Summary
With a heavy emphasis on managing resources and making the most out of reclaimed materials in the series,Death Stranding 2could take notes from similar sci-fi titles for how to expand the scope of the post-Stranding world. One similarly meditative title that could help to influence different tasks for Sam Porter Bridges to take on when helping to rebuild America is Blackbird Interactive’sHardspace: Shipbreakerand its array of disassembled spaceships.
The originalDeath Strandingput a lot of effort into showcasing the need for Sam Bridges to make the most out of what he could find from one location to another, as well as breaking down well-used gear to recycle for materials. However, takingDeath Stranding 2behind the conveyor belt and holographic drop-off booth could help add depth to this need to make the most out of even destroyed pieces of gear.
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Recycling Death Stranding’s Environmental Message
There is a lot of messaging in the firstDeath Stranding, as the post-stranding world allows itself to reflect the ways that people isolate themselves, while also showing the impact the modern world is having on the environment. If the crude oil-adjacent Chiralium aroundDeath Stranding’s terrifying BTsor the consistent imagery of beached whales wasn’t enough, the lush environments across America could help to tell the ideology of the game. As the modern world with its roads, buildings, and constructed civilization crumbles, nature has retaken America, with the Timefall accelerating the process of wildlife and vegetation making the world green again.
This environmental message continues as Sam is encouraged to donate anything that he’s not currently using to the cause of keeping America and the Bridges company functioning. The rewards of basic materials that can be used for gear, vehicles, and structures down the line are enough to incentivize most players to hold onto even broken pieces of equipment long enough to recycle them at a resource center. However, if Kojima Productions wantsDeath Stranding 2to step further than its predecessor, then that process should be taken a step further than simply delivering items to a kiosk.
Cozy Meditation in Death Stranding’s Mundane Gameplay
It was a popular complaint beforeDeath Strandingwas released to compare it to a “walking simulator” because most of the game was little more than walking packages from one location to the next. However, this description really misses out on exactly how it feels to walk through post-stranding America, with the journey being an almost meditative experience along a carefully plotted route. So, forDeath Stranding 2to go beyond the original’s shadow, this new title should lean into those moments to create a cozy loop around recycling.
One title from 2022 that succeeds at creating this meditative, cozy loop while breaking materials down isHardspace: Shipbreaker, which tasks players with picking spaceships apart and sending its many resources to the appropriate areas for processing. Although somewhat repetitive across its career mode, the need to assess each shift and best decidehow to depressurize shipsand break off components without being killed out in space has the same ability to get players in the zone as plotting a route inDeath Stranding. So, with a much larger scope on display inDeath Stranding 2, this same gameplay concept could fit well as a new way for Kojima Productions to explore the otherwise mundane process of breaking down items for recycling.
WithDeath Strandingalready being a game that moves between modes asprotagonist Sam Porter Bridgestravels from calm plains to BT or MULE territory, this shift wouldn’t even be all that sudden. Taking the time to break down a vehicle that has otherwise deteriorated before using the salvaged parts to build a new one, or even completely new gear, would fit right in withDeath Stranding’s gameplay. Heading into a processing plant to pick apart vehicles or smaller gear would be no different from making the quick transition from hiking, to mountain climbing, to brawling with terrorists.
Death Stranding 2is currently in development by Kojima Productions.
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