Though Death Stranding told a concise story that wrapped up a majority of the plot threads and character arcs, discussion about a sequel has not slowed down since the game released. Kojima and the rest of his team could age Lou up, continue Sam’s story as he tries to provide for baby Lou, or focus on an entirely new cast of characters. However, regardless of the story that a new Death Stranding game tells, a space setting would be a fun direction to take.
While the post-apocalyptic version of America was stunning, and was brought to life perfectly through the use of the Decima engine, players have thoroughly explored the grassy plains and snowy mountains featured there. As such, Death Stranding 2 should lean into a new setting, and space makes more sense than one might think. For both narrative and gameplay purposes, Death Stranding 2 can and should take gamers far away from the planet earth.
A Space Setting For Death Stranding Feels Like a Natural Step Forward
From a lore perspective, Death Stranding already seems to be playing with the idea of space travel. The Kojima Productions Ludens mascot is treated as an astronaut in-game, with multiple characters making mention of a dream to explore other planets. Further, though the extinction of humanity is delayed at the end of the game, the earth is still in danger of being destroyed and BTs still roam the world. Moving to the stars to create a safer home could be an interesting premise for a game.
This is in addition to the Kojima Productions Logo Movie, which shows the Ludens mascot exploring what looks to be the moon. Not only would their stylish suit of armor be a lot of fun to use in a game, but it could be a way to keep the main character breathing in outer space. Further, it could allow them to explore the water the digital whale leaps out of at the end of the logo movie, making sense of the recent Project Ocean code name leak. Though the code name suggests water-based exploration and deliveries will be the focus instead of outer space, this interesting logo video would suggest that both are possible at the same time.
A space setting would allow Death Stranding 2 to embrace a similar but slightly different theme. While the original Death Stranding focused on isolation and reconnection, the sequel could focus on rebuilding. With humanity living through an extinction event, it could seek to expand to new, safer planets in the hopes that a world on par with earth could be created. This could extend to the gameplay loop as well.
Instead of connecting UCA Facilities, Death Stranding players could need to craft bases across the Moon or another planet. A base building mechanic would work for some fresh Strand-Type gameplay, as players would need to contribute to building bases and other buildings like they did with roads. New equipment would be a necessity, as would low gravity physics to make picking up packages a bit more challenging. Space would instantly open up fresh traversal options as well, with players able to use rovers or leap great distances even without exo suits.
All Kojima Productions would need to do in order to make a space setting viable is come up with a stand-in for Death Stranding’s BTs, as it seems unlikely that these creatures would be found if players left earth. So long as Kojima can come up with a new threat that players need to work around, a space-focused game could work extremely well. With the Kojima Productions logo movie briefly showing the potential of such a game, perhaps Death Stranding players will take to the stars in the heavily rumored sequel.
Death Stranding is available now on PC, PS4, and PS5.
