Summary
- Death Stranding 2 focuses more on combat and intentional stealth gameplay than its predecessor.
- The game introduces a day/night cycle affecting stealth mechanics and tools for a strategic playstyle.
- A new Proficiency system rewards players who utilize stealth, making it a deliberate and satisfying approach.
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach hands-on previews have officially gone live, which means fans have been treated to even more info about its story, world, and gameplay. Until now, even with a couple of lengthy trailers, Death Stranding 2 has been something of an enigma, inspiring countless theories about what it might bring to the table and never outright giving any clarity on various elements. While that's to be expected of Death Stranding 2's story — especially when it comes to Hideo Kojima — its gameplay is something else entirely.
Fortunately, the recent previews of Death Stranding 2 divulged more about the sequel's gameplay than has been revealed since its announcement. From the way the world is set up to how combat plays out, there is now a much better idea about what Death Stranding 2 looks like from a gameplay standpoint. It has been expected for some time now that Death Stranding 2 would be placing a greater emphasis on combat than its predecessor did, with guns, in particular, being a core focus. However, Death Stranding 2 previews have shone a bright light on one aspect of the game that is even more of an intentional playstyle in the sequel than it was in the first game — stealth.
Death Stranding 2 Looks Like the RPG the First Game Only Flirted With
Death Stranding 2's Proficiency system shapes Sam’s growth through gameplay choices, making it far more of an RPG than the first game ever was.
Death Stranding 2 Is Turning Stealth Into a Thinking Player’s Playground
Death Stranding 2's Stealth Now Demands Tactical Awareness
What makes Death Stranding 2's stealth mechanics such a big deal is that they were largely nothing more than a passive way to survive in the first game. Players would slow down or hold their breath, for instance, to avoid being detected by BTs. In Death Stranding 2, however, stealth has been overhauled to be more of a strategic way to play the game than merely a way to survive. More than ever, Death Stranding 2's stealth demands tactical awareness if players want to get the upper hand.
Death Stranding 2 previews have shone a bright light on one aspect of the game that is even more of an intentional playstyle in the sequel than it was in the first game — stealth.
Firstly, there's Death Stranding 2's day/night cycle, which takes a cue from Assassin's Creed Shadows' stealth system by using dynamic lighting to establish Sam's effectiveness in stealth scenarios. During the day, visibility is increased, allowing players to see better. However, enemies can also see players more clearly, resulting in a bit of a trade-off. At night, there are more opportunities for players to hide in the darkness, but visibility is decreased. With this system in place, players can plan their approaches more strategically than they could in the first Death Stranding.
New Tools and a Progression System Reward Players Who Treat Stealth as a Skill
Of course, even the day/night cycle in Death Stranding 2 wouldn't be as effective without some tools to accompany the game's improved stealth mechanics. Stealth-based tools like Smoke Grenades, BT Hologram Grenades, and the Blood Boomerang can be used to give players cover, let them attack from stealth, or scare enemies away and avoid combat altogether. Death Stranding 2's new progression system also plays into its updated stealth mechanics, which, like The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion and other classic RPGs, apply a "learning by doing" approach.
Whereas the first game's progression relied on its Porter Grade System to determine Sam's effectiveness, Death Stranding 2 has a new Proficiency system that is entirely dependent upon how often players perform certain actions. In the case of Death Stranding 2's stealth, the more players use stealth-based gameplay and tools, the more effective they will become with that playstyle. This encourages players all the more to apply a stealthy approach to gameplay.
Stealth may have existed in the original Death Stranding, but it rarely felt like a path players were meant to intentionally take. In Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, that's no longer the case. With its day/night cycle and use of dynamic lighting, stealth-based tools and weaponry, and a rewarding Proficiency system makes stealth less of a survival tactic and more of a viable strategic playstyle. Whether players want to avoid confrontation entirely or set up the perfect ambush, Death Stranding 2 gives them the systems to make that approach feel deliberate, scalable, and satisfying.
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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
