We thought Death Stranding was Peak Kojima, but Death Stranding 2 already looks like it's scaling new heights of his personal WTF mountain

GamesActionDeath Stranding 2We thought Death Stranding was Peak Kojima, but Death Stranding 2 already looks like it’s scaling new heights of his personal WTF mountainWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

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Troy Baker is back and now he’s electric guitar Joker

(Image credit: Kojima Productions)

Death Stranding 2

Jody Macgregor, Weekend/AU Editor:Troy Baker played Higgs in Death Stranding, the mask-wearing villain I enjoyed punching repeatedly. Somehow he’s back in Death Stranding 2, but with a harlequin makeover like he’s one step away from subjecting Sam to a menacing monologue about dogs chasing cars. (Which is funny, because he did voice the actual Joker in Arkham Origins.)

Fragile and Sam are blue sometimes

(Image credit: Kojima Productions)

Death Stranding 2

Morgan Park, Staff Writer:How very Kojima to cut from an autopsy of a tar-gushing freak to Fragile giving a tour of her airship while blue. Why are Sam and Fragile a deep shade of blue, and why is nobody commenting on it? [I thought they looked blue-gray but let’s not make this a “what color is the dress” issue. — Ed.] When I showed the trailer to my partner she thought something was wrong with our TV’s color balance.

My best guess is that the ship is mid-travel during this sequence, and because Kojima likes to season his worlds in strange details, I bet turning blue is just what happens when you sail across the sea or fly too high in the post-Death Stranding world. Their skin and everything they’re wearing turns blue, but the inside of the ship itself is somehow unaffected. Maybe it’s a trick of perception? We’re talking about the same world where a small percentage of the population have superpowers that make them cry when BTs are around, so I’m not counting anything out.

Sam Porter Bridges' newest friend is a sentient vampire puppet he clips to his belt

(Image credit: Kojima Productions)

Death Stranding 2

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Also, he’s a vampire? When electric guitar Joker torments him later on, the puppet pulls a sudden red-eyed, fangs out hissy face out of nowhere. I predict dracula puppet will be the first videogame character nominated for Best Supporting Actor at the 2026 Academy Awards. And he will win.

Fragile’s hand necklace

(Image credit: Kojima Productions)

Death Stranding 2

Morgan Park, Staff Writer:I love that everyone in Death Stranding has to have a “thing.” Die-Hardman had his mask, Heartman had his handy-dandy defibrillator, and now Troy Baker has lightning guitar axe. It seems like Fragile’s hung up her old “thing” (that cool teleporting umbrella) and traded it in for something way weirder: a pair of mechanical(?) hands that she wears like a necklace. We see it react to what she’s saying, like making a “shush” motion, and then later light her cigarette with the snap of its fingers. Disturbing, a little goofy, and undeniably cool. I bet we’ll learn halfway through the game that those hands contain the soul of Fragile’s dead friend or something.

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Troy Baker is back and now he’s electric guitar Joker#

Fragile and Sam are blue sometimes#

Sam Porter Bridges' newest friend is a sentient vampire puppet he clips to his belt#

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals#

Fragile’s hand necklace#

Troy Baker is back and now he’s electric guitar Joker

Fragile and Sam are blue sometimes

Sam Porter Bridges' newest friend is a sentient vampire puppet he clips to his belt

The biggest gaming news, reviews and hardware deals

Fragile’s hand necklace