If you’re here, you must have seen the full 10-minute Kojima-edited trailer for Death Stranding 2, which is coming out sooner than expected on June 26. Many people are wondering: what the hell is Hideo Kojima’s Death Stranding even about?
Spoiler alert for those who haven’t played the first game—we’ll be covering minor details about Death Stranding’s story as well. If you’re as confused as we are, let’s dissect the very essence of Hideo Kojima’s latest opus: Norman Reedus and his funky fetus.
What’s it really all about? Let’s clear things up and explain everything in the simplest terms possible.
Think of this as a Death Stranding FAQ.
What Is Up With The Shadow People?
Before we dive into what Death Stranding is, let’s first explore its setting and tone. Death Stranding is a post-apocalyptic science fiction game set in a barren United States after the appearance of mysterious creatures known as ‘Beached Things’ (BTs). These entities disrupted the laws of science and reshaped the world into something unrecognizable.
BTs are stranded souls in Kojima’s metaphysical realm called the Beach, a kind of purgatory before they cross over to the actual land of the dead. No one knows what Kojima is smoking, but these BTs aren't happy. Since they’re made of antimatter, any contact with a living creature triggers a catastrophic explosion called a voidout, which can render an entire city uninhabitable in seconds.
This phenomenon also introduced a deadly weather effect called Timefall—rain that rapidly ages anything it touches. Buildings, vehicles, and even humans deteriorate within moments of exposure. That’s why the America we explore in Death Stranding is nothing but dust and ash, as Sam trudges across the landscape with a baby strapped to his chest.
The world of Death Stranding is grim and terrifying. Humanity has been forced underground, living in bunkers, and relying entirely on delivery services for survival. Imagine our surprise when this game came out in the middle of a Pandemic.
So Is It A Walking Simulator?
This is where Norman Reedus’ character, Sam, comes in. He’s a delivery guy—a Porter in Death Stranding terms.
As a futuristic FedEx courier, Sam traverses the continent delivering packages, pizza, and medicine to people with no other means of obtaining them. His clients even include cameo appearances like Conan O’Brien, Junji Ito, Sam Lake, and more.
And yes, before you rush to Reddit and Twitter to complain—Death Stranding has always been a walking simulator. But not in the way Steam’s collection of indie walking sims works. Death Stranding is an action-adventure journey. You can approach its challenges in different ways: either by avoiding conflict, engaging in shootouts with cargo-stealing MULEs, or even battling powerful BTs in intense boss fights. Heck, you could even do bridge construction and help make a functioning road for safe travel. The game leaves it all in your hands—whether you prefer using strategic combat tools or, yes, even unconventional options like bodily fluids against the Shadow People, that’s your call.
At its core, you’re reconnecting a broken world—one that no longer has access to the internet. Kojima cleverly plays into this by rewarding players with Likes, Hearts, and various in-game validation mechanics to boost their dopamine levels.
How Does Online Work?
Death Stranding is a game that uses Hideo Kojima's "Social Strand System". It’s a gameplay system designed to create a social, interconnected experience where players share a persistent world through a shared server.
See that rope over there? Yeah, a player from the Philippines placed that so he could climb to the old man on top of the hill. What about that ladder acting as a bridge across a deep crevice? That was probably mine—I accidentally left it there while running away from BTs.
If this sounds familiar, it’s similar to Dark Souls, where you see traces of other players’ actions. In Death Stranding, however, instead of witnessing deaths and immature ‘Liar Ahead’ messages, you interact with structures and tools left behind by other players. The idea is to promote cooperation—helping each other without ever directly meeting.
It may not be revolutionary, but in rare moments, it genuinely works. So, shoutout to the legend who placed those ziplines near the Wind Farm—you made life a whole lot easier.
What About the Baby?
Oh yeah, the baby strapped to Norman Reedus’ chest? It acts as a sensor to detect BTs, which are otherwise invisible to the human eye.
These Bridge Babies (BBs) are essentially tools—born from brain-dead mothers and kept in artificial womb pods filled with placenta. This environment mimics the conditions of a real mother’s womb, making the BB feel safe while assisting its assigned Porter. Dark stuff. One can only imagine how Kojima sleeps at night dreaming up ideas like this.
His explanation? Since BBs exist between life and death, they possess a unique ability to bridge the gap between the two realms. Okaaay.
Without getting into spoilers, Sam’s relationship with his BB is central to Death Stranding’s emotional core.
What’s Up With Mads Mikkelsen?
Mads Mikkelsen played a major character in the first game, but he won’t be returning for the sequel. We won’t spoil the details, but his role is pivotal to the first game’s events. If you thought Death Stranding was just about walking and carrying cargo, Mads Mikkelsen’s character will prove you very, very wrong.
What’s Troy Baker’s Character Got to Do With Anything Here?
Spoiler Alert: Higgs is back, and he’s angrier than ever.
If you haven’t played the first game, Higgs is essentially Sam’s archnemesis—a nihilist who wants to push the button that’ll end all human existence. Pretty edgy. But in Death Stranding 2, he’s even more unhinged and has assembled an army of lunatics to further his cause. At least his fashion sense has improved.
So What’s Up With Death Stranding 2?
Death Stranding 2 takes place years after Sam successfully reconnected America’s fragmented Wi-Fi network. Now, with more resources, humanity is expanding its reach to other continents—this time, potentially South America.
This new region is an uncharted mystery after the post-apocalyptic BT events, meaning there are far more questions than answers. To uncover them, Sam embarks on a new journey alongside returning characters like Fragile (Lea Seydoux) and Heartman (Nicolas Winding Refn), as well as newcomers like Elle Fanning’s Tomorrow and Shioli Kutsuna’s Rainy.
And because Kojima can’t resist a Metal Gear Solid reference, he’s introduced a new character who bears striking similarities to Snake—bandana and all.
RELATED: Death Stranding 2 - All Characters So Far
We still don’t know much about Death Stranding 2’s story, but one thing is certain: it’s going to be just as confusing as the first game. Here’s some advice—play Death Stranding 1 first. Otherwise, you’ll get lost in the sea of jargon (Chiral Networks, Sticks, Ropes, yadda yadda).
But don’t worry about feeling lost—even hardcore fans of Death Stranding still don’t know what the hell Kojima is up to now.
One thing’s for sure, though—the latest trailer looks incredible, and I can’t wait to see what’s in store for Death Stranding 2.