As a Kojima Productions game, Death Stranding 2 is filled with a bunch of bizarre and wacky experiences – little presents waiting for you to unpack them. If you’re sitting at home and are on the fence about picking it, maybe some of these will tip you over the edge.
Obviously, a slight spoiler warning for those waiting to go in totally blind, but this article won’t cover anything from the further reaches of the game. Some of these are returning features from the original Death Stranding, while others are totally new.
Player-generated paths
Here’s a cool returning feature, one many missed in the first game and is catching players off guard yet again in the sequel. You may have heard about people building roads and bridges, but did you know that players traveling over the same ground will form roads over time?
You’ll notice this as you play – flora, rocks, and other obstacles gradually part ways as rough ground becomes softened down. This is especially handy for the more treacherous spaces peppered with trippable hazards.
So as you play connected to online servers, you’ll find the process of delivering packages to even the most remote locations becoming easier over time. The power of asynchronous multiplayer!
Happy birthday!
Early on in Death Stranding 2, you’re prompted to enter your date of birth. This is more important than you might think! But, there’s also a nice surprise for those who boot up the game and rest in the DHG Magellan on their birthday. The whole cast comes together to sing you – yes you – a little song. A nice touch.
Otter hood
Another returning favourite, the Otter Hood can be unlocked by delivering packages to The Inventor on his remote island. This cute little hat is for more than just looks – it makes Sam’s swimming abilities significantly better.
What this means is that crossing vast rivers is less daunting, perhaps even a better way to travel! Given the flooding system present in Death Stranding 2, sometimes slapping the hood on, tying your cargo together, and swimming downstream is the best way to make a delivery.
Pac-Man mode
Here’s a new one that’s the perfect example of an easter egg with real purpose. Once you make your way to the Pizza Chef, you’ll be able to make deliveries for him like any other survivor on the Australian continent.
But, help him out enough, and you’ll be given a tasty slice from the chef himself. This kicks off the Pac-Man mini-game, in which you travel across the borders of each zone hunting for ghosts. This isn’t for show either – eating ghosts removes BTs from the map!
Playing Horizon Dreamer in your room
Dollman, Death Stranding 2’s puppet character who serves as a hint and narrative recap device, is a real joy to talk to, but all this talking can serve another purpose. Keep chatting to him as you play through the game and he’ll eventually tell you about a song he really likes!
Don’t disregard this bit of insight into Dollman’s life. Next time you’re relaxing in your room, bust open the music player and put on Horizon Dreamer by Diachi Miura.
Then sit back, and enjoy the show. You also get a trophy for doing this, so it’s well worth doing if you’ve got a moment!
Giving Sam Vtuber-mania
Now here’s a really fun one. As you play through the game, you’ll eventually have to deliver a pizza to the Data Scientist. This is none other than VTuber Usada Pekora, who’ll disable nearby mines and go on to act as a prepper like all the rest.
Except, get Pekora to connection level two, and she’ll give you the Nousagi hat. Once equipped this hat will lower Sam’s stamina depletion stat, but more importantly change a lot of Sam’s in-game voice lines to Peko (a catchphrase of sorts for the Vtuber), which is quite funny.
This is but a tiny window into all the wackiness waiting for you in Death Stranding 2! If you know of any others we missed, why not share them in the comments, but please spoiler-tag the big ones!
