Hideo Kojima’s series remains demanding and inscrutable, but the original game sets up the sequel perfectly.

Regardless of your feelings on the man, Death Stranding 2 feels like the kind of sequel only Kojima could make. It’s bolder, stranger, and more meditative. It doubles down on the themes of connection,

When Death Stranding came out in 2019, I did what a lot of people apparently did: Played it for an hour, thought it was a bit weird, and didn't pick it up again until years later (in my case, 2022). So when a sequel to the game was announced,