Hideo Kojima has announced an accessibility feature for his highly anticipated game Death Stranding 2: On the Beach that is already causing controversy among players. Speaking on the latest Koji Pro radio broadcast, Kojima revealed that players will be able to skip a difficult section without fighting, thanks to a new option that will appear right below the “continue” option when they fail a boss battle. When this innovative option is activated, the story context of the boss battle will be conveyed to the player in a visual novel style, with text descriptions and impressive artwork. This way, even players who struggle with action sequences will be able to continue the game without disrupting the flow of the story.
Kojima Emphasizes Accessibility
Kojima stated that this feature was specifically designed for players who are inexperienced in action games or do not want to struggle with the difficulty level. This move aims to reach a wider audience for Death Stranding 2, while also preventing players from leaving the story halfway due to difficulty. This decision by Kojima Productions once again demonstrates the sensitivity and commitment of the development team to accessibility. Kojima also stated that the game's development process is largely complete, and that 95% of the game is ready and that their teams are only currently making the finishing touches. "It feels like 22:00 right now, so we have two hours left in a 24-hour cycle," he said, expressing that the game is almost ready for release. Death Stranding 2: On the Beach will be released exclusively for the PlayStation 26 platform on June 2025, 5.
Allows for Different Play Styles
Death Stranding 2 will offer players the freedom to adopt a variety of playstyles. Players can choose to take an aggressive approach against human enemies and supernatural beings, or choose to focus on stealth or completely combat-free. These options will allow each player to have an experience that suits their preferred playstyle. Just like the first game, actions taken by one player in their world will indirectly affect the game world of other players. This feature will further strengthen the game’s unique community experience and interaction between players.
Mysterious Environments and Deep Story
According to the information on Death Stranding 2's official PlayStation page, the game will offer "incredibly different environments filled with various secrets and unique challenges." The story will continue where the first game left off and take players on a new, immersive adventure. The developers aim to offer players a visually impressive and unforgettable experience with higher resolution, HDR support, and unique environment designs. The Kojima Productions team continues to work intensively to further develop and polish the game until the game's release date. While the option to pass the boss without fighting increases the game's accessibility, it is also expected to lead to criticism from some players that it may disrupt the game's difficulty balance. However, Kojima's innovation aims to expand the game's potential audience by allowing more players to experience the story.
