Hideo Kojima wanted Death Stranding 2 to have "a clearer focus on combat," giving players a "range of approaches" including Metal Gear Solid-style stealth

A living puppet sits on Fragile's shoulder in a Death Stranding 2 PS5 screenshot.

It sounds like a lot has changed in Death Stranding 2 in comparison to its predecessor, with players given newfound freedom to take "a range of approaches to every situation they're faced with," whether they prefer stealth, attacking, or doing things the long way.

Speaking with Edge in issue 411, Death Stranding 2 lead level designer Hiroaki Yoshiike explains that in the first game, "the player's purpose was always to deliver a package from point A to point B, so the enemy's role was purely to disrupt this task." Because of this, "it was essentially a game of tag."