Summary
- Death Stranding 2 will focus more on combat than its predecessor, offering players clearer choices like engagement, stealth, or avoidance.
- The revamped combat features advanced enemy AI that adapts to the player's chosen approach and offers more tactical options.
- Audience tests show that Death Stranding 2 is scoring higher than the original game, indicating fans are responding well to the more action-focused direction.
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach's level designer, Hiroaki Yoshiike, has confirmed that the game will emphasize combat in new ways. In the first installment, combat was just one of several obstacles in the player's journey to deliver cargo. But that appears to be changing in Death Stranding 2, following a request from game director Hideo Kojima.
Death Stranding was praised for its unique gameplay, which encouraged players to find the most efficient way to complete tasks. Its creative level design kept combat as an option, but rarely the most practical one. While this approach was largely appreciated by fans, many suspected the sequel would take a different direction. One hint was the announcement that Death Stranding 2 would let players skip boss fights. It was later also revealed that players could drop and retrieve their cargo at will, a quality-of-life feature aimed at making combat more manageable.
Death Stranding 2 Reveals New World Tour Release Event
Kojima Productions announces a lengthy world tour to celebrate the highly anticipated release of Death Stranding 2: On the Beach.
As the release date for Death Stranding 2 approaches, more details about its revamped combat mechanics are emerging. In the May issue of Edge magazine (via GamesRadar+), level designer Hiroaki Yoshiike revealed that the game's combat will be "clearer." Yoshiike explained that players will have three distinct options in combat: engagement, stealth, and avoidance. In other words, they can choose to confront enemies directly, take them down silently, or bypass them entirely. What makes this system particularly interesting is the improved and advanced enemy AI, which, as Yoshiike noted, will adapt to the player's chosen approach.
Death Stranding 2's Enemy AI Intensifies Combat
The new enemy AI in Death Stranding 2 will be more alert, capable of detecting suspicious activity from greater distances and reacting more intelligently to sounds. Enemies will also have more tactical options when responding to the player, rather than simply initiating a chase. It also seems Death Stranding 2' s nods to the Metal Gear franchise go beyond visual references. Yoshiike hinted that players will be able to eliminate enemies using a stealth approach reminiscent of Metal Gear, a strategy that wasn't quite practical in the first game.
One key detail is that Death Stranding 2 has been scoring higher in audience tests compared to the first game. This suggests that fans may already be responding well to the sequel's more action-focused approach and that Kojima's vision for clearer combat is resonating. Still, players will have to wait until the game's release to see whether the revamped combat truly enhances the overall experience.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 90 /100 Critics Rec: 95%
- Released
- June 26, 2025
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ // Violence, Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Strong Language
- Developer(s)
- Kojima Productions
- Publisher(s)
- Sony Interactive Entertainment
