The following contains minor spoilers for Death Stranding 2.
While Death Stranding 2 encourages players to do whatever they want — whether that be taking on as many orders as they possibly can or simply wandering the world to take in its breathtaking views — there is still some invisible pressure it places on players to progress through the main story. Some of this pressure has undoubtedly come from the countless narrative teasers Kojima has offered up in the game's trailers ahead of its release, and a desire many players might have to learn the truth behind those teasers. However, that pressure also comes when players know what gameplay opportunities lie ahead of them that can only be unlocked by advancing Death Stranding 2's story.
Of course, that's perfectly understandable, considering progressing to a certain point in Death Stranding 2's narrative can make its core gameplay loop a bit easier for players. At the same time, there is a hidden cost that comes with fast-tracking the story just to unlock these features that some players might not realize is there before it's too late. This cost is two-fold, as it undercuts Death Stranding's signature pacing and makes some major narrative beats happen sooner than players may want.
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Death Stranding 2's New Traversal Options Can Undercut the Game's Signature Pacing
Unlocking Fast Travel and Vehicles Comes at a Subtle Cost
One of the main reasons players might wish to progress the story sooner rather than later is to get to Death Stranding 2's Australia. It handles its introduction in Mexico very well, and offers new players a lesson in the franchise's iconic gameplay and veteran players a great refresher. However, Australia is where players can unlock new traversal options like fast travel and the monorail, both of which can make completing deliveries and getting around Death Stranding 2's world much easier.
Players do unlock their first vehicle, the Tri-Cruiser, in Mexico, but even more traversal options open up in Australia.
The cost of getting to this point, though, is that it ultimately denies players the chance to experience the pacing that Death Stranding is known for. While Death Stranding 2 picks up the pace quite a bit, seemingly in order to be more welcoming to new players, the franchise is meant to be more of a meditative experience than simply getting from one place to another to complete orders as quickly as possible. As such, getting to Australia as quickly as possible just to unlock traversal options that make the game's pacing move even quicker can ruin that. Sure, players can return to Mexico in Death Stranding 2 once they've unlocked the ability to fast travel, but by the time they reach Australia, they might feel they're in too deep to backtrack.
Some Story Moments Hit Harder When Players Linger
How these new traversal options undercut Death Stranding 2's pacing isn't the only reason advancing the story as quickly as possible isn't the best idea either, as it also makes some major story moments in Mexico come and go much quicker — moments that players can't get back once they've happened. There are plenty of things for players to do while they're in Mexico, and it's large enough to justify sticking around for a while. Should players choose to only focus on the story, however, they'll be in Australia within just a few hours, and the plot points they could have prolonged will be behind them.
While Death Stranding 2 picks up the pace quite a bit, seemingly in order to be more welcoming to new players, the franchise is meant to be more of a meditative experience than simply getting from one place to another to complete orders as quickly as possible.
All of this said, it's still important that players enjoy Death Stranding 2 at their own pace, as it thrives on a decent amount of agency when players feel they can approach it in their own way. Still, should players want to experience the sequel in the way the franchise was meant to be experienced, lingering just a little while longer in Mexico is the way to go.
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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
