Death Stranding 2: On the Beachis not for the faint of heart, for more than one reason. Sure, there are some horrific, oppressive moments as you try to make it around BTs without being seen and caught, but the game’s heartbreaking plot points are even more challenging to navigate. Some of them occur within the first few hours of the game, while others wait until you think you’re out of the woods before sinking a few more daggers into your heart. However, nothing could have prepared me for one of the more devastating moments in my career as aDeath Stranding 2porter, and it has nothing to do with any of those emotionally draining story beats.
Now that I’ve completedDeath Stranding 2’s story offline without vehicles, I’ve been going back and maxing out my reputation with every prepper, just as I did with the original game. Rather than attempting to do it all on foot, though, I’ve given in and decided to use vehicles, just to make completing each errand more efficient. For a while, it really was a joyride, getting to fly across terrain that had once taken me hours to traverse, even if it did mean undercutting the slow, meditative journey I crave fromDeath Stranding. Unfortunately, it wasn’t long before using vehicles cost me something much more than the game’s intended pacing, and it broke me.
I Ran Over an Animal in Death Stranding 2, and It Broke Me
My Careless Driving Cost Some Poor Animal Its Life
There I was, cruising along in myPickup Off-Roaderwith all the cargo I could carry and every intent on getting to my destinations as efficiently as possible to score some reputation with Australia’s preppers. The sun was out, my route was drawn, and the roads were clear — or so I thought. Without a care in the world, I had the pedal on the floor, until a bright red notification popped up on the left side of my screen that informed me I had killed a harmless little quokka that stood no chance against the tread of my giant, unprejudiced tires.
It wasn’t long before using vehicles cost me something much more than the game’s intended pacing, and it broke me.
My heart sank. I knew there were wildanimals inDeath Stranding 2, unlike the first game, but for some reason, I thought they’d be invincible to my careless driving. I assumed, like many other games, that they were coded to allow me to phase right through them — but no. The game had to go and drop a blood-red guilt trip on me that I’ll never forget. I killed a poor animal I was meant to save, and it’s all because I thought taking the quicker route on the back of a vehicle was the best way to quickly increase my popularity among preppers. Instead, it’s likely I’m more infamous than famous among the wild animals ofDeath Stranding 2’s Australia, who now know me as the heartless “Quokka Slayer.”
This Might Be One of the Ways DS2 Discourages the Use of Vehicles
I mean, I knew it all along. This game, like its predecessor, isn’t meant to be played with vehicles. Yeah, they’re there to be used, but something aboutDeath Stranding 2’s pacing just begs me not to. It’s meant to be this slow, thoughtful, contemplative experience, and driving a loud truck through the desert kind of goes against that. After killing that poor quokka on the back of my Pickup Off-Roader, I was reminded again whywalking is still the meta inDeath Stranding 2. It’s not just to preserve the game’s intended pacing but also to preserve the lives of the innocent wilbies and echidnas that roam the wilds.
This is something I’ll never get back. And of course, there’s a bit of humor with this, but the fact that I still haven’t forgotten about it means something. I still see those red letters. I’ll see them in my dreams, in my nightmares, and they might even appear as phantoms on my screen while I finish makingSam look good inDeath Stranding 2. Take my advice and walk from here on out. All the quokkas will thank you.
