Summary
Death Stranding 2: On the Beachhands-on previews have officially gone live, which means fans have been treated to a more in-depth look at its world, gameplay, and story. Based on what has now been revealed,Death Stranding 2is bringing an even greater host of changes to the original game than was originally anticipated, to the point that it feels like it might be a different experience altogether. Whether those changes ultimately work in its favor remains to be seen, but at the very least, these changes suggestDeath Strandingcould be broadening its audience alongside its horizons in the sequel.
There were plenty of noteworthy features revealed aboutDeath Stranding 2’s world and story, from the fact that it is primarily set in Australia rather than America, to the quickened pacing of the narrative. However, one of the significant changes appears to makeDeath Stranding 2more of an RPG than the first game was. Officially, bothDeath Strandingand its successor are action-adventure games, even though the first game had role-playing elements here and there.Death Stranding 2, on the other hand, is making some classic RPG mechanics a core part of its gameplay.
Death Stranding 2’s Progression Mechanics Are Derivative of Classic RPGs
The First Death Stranding Relied Heavily on the Porter Grade System
The firstDeath Strandingwasn’t technically an RPG, but it did have some RPG systems at play — albeit, primarily in the background. The most prominent RPG system inDeath Strandingwas its Porter Grade System, which passively increased stats like balance, carrying capacity, and stability based on delivery performance. Since the gameplay loop forDeath Strandingrevolved primarily around its delivery mechanics, so too did its progression. Categories like Speed, Cargo Condition, and Miscellaneous tracked how well players handled deliveries, but had no direct relation toDeath Stranding’s combator traversal skills beyond what impacted Sam’s encumbrance.
Another defining characteristic of an RPG is that it allows players to have a unique, personal experience.Death Strandingoffers a universal experience, even with its Porter Grade System in place.
While it might technically be considered an RPG system, the Porter Grade System inDeath Strandingonly exhibited light role-playing elements. Sam’s growth didn’t impact playstyle variety or player agency and instead was simply a way for Sam to grow and become a more efficient porter. For it to be a true role-playing experience,Death Strandingwould have needed aprogression systemthat allowed players to have more control over Sam’s growth, rather than merely being the instigator of that growth.
Death Stranding 2’s Proficiency System Applies a ‘Learning by Doing’ Approach
This is whereDeath Stranding 2and its new Proficiency system come in. Rather than simply relying on the Porter Grade System introduced in the first game,Death Stranding 2introduces a Proficiency system with twelve new Proficiency stats that grow based on how the game is played. For all intents and purposes,Death Stranding 2’s new Proficiency system applies the “learning by doing” approach ofclassic RPGslikeThe Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivionand many others that came before it.
Just as similar systems do ingames likeThe Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion,Death Stranding 2’s Proficiency system means Sam’s playstyle is going to change depending on what players do. For example, if they use melee more often, Sam’s melee Proficiency will grow, meaning his skill in that area will improve. Should players want to enhance Sam’s ability to traverse rough terrain, they simply need to walk across rough terrain, and his ability to do so without stumbling will improve.
In other words,Death Stranding 2gives players more control over Sam’s progression than they had in the first game. With the Proficiency system, players can now develop a personalized version ofSam Porter Bridges, meaning two players might end up with very different versions of the same character by the time the credits roll. In the end, this makesDeath Stranding 2: On the Beachthe RPG the first game only flirted with, and that could be one of the many things that increases its appeal to a broader audience this time.
