Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Gaming
  3. News

New Death Stranding 2 clips reveal dynamic Photo Mode, dancing dolls, and more

By
Dollman hanging from a ceiling and talking to Norman Reedus in Death Stranding 2.
Kojima Productions

Much of Death Stranding 2: On the Beach still remains a mystery despite it being announced back in 2022. However, Kojima Productions revealed a little more information at the Tokyo Game Show this past weekend, and it’s maybe weirder than you were expecting.

The studio released some game footage to X (formerly Twitter) following the show, giving us insight into some of the new characters, a realistic-looking photo mode, and a choreographed dance number with a sentient puppet. So, it’s classic Hideo Kojima fare.

Recommended Videos

The first clip introduces two new characters. The first is Tarman, played in a cameo by Mad Max director George Miller. This is the latest addition to the series’ collection of movie director cameos, which started in the first game with Guillermo Del Toro and Nicolas Winding Refn. The other character is Dollman, who is, you know, a doll. And it looks like we’ll be seeing a lot of him.

Related

Next, we get a brief scene with Shioli Kutsuna’s Rainy and Elle Fanning’s Tomorrow — two of the game’s newest characters. The conversation sets up some Death Stranding lore weirdness

After that, we get a glimpse at what Heartman (Nicolas Winding Refn) has been up to since the first game. Looks like he’s found a way to sleep standing up.

So far, we’ve seen example cutscenes from Death Stranding 2, but the next clip dives into the photo mode, which has gotten a big upgrade. It shows Fragile, Tomorrow, and Rainy cycling through various poses together in various locations while holding stuffed cryptobiotes (a food source from the first game). I was taken aback at first when I saw this clip since I thought it was real-world footage, not rendered in game.

Finally, we come to what you’ve all been waiting for: a short Dollman music video. It’s for the song Horizon Dreamer from the game, and also stars J-pop’s Daichi Miura. According to the post, this is an in-game event video, so maybe we can expect more of these in the final game.

There might only be a few short clips here for a game that’s expected to release in 2025, but it’s the most we’ve learned about what Kojima Productions has in store since the 10-minute announcement trailer earlier this year. But if Death Stranding 2 is anything like its predecessor, there will be a lot of surprises being saved for launch.

Death Stranding 2 is just one of Kojima Productions’ current projects. The studio is also working on a horror game called OD, a live-action Death Stranding movie with A24, and a return to the stealth genre with Physint.

Editors’ Recommendations

Topics
Carli Velocci
Carli Velocci
Contributor, Games
Carli is a technology, culture, and games editor and journalist. They were the Gaming Lead and Copy Chief at Windows Central…
Hideo Kojima NFT scare ends with physical collectible confirmation
Kojima's mascot, Luden's helmet close up.

With plenty of gaming companies going into the NFT market, fans are constantly on high alert to see which developer will embrace the controversial technology next. Yesterday, rumors that Metal Gear Solid and Death Stranding creator Hideo Kojima was jumping into the non-fungible world blew up thanks to a tease from an NFT adjacent company, Anicorn. Turns out, it was all just for a physical collectible from Kojima Productions and Anicorn.

The original announcement led to a lot of concern among Hideo Kojima's fanbase. Anicorn makes physical products like watches but also creates NFTs. Because the first tweet teasing the collaboration was vague, replies to it were full of prayers that the project wouldn't be an NFT announcement or anything related to the metaverse.

Read more
Death Stranding Director’s Cut finally hits PC on March 30
Death Stranding Director's Cut key art for PC featuring Sam Bridges and a baby.

Kojima Productions and 505 Games' Death Stranding Director's Cut will launch for PC on March 30, 2022. It will cost $40 for new players, though those who already own Death Stranding on PC can upgrade for a small fee.

Death Stranding Director's Cut is an enhanced version of auteur Hideo Kojima's most experimental game yet. It follows Norman Reedus' Sam Porter Bridges as he slowly treks across America in an attempt to reconnect humanity. In our 2019 review of the game, Digital Trends said that "it won't change the minds of Kojima detractors who think he should just make movies, but the game's thoughtful social components showcase why he still plays such a vital role in the games industry."

Read more
Death Stranding: Director’s Cut heads to PC this spring with Intel XeSS support
Sam Bridges stands with the child he must carry with him.

Death Stranding: Director's Cut is coming to PC this spring. Announced at Intel's 2022 CES show, the PC port of the critically acclaimed 2019 game is the result of a partnership between Intel, developer Kojima Productions, and publisher 505 Games.

According to 505 Games, Director's Cut will release simultaneously on the Epic Games Store and Steam, where it already has a listing. The game doesn't have a more specific release date than spring 2022, but Intel and 505 Games are promising that this will be the "definitive Death Stranding experience".

Read more