that emanates from the trailer, in part thanks to a cast of characters with remarkable charisma.
A very advanced physics engine
The Decima is an engine capable of producing incredible results. But what about the physical behavior that he can offer? The rare scenes where fluids come into play confirm that Death Stranding 2: On the Beach will be breathtakingly realistic. Special mention at this moment when a torrent destroys a bridge. If we still have to deliver packages in these conditions (including in sand), good luck…
A very talkative new character
For his new adventure outside of America, Sam (Norman Reedus) will not be alone. He will be accompanied by a puppet whose animations are deliberately jerky (to give a stop motion rendering, desired by Hideo Kojima). He seems very talkative and ready to lash out at the slightest conflict. Who is he really? Mystery. But he reminds a little of the character of Mimir in the last God of Waror a head hanging on a belt which provides some valuable information.
The return of Higgs, more charismatic than ever
Fragile (Léa Seydoux) will not be the only one to make her comeback in Death Stranding 2: On the Beach. Higgs Monaghan, one of the enemies of the first opus, will return to service with a new look reminiscent of that of Eric Draven in The Crow. Still played by Troy Baker, he is there for revenge and fights… with a guitar (Eric Draven is a guitarist, by the way). We are already imagining epic confrontations.
Hideo Kojima doesn’t forget to invite his friends
Hideo Kojima is a movie buff. On his X account, he often shares his latest favorites. In Death Stranding, he materialized his passion by inviting renowned directors to play a protagonist: Guillermo del Tororo and Nicolas Winding Refn. He will use this principle in the sequel, with filmmakers George Miller and Fatih Akin. “ They were simply 3D scanned, so their performances are played by incredible actors “, indicated Hideo Kojima in complete transparency.
Don’t try to understand everything
This trailer for Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is as impressive as it is dense. There is no doubt that some will try to decipher everything, but we must keep one point in mind: the title is not scheduled before 2025 and Hideo Kojima still has a number of surprises in store. If you feel stupid looking at the images, that’s okay and, in fact, that’s the point. The videos of Death Stranding were not much less complex, knowing that the Japanese creator loves to play with editing to deliver false leads. Anyway, let’s just enjoy the show.
Do you want to know everything about the mobility of tomorrow, from electric cars to e-bikes? Subscribe now to our Watt Else newsletter!