After years of waiting and months of extensive hype, Kojima Productions’ Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is out on June 26th for PS5 (though Digital Deluxe Edition owners will get 48 hours of early access). Say what you will about the original and its characters or the world-building and lore, but in terms of graphical prowess, very few titles could match its brilliance. The fact that Kojima Productions achieved all of this on the PlayStation 4 is all the more impressive. Even as it launched for PC and received a Director’s Cut, bringing it to the PS5, the original remains one of the best-looking games of all time.
That being said, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach isn’t just on another level – it’s several magnitudes more impressive. Both titles utilize Guerrilla Games’ Decima Engine, and while its technical features (and limitations) still apply to the sequel, the development team has pulled out all the stops to elevate the experience in every imaginable way. Without further ado, let’s dive into the graphical differences between each title and what makes the sequel stand out.
World Detail
While the first game saw players travelling a single country, it offered some unique environments and climates (leaving aside the otherworldly locations or tar-covered areas). The vegetation, fjords, waterfalls, and snow certainly stood out, and while the “post-apocalyptic Iceland” jokes remained relevant throughout, it was still an absolutely stunning experience. However, it should come as no surprise that Death Stranding 2 surpasses it in every single way.
There are two major locations this time around – Mexico and Australia – each with their own significant roles to play in the story. Kojima Productions highlighted the sheer variety well before launch and that’s all the more obvious given the different types of foliage, plants, water bodies, rock textures, minerals, and wild animals, and how much more detailed the textures are.
It would all be for nought if this didn’t significantly change up gameplay, but it feels like the development team really dug into the delivery aspect of the series and freshened up the kinds of routes that players traverse. Varying elevation and more uneven terrain are some ways, but there’s a greater emphasis on verticality. If you thought the original offered an unforgettable experience when it came to surmounting rocky peaks or gazing out on the landscape with all its potential nooks and secrets, Death Stranding 2 is on another level in scale, fidelity, and sheer realism (and that’s before accounting for the weather effects).
Lighting
Given the Decima Engine, there wasn’t much hope that the sequel would harness ray-traced global illumination or shadows, and so on. The lighting system is still fairly dynamic and intermingles with the new day/night cycle to mark the passage of time in a fairly realistic manner. The combination of more varied sky boxes, unique climate changes, and biome variety serve to illustrate the beauty of the lighting. However, it’s also apparent indoors, including Sam’s safehouse in the opening hours or when battling newcomer Neil in an otherworldly environment with sparklers and fireworks going off everywhere.
Character Models
Probably the most notable improvement that won’t be immediately obvious for those who haven’t played the original is the character models. Death Stranding’s characters already looked pretty incredible, especially when considering hair detail, skin, and material quality of clothing. Death Stranding 2: On the Beach improves every aspect across the board, whether it’s the skin textures – resulting in more defined blemishes, wrinkles and facial hair – or the more realistic hair physics.
The character models also look more detailed, especially with the fabric detail. The fact that all of this is enhanced by the improved lighting, coming across as more natural and human, is another feather in the sequel’s cap. It helps highlight the material quality so much more, whether it’s the worn-down leather of pouches or Dollman’s suit and hair contours.
Facial Animations
Kojima Productions has always been known for its best-in-class facial animations, and Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is no different. Cutscenes are, of course, where they excel the most, aided by the improved eye quality and skin textures. They bring out so much more of the characters’ personalities, making Fragile come across as that much more mysterious and Higgs even more unhinged (if the clown-like makeup wasn’t enough already). Once again, the difference may not be as explicit without comparing to the original, but considering all the nuances in expressions and how realistic everything looks without any sacrifice in fidelity, Death Stranding 2 is a phenomenal achievement.
Weather Effects
In terms of weather effects, Death Stranding 2 has its predecessor beat – surprise, surprise. Not that it’s a mark of shame against the original, as its depiction of Timefall and snowflakes was very well done, especially in how they react with the environment. The sequel retains all that and adds numerous new weather phenomena including sandstorms that realistically cover characters, vehicles and the environment in dust afterwards. Watching fires break out, the latter causing smoke to billow and rise while trees naturally crumble is also incredible. Fog and other volumetrics are also amazingly well done and combined with the lighting, present an altogether different atmosphere while maintaining the signature Death Stranding vibe.
Miscellaneous Details
For those who haven’t seen a single shred of gameplay to date, prepare to be blown away from the draw distance. It truly highlights the sheer scale of the environment, especially when there’s no hit to the level of detail (at least none on extensive scrutiny). As noted earlier, ray tracing isn’t utilized, not even for reflections on shiny surfaces or water bodies. Nevertheless, the sequel substitutes that with impressive usage of screen space reflections. Water physics is more realistic this time around, flowing naturally, especially during flash floods as waves tumble over each other (and Sam, if you happen to be caught in the torrent). Terrain deformation is another notable element of the gameplay loop, which can significantly alter routes and hamper exploration if you’re not careful. Watching an avalanche occur or a rockslide caused by an earthquake, with rocks realistically tumbling over each, generating dust along the way, is something else entirely.
Conclusion
Just when it seemed like the generation was absolutely tapped in terms of graphical fidelity, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach shows up and surpasses expectations, the largest being how significant the jump in its fidelity over the first game can be. Everything, from the character models and their expressions to the environmental variety and attention to detail; the intermixing of time of day, climate, and atmospherics with the phenomenal lighting; and the particle systems combined with terrain deformation make for a visually resplendent experience. The fact that it’s achieving all this on base PS5 at 60 frames per second is all the more impressive.
While the Decima Engine continues to impress, even after all these years, it’s incredible just how much Death Stranding 2: On the Beach can achieve in terms of fidelity, even without features like ray tracing. It’s not an absolutely spotless graphical showcase, yet for fans of the original, the evolution of the visuals and art direction is worth the price of admission alone and once again cements Kojima Productions as masters of its craft.
