Opinion
Once Human aims to be «the» next forever game – but is it good enough?
by Philipp Rüegg
The best thing about Death Stranding 2? Multiplayer mode
2.7.2025
Translation: Jessica Johnson-Ferguson
Pictures: Philipp Rüegg
Death Stranding 2 is a single-player game with an asynchronous multiplayer mode. You don’t meet any other people, but can sense their presence all the time. This makes the letter carrier game a unique experience.
Timefall, the rain that destroys everything in Death Stranding 2. At some stage, it touches me and the load I’m carrying that’s the size of the Empire State Building. My repair spray’s already been used up and the battery of my Tri-Cruiser is already glowing a worrying red. I’m too far from the base, but also still too far from my destination. Looks like I’m stuck. Hang on, what’s that glowing blue behind that hill there? Could it be a Timefall shelter and even a charging station next to it? Amazing! Thank you user Deeznuts_WYBM, you’re my hero.
Alone, but still connected
Essentially, Death Stranding 2 is a classic single-player adventure. You take on the role of Sam Porter Bridges, who delivers parcels in the post-apocalyptic USA and reconnects the world at the same time. As in the first part, the game has an asynchronous multiplayer mode that imports elements from other people into your game and vice versa. This makes Death Stranding 2 very special. I’m borderline glad I didn’t receive a review code in advance. If I had, my world would’ve seemed pretty empty. Quite different from now, with millions of other players online. Although I never get to see them, it feels like we’re playing together.
The density of charging points is so high that even Norway, a model country for electric cars, would be impressed. I can’t remember the last time I built one myself. Instead, I prefer to invest my resources in road construction. There are car-building stations in several spots. You need to feed them a certain amount of resources. Then, as if by magic, a small section of road is built.
However, this requires more resources than I could ever transport in one go, not even with a truck. That’s when other porters can do their bit. The same goes for the monorail, bridges or the zip line, which you can use to get across entire mountain ranges in no time at all. You can also always rely on the fact that someone has already set up a watchtower near an enemy base. You use those to spy on patrols before sneaking up on them. If there isn’t one available, you can even create a construction order, which is mostly carried out promptly. There’s no bureaucracy or tradespeople ripping you off. Something I can only dream of in real life.
You can also delegate delivery orders to other porters. Or you deliver lost parcels you find along the way to their destination and collect likes in return, which is one of the currencies in the game. The more likes you collect, the higher your status and the more other people’s constructions you see. At least I think that’s how it works. As always, games from Hideo Kojima – the creative mind behind Death Stranding 2 – aren’t the easiest to understand.
Like a co-op game with friends who’re never online when you are
The collaborative constructing almost makes the game a little too easy when I think back to the trials and tribulations of the first part. Instead, you get a sense of community. This is reinforced by the digital emote signs, which somewhat excessively adorn every reasonably popular route.
There’s a huge range of them. You can use them to warn people of dangerous spots, give tips on traversing and even give or receive boosts for stamina or speed. That’s a thousand times better than the annoying screenshots of other players in Ubisoft games. They’re about as interesting to me as looking at photos of children who aren’t mine. Namely, not at all.
I regularly dish out likes when I find yet another bridge in exactly the right spot. I love this team spirit. It feels a bit like a cooperative survival game in the style of Valheim, where my buddies are never online when I am. But every time I log in again, I realise something’s changed. Speaking of friends: you can enter into strand contracts with them so that you primarily see their buildings. That’s when I notice right away that my colleague Domagoj, once again, couldn’t be bothered to get hold of the special alloys to finish building the final piece for the monorail. You’ve got to do everything yourself around here. Hang on, that’s not true, of course. Teamwork’s the name of the game.
However, you can only see construction projects, emotes and other elements from other players once you’ve expanded the «chiral network» in the relevant region. The network’s the equivalent of the internet, and Kojima’s not-so-subtle criticism of always being online. This means you have to cross the inhospitable world at least once without major support before you can benefit from the community. A bit of a challenge is good, though. Otherwise, the only hard bit is following the story, and even that’s less convoluted than it’s been in the past.
This already makes Death Stranding 2 one of the best co-op games of the year, in my opinion. And I didn’t even have to talk to other people.
Philipp Rüegg
Senior Editor
Philipp.Rueegg@digitecgalaxus.chBeing the game and gadget geek that I am, working at digitec and Galaxus makes me feel like a kid in a candy shop – but it does take its toll on my wallet. I enjoy tinkering with my PC in Tim Taylor fashion and talking about games on my podcast http://www.onemorelevel.ch. To satisfy my need for speed, I get on my full suspension mountain bike and set out to find some nice trails. My thirst for culture is quenched by deep conversations over a couple of cold ones at the mostly frustrating games of FC Winterthur.
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