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Death Stranding had its fair share of intense moments, but the main objective being parcel delivery and encouragement to be non-lethal (since dead bodies become mini-nukes in this universe) stuck the game with the classic ‘walking simulator’ allegations. Hideo Kojima seems to have taken this to heart, as the brand new Death Stranding 2: On the Beach trailer seems to imply combat will have a bigger focus this time around.
In a ten-minute trailer released at SXSW – which revealed the Death Stranding 2 release date is June 26, 2025 – we got an extended look at actual gameplay. Of course, there was a whole lot of walking around some of the most gorgeous-looking environments seen in a game as Guerrilla's Decima engine continues to work wonders. But over the course of the trailer, we get a look at Sam’s combat prowess.
Returning from the first game are the combat encounters with giant goop monsters who Sam would defeat with the powers of his urine and dookie (this is not a joke; that actually happened), as well as battles with enemy mules and robots. However, the trailer gives Norman Reedus a new best pal, as he’s seen using a machine gun very often over the course of ten minutes. We also saw the Solid Snake lookalike, Neil, hanging out with some skeleton paratroopers, which seems to imply the flashback war sequences are making a return.
But that’s just the returning combat; the Death Stranding 2 trailer also reveals that vehicular combat is coming to the game, as we’re treated to a motorcycle battle ripped straight from Final Fantasy 7. We also got a glimpse of a truck that seemed to be fitted with a machine gun, meaning vehicle customization is in the cards.
However, it’s the very end of the trailer that seems to cement the heavier combat focus. Neil, in a classic Kojima monologue about the USA’s gun culture, says, “The more we seek to unite the people with metaphorical ropes, the more essential sticks seem to become.” That was followed by Heartman attaching the Metal Gear-esque ship Magellan to the top of a gargantuan tar monster and getting ready for a scrap as another approaches. So – on top of everything else – it looks like we’ll be getting some Mech vs. Kaiju battles in Death Stranding 2.
It's going to be a good year for Kojima fans, as August is set to bring us a remake of his best game in the form of Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater.
