Summary
- Combat was criticized in the first Death Stranding due to its focus on traversal and delivery.
- Death Stranding 2 Digital Deluxe Edition hints at improved combat gameplay with an included Machine Gun.
- The sequel seems to prioritize combat scenarios and weapon diversity to appeal to a broader audience.
Death Stranding is one of the most divisive games of the last decade, despite achieving significant success — enough to provoke a sequel. At the center of the dissension surrounding it was its emphasis on traversal and delivery, leading some to label Death Stranding a mere "walking simulator," despite its thoroughly compelling narrative, stunning visuals, and impeccable worldbuilding. In response, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach aims to improve upon some of those criticisms with a game that leans into more engaging elements than traversal and exploration, and its Digital Deluxe Edition seems to hint at such improvements.
There are three editions of Death Stranding 2 currently available for purchase: Standard, Digital Deluxe, and Collector's. While the Standard Edition of Death Stranding 2 offers the game alone, its Digital Deluxe Edition comes with a variety of bonuses that players should find helpful to their journey. Included in these bonuses are the Quokka, Chiral Cat, and Why Me? Patches, a Battle Skeleton: Gold, Boost Skeleton: Gold, and Bokka Skeleton: Gold, as well as 48 hours of early access to the game. There is yet another item, however, that points to the combat system that Death Stranding 2 claims to have improved.
Death Stranding 2 Collector's Edition Content Explained
Death Stranding 2's Collector's Edition comes with a variety of contents, including a statue, a figurine, art cards, and plenty of in-game items.
Death Stranding 2's Digital Deluxe Edition Points to an Improved Combat System
Combat Took a Backseat to Traversal and Delivery in the First Death Stranding
One of the biggest criticisms of the first Death Stranding was its preference for traversal and delivery over combat. The primary gameplay loop for Death Stranding revolved around Sam Porter Bridges making deliveries from one location to another in an effort to reconnect America, per the game's main story. As such, combat largely took a backseat, especially given that killing anyone in the game was highly discouraged according to Death Stranding lore.
In Death Stranding, when a person is killed, it creates a major risk of a Voidout — a massive explosion that obliterates the surrounding area, leaving behind a huge crater and wiping out everything nearby. This is one of Death Stranding's lore-based reasons for discouraging combat.
This inevitably resulted in Death Stranding's combat feeling clunky and stiff in comparison to its traversal mechanics, with melee encounters lacking fluidity and gunplay feeling rather basic overall, with limited weapon variety and simplistic aiming and shooting mechanics. Of course, Kojima intentionally downplayed violence in Death Stranding to emphasize connection, but that doesn't change the fact that its combat felt tacked on and uninspired.
The Machine Gun in Death Stranding 2's Digital Deluxe Edition Suggests More Diversity in Combat
That's what makes the inclusion of a Machine Gun [MP] (Lv.1) in Death Stranding 2's Digital Deluxe Edition great news for those who are hoping the sequel will improve on the first game's combat mechanics. Not only has what has been shown so far for Death Stranding 2 placed a greater emphasis on combat than its predecessor did, but the fact that its Digital Deluxe Edition includes a Machine Gun suggests that some combat scenarios will be fast-paced enough to demand a weapon with a high rate of fire.
Additionally, it implies there will be even greater weapon diversity in the game, just as certain scenes in Death Stranding 2's pre-order trailer and State of Play trailer have hinted at. Needless to say, greater weapon diversity also means greater variety in combat scenarios as well, with some potentially being more chaotic and others requiring a bit less from players.
Not only has what has been shown so far for Death Stranding 2 placed a greater emphasis on combat than its predecessor did, but the fact that its Digital Deluxe Edition includes a Machine Gun suggests that some combat scenarios will be fast-paced enough to demand a weapon with a high rate of fire.
At the very least, the inclusion of a Machine Gun in Death Stranding 2's Digital Deluxe Edition shows that Kojima isn't treating combat like an afterthought this time. Whether it's faster-paced encounters, more enemy types, or just a more seamless flow between traversal and action, everything shown so far points to a sequel that wants to feel more complete while appealing to a broader audience this time around.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 90 /100 Critics Rec: 95%
- Released
- June 26, 2025
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ // Violence, Blood and Gore, Partial Nudity, Strong Language
- Developer(s)
- Kojima Productions
- Publisher(s)
- Sony Interactive Entertainment
