Death Stranding 2 devs worried it was "getting a little Metal Gear-ish," but Hideo Kojima himself says you don't have to be sneaky: "I don't even use stealth myself"

Hideo Kojima says that Death Stranding 2's apparent focus on combat and stealth doesn't mean that the core gameplay has changed too much.

Speaking to IGN, Kojima says that when it comes to Death Stranding 2, "I'm not simply pushing combat. The game is still fundamentally about cargo delivery, but combat has become more flexible."

For instance, "players have the choice to take a detour around enemies," or simply use a car or bike to drive around them, rather than fighting them. But some of that flexibility caused concerns among some of Kojima's staff.

"Some of the staff on Death Stranding 2 worked with me on the Metal Gear series, so there were times when people worried that it was getting a little Metal Gear-ish." For Kojima himself, that wasn't a concern - he believes "we simply pursued more enjoyable combat."

He points out that the game's story will explain some combat approaches, whether you choose to go guns-blazing or stick to the shadows. He points out that players won't be "forced into stealth" and that, despite his history with the Metal Gear series, "I don't even use stealth myself."

I can't help but see the irony there - to me, Kojima is almost synonymous with stealth gaming, though I suppose that's about to change with his future work - upcoming Hideo Kojima games include horror game OD, but there's also the espionage-focused Physint.

Hideo Kojima already has a Death Stranding 3 pitch that could relate to a DS2 plot device, but "I am not going to make it myself."