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While Death Stranding 2: On the Beach goes out of its way to describe the events of the first Death Stranding as a big journey undertaken by post-apocalyptic deliveryman Sam Bridges and his BB-unit Lou, as a player it always felt quite a solitary experience. Lou is present, but, as a sleepy supernatural foetus, never had much character. Enter Dollman, a bonafide companion to accompany you throughout this sequel – and there's nothing wooden about him.
Once the events of Death Stranding 2 progress beyond its Mexican-set prologue, Sam makes his way to Australia with the Drawbridge crew – a group who, like him, possess similarly off-kilter and extremely cool 'DOOMS' abilities thanks to the paranormal death stranding. Among them is Dollman, a man whose body and soul (ha and ka) were split – with his soul remaining trapped in a puppet rather than travelling to the beachy afterlife. Once a spirit medium, now his powers have been subdued, but he can still give you a helping hand. While the rest of the crew support you from Drawbridge's mobile base, Dollman, however, is along for the ride.
No strings attached
This does essentially mean Dollman is another in a long line of yappy talking sidekicks, many of whom can often be divisive. Thankfully, rather than constantly interrupting play like Navi from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Dollman is closer in function to Mimir from God of War: Ragnarok – adding extra color and commentary on the unusual game world. He's even strapped to Sam's belt like Mimir, though, by Dollman's own request, he rides up front in order to see ahead. ("Really, Sam, your buttocks?") It's a whole new connection that allows for more story development, beyond the still excellent online features that have players connect to share progress.
When he moves, Dollman is animated at a lower framerate to everything else like stop motion.
Dollman's likeness is based on award-winning film director Faith Akin (The Edge of Heaven, In the Fade), and is brought to life through voice and performance capture by actor Jonathan Roumie (Fallout 4, The Chosen) – though admittedly the design of his doll does also resemble a certain writer in Alan Wake 2 a smidge thanks to his impeccable (and customizable!) fashion sense. Adding to this, though, is the fantastic art design that's not afraid to eschew realism that's otherwise stunning throughout Death Stranding 2.
Dollman really does look like, well, a doll, from the material he's made from to his exaggerated proportions and points of articulation. But when he moves, he's animated at a lower framerate to everything else. It creates a stop-motion style that makes him look right out of an animated movie, which makes sense to us cinematically even if it shouldn't really make sense in the world. At times, Dollman's character model will even drastically change on a dime to fit an emotion. It's extremely charming, and really serves the visual direction.
As well as Dollman, another character wears a mask with a face on it which changes its emotions between cuts to fit the scene. It's never addressed, but it adds a lot to this menacing masked villain while also nodding towards traditional Japanese theater. Likewise, the way many night scenes are tinged blue to mimic the day-for-night shoots of classic movies, to the puppet-on-a-string movements of enemy ghost mechs mid-fight, or even the way chiral crystals grow in spurts to resemble hands reaching up at the sky – it's all in service of creating a great shot, putting the feeling they elicit first rather than being beholden to realism. Which suits gaming as a medium marvelously.
Dollman's style and the way he animates exemplifies how carefully balanced Death Stranding 2 is with its creative decisions. Playing on a PS5 Pro for my Death Stranding 2 review, it's one of the best looking games I've ever played – but elements like Dollman just go to show that beyond the graphical fidelity Kojima Productions has managed to get from the Decima Engine, it's the visual direction that's really the champion. More than just a walking simulator, Death Stranding as a series is all about rising up to meet this odd world, and interact with it tangibly.
It's not just a visual mix through which Death Stranding 2 can get really creative, but tonally as well. This is a deadly serious story about loss, trauma, imperialism, and global politics. But at the same time Sam learns pizza karate from a chef sensei, and can dance in hot springs with Dollman before teleporting by submerging himself below the waters with a wash bucket. One of the most exciting moments in the game is an optional quest that involves high-speed bike combat and a pulse-pounding unique electronic track to score it.
It doesn't all come down to Dollman but, ever present, he feels like a guide through it all. As you rest back at base you can talk to him Metal Gear Solid Codec-style to get more information about recent plot developments or characters you've met, and in certain situations while journeying along routes he'll even prompt you to be aware of certain hazards. Death Stranding 2 is a huge open world that really justifies its size, so I really welcome the company. Though it does make me yearn to have him at my side in real-life too.
Story-wise, he's a critical component to Sam's journey with how he helps out (I'll avoid spoilers, but there are many 'Dollman hype moments'), and mechanically you can even rely on him as well. Toss him up in the air and Dollman can keep himself suspended through sheer willpower, relaying visual information back to Sam on the ground and marking guards. One cutscene in the game even utilizes this power, having Sam very cutely raise Dollman above cover to act as a periscope. Move over Jak & Daxter, we've got a new iconic PlayStation mascot duo. When's the next PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale?
Want to play more from Hideo Kojima? Check out our best Metal Gear games ranking!
