Death Stranding 2 and the Beautiful Madness of Hideo Kojima
There are game developers. There are designers. And then there’s Hideo Kojima.
A man who doesn’t make video games so much as he crafts cryptic digital art pieces that also happen to feature long cutscenes, philosophical rambling, and sometimes Norman Reedus bathing in a cave with a baby in a jar.
And now, the madman is back.
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach officially drops on June 26, 2025, and if the trailers are anything to go by, we’re in for another round of “What the hell did I just watch?” in the best possible way, of course.
But to understand where we’re going, we’ve got to appreciate where we’ve been—so let’s dive into the messy brilliance of Kojima’s past, present, and hopefully trauma-inducing future.
What We Know About Death Stranding 2 (So Far)
So far, Kojima’s given us two trailers, a few cryptic interviews, and a lingering sense of existential dread. In other words: par for the course.
Here’s the basic rundown:
Starring: The goat, Norman Reedus (Sam), Léa Seydoux (Fragile), Troy Baker (back as Higgs but somehow more anime?), and newcomers like Elle Fanning and Shioli Kutsuna.
Pre-orders: Live now for $69.99 on PS5 as of March 17, 2025.
Gameplay? Still mostly a mystery. There are glimpses of more action-heavy sequences, motorcycle stunts, and lots of blood-stained beaches.
Tone? Somehow even darker, more surreal, and maybe more horror-focused than the first.
Kojima’s calling it a “new experience, not a sequel,” which is classic Kojima-speak for “Yes, it’s a sequel, but I’m going to do whatever the hell I want.”
This is also the man who once pretended to be a fake game developer named Joakim Mogren just to promote Metal Gear Solid V, so…yea, buckle up.
What Was Death Stranding Even About?
Great question, young grasshopper. Let’s start with the non-spoiler version:
In Death Stranding 1, you play as Sam Porter Bridges, a rugged delivery guy in a post-apocalyptic United States that’s been decimated by an event called the Death Stranding—a catastrophe that blurred the line between the world of the living and the dead.
Sam’s job?
Reconnect the country’s isolated outposts using a magic USB necklace and a lot of FedEx-core backpacking.
Image Source: Death Stranding | Kojima Productions
You get stalked by invisible ghosts called BTs, avoid rain that literally ages everything it touches (known as Timefall), and make deliveries while carrying a jar baby (a BB) that helps detect supernatural threats.
It’s weird, it’s lonely, it’s isolating, and it’s one of the most oddly touching games ever made. If walking simulators and horror babies had a lovechild, this would be it.
Spoiler Zone: What Happened at the End of DS1?
Turns out Sam is technically the first person ever born on the “other side” (aka, the beach of death), and the Death Stranding was orchestrated by Amelie, a god-like extinction entity using human proxies to bring about the end of the world.
Image Source: Death Stranding | Kojima Productions
Through a lot of beach monologues and blood-soaked hand-holding, Sam stops the final extinction and chooses to save the world by not connecting everything—because maybe total connection isn’t what humanity needs.
Oh, and the BB? Her name’s Lou, and she might be your daughter. Or a reincarnation. Or…Kojima things.
The Ghost of Silent Hills: The Horror We Were Robbed Of
Let’s get this out of the way: we were robbed.
P.T., the playable teaser for Silent Hills, was one of the most pants-shredding horror experiences of the last decade—and it was just a demo. Kojima, Norman Reedus, and Guillermo del Toro were about to drop a horror nuke on us.
Then Konami happened.
They pulled the plug, axed the game, and canned Kojima like he was some intern trying to unionize. The fallout was legendary and everyone was pissed (myself included).
Konami nuked its own reputation, Kojima walked, and the gaming world cried rivers of digital tears as P.T. vanished from existence (unless you’ve got it hidden on an old PS4, in which case, you’re gaming royalty).
But P.T. wasn’t just a loss—it was a warning: this man understands horror.
Not in the jump-scare, loud violin sting kind of way, but the “I hate this hellscape of a hallway and I’ve been in it for 30 minutes” kind of dread.
The slow, skin-crawling, existential, reality-bending horror. The good stuff.
The Horror Thread in Kojima’s Career
Kojima was well known for Metal Gear Solid—stealth-action espionage masterpieces with way too many cutscenes—but horror and suspense has always been lurking in his work like a ghost hiding behind a cracked bathroom mirror.
Let’s throw back a few memories:
Psycho Mantis reading your memory card in MGS1? Horrifying.
The Sorrow’s boss fight in MGS3, where you walk a river of your past kills? Unsettling AF.
Even Snatcher (his cyberpunk VN from the ‘80s) was basically Blade Runner meets body horror.
Image Source: Fight Against the Sorrow | Metal Gear Solid 3 | Konami
Kojima loves screwing with your head in the most unique way.
Not with gore, but with psychological unease. And Death Stranding is arguably his biggest experiment in isolation, mortality, and—let’s be honest—deep, haunting weirdness.
The Cult of Kojima: Visionary, Madman, or Both?
Kojima isn’t for everyone.
Some people hate his obsession with Hollywood actors, his endless cutscenes, and his insistence on writing like he’s trapped in a college dorm at 3 AM reading Camus.
But here’s the thing—he doesn’t care.
He makes the games he wants to make. He pitched Death Stranding to Norman Reedus at a sushi restaurant with zero script and he still instantly agreed.
Received from Harmony Korine @EDGLRD. Thank you so much🙏🫶👍🙇🏻😍 pic.twitter.com/VlXzDI0JMN
— HIDEO_KOJIMA (@HIDEO_KOJIMA_EN) May 8, 2025
That’s how much influence this man has.
He’s the David Lynch of gaming—except instead of weird cowboy angels, you get slow-mo gunfights set to Icelandic music while Mads Mikkelsen bleeds black oil.
Why Death Stranding 2 Could Be a Horror Masterpiece
This is it. Kojima has full creative control again. Sony isn’t holding the leash. And based on the trailers, he’s leaning harder into the unsettling:
Surreal landscapes.
Nightmare-fueled monsters.
Characters bleeding from their eyes while whispering about fate?
If Death Stranding was horror-adjacent, Death Stranding 2 might go full horror-core.
And we’re here for it.
It’s probably the closest we’ll ever get to Silent Hills, and knowing Kojima, he’s going to channel all that unmade terror into something funderfully weird, delightfully uncomfortable, and absolutely unforgettable.
Image Source: Death Stranding 2 | Kojima Productions
Also: Elle Fanning is playing a mysterious masked character named “Tomorrow” who may or may not be Lou. We don’t really know what her deal is yet, but we do know her design screams “I read your soul before breakfast” and I personally can’t wait to find out more.
Final Delivery – Embrace the Madness
Love him or hate him, Kojima’s games matter.
They challenge the industry, they confuse critics, and they break brains. He’s the last of a dying breed—a true visionary in a world of annual sequels, remasters, and regurgitation culture.
So when Death Stranding 2 hits on June 26, 2025, plug in your BB, dust off your absurdly oversized backpack, and prepare to reconnect (or sever?) the strands of humanity once again.
Because Kojima doesn’t just make games. He makes unforgettable experiences.
Strange, bloated, brilliant experiences. And honestly?
We’re better for it.
Make sure to grab your pre-order for Death Stranding 2 on PS5 for the June release!
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Grant G
May 10, 2025
First time I’ve been here but not a bad article. Hideo kojima is a legend.
Ayefkay
May 10, 2025
Thanks Grant, I appreciate you saying so!