This Dead By Daylight Collab Would Be a Match Made in…

Dead by Daylight has had no shortage of memorable collaborations, and given that it’s a co-op horror title, it’s no surprise that a majority of the crossovers bring the scares. From the recent Five Nights at Freddy’s and Walking Dead Chapters to Alien, Nightmare on Elm Street, and Scream content, a majority of the killers and survivors featured in the game have their roots in the genre. However, there are a few exceptions, such as actor Nicolas Cage, fantasy icons from the Witcher series, and beloved adventurer Lara Croft. With these cameos in mind, a collaboration between Dead by Daylight and Kojima Productions’ Death Stranding 2 wouldn’t feel out of place at all.

As the first and only true Strand-type games, Death Stranding and its critically acclaimed sequel cannot be considered horror properties - though they do include their share of scares. Sam’s first encounter with the invisible BTs is sure to leave players shaken, even if they eventually grow used to them, and they just become another obstacle to avoid during deliveries. Similarly, some of the massive BTs will likely leave players shaking due to their sheer scale alone. While Kojima’s OD game may be a better target for a Dead by Daylight team-up down the road, there’s no telling when that will come, so jumping on Death Stranding while it’s still relevant would be a good alternative. Though it may ultimately be closer to a cozy game than a horror title, it offers more frights than Tomb Raider and arguably The Witcher, so a proper Death Stranding chapter has real potential.

Sam Porter Bridges: The Man Who Repairs Generators

death stranding sam with odradek scanner — death stranding odradek

When looking at the deep skillset of Death Stranding 2’s protagonist, it’s easy to see how he could fit into Dead by Daylight’s gameplay loop. Potential skills available to Sam include:

A functional Odradek, the device on Sam’s back that shows him the direction of BTs. This tool could show Sam the general direction of the killer when they’re in the area, blinking more rapidly the closer they are. It could be balanced through the BB (bridge baby) on Sam, as the baby could cry louder when the killer is close, letting them know Sam is hiding somewhere close.
Sam’s iconic package-stacking has been memed to death, but it wouldn’t feel right to see it not included in his hypothetical kit. Perhaps Sam could carry extra items on his back, letting him stack multiple medkits and repair kits at the cost of the packages appearing on his back, forcing him to keep his balance and making him more visible to the killer.
Sam has plenty of tools at his disposal that could be fun to integrate, from throwing Dollman to get a lay of the land to decoy grenades that distract threats. His anti-BT weaponry could come in handy for a BT killer, too, with hematic grenades or cord cutters placed in boxes around the map like the cures used to combat infection from Resident Evil’s killers.

Sam on a cliff in Death Stranding 2 On the Beach

With Death Stranding having so many mechanics, Sam is able to do a lot of things, giving Behaviour Interactive plenty of freedom when designing his perks and abilities. Perhaps his expertise with carrying heavy packages could see him being able to pick up and move a generator, throwing off a killer by taking it to a part of the map they were sure had been checked thoroughly. However, while Sam would be great on his own, a Death Stranding 2 Chapter shouldn’t miss the same opportunity that the Walking Dead chapter did, as it should also include a killer.

Sam would have no shortage of outfit options available. Alongside his usual porter attire, he could have the duster jacket from Death Stranding 2’s opening, the black and orange jacket he wears while aboard the DHV Magellan, and even a Legendary skin based on the standout character Neil Vana.

BTs Can Be Some of the Scariest Killers in Dead by Daylight

While Behaviour could re-use the Norman Reedus model from its Dead by Daylight’s Daryl Dixon skin, a killer would surely have to be made from scratch to fully reflect Kojima’s wacky world. There are two obvious options available to Dead by Daylight, those being the unhinged villain Higgs and the BTs, the ghost-like tar creatures that attack noisy humans. However, it’s no secret that human killers like Wesker just aren’t as scary as demonic entities, witches, and monsters, so going the BT route would be preferable.

death-stranding-bts — Death-stranding-bts

With a BT killer, perhaps Behaviour could explore some kind of transformation mechanic. In the base form, the BT could place Gazers around the map, which scan the map for players roaming around. Once spotted, the Gazer could home in on the player, do a chunk of damage, and trap them in tar just like in Death Stranding 2, with the invisible BT controlled by the player alerted to their location. Once the killer enters the tar, they could transform into a catcher, chasing the player and pulling them into a downed state if caught. From there, they could be carried to a hook, with this being the only time other players see the BT outside the tar chase so that there’s a chance to save their ally. Players could also trigger the catcher phase if they make too much noise while close to the main BT, forcing them to always keep an eye out for it.

The downside of playing the BT could be its base form, which - though they’re invisible - would be easy to track and avoid because of all the handprints being left around. They’d also have to rely on AI-controlled gazers to do initial damage, which would require the gazers to be very well-designed. Still, the idea of a killer that sneakily roams the battlefield and has to strategically place what are essentially mines could make for a fun and fresh gameplay loop, even if said killer is unlikely to end up at the top of Dead by Daylight killer tier lists due to their complexity. With DS2 sure to be talked about again come award season, and two Death Stranding movies on the way, here’s hoping that both sides see the potential and make something happen.

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