Death Stranding 2: On the Beach's drop in difficulty from the original was done "intentionally," says director Hideo Kojima. The first game had two major points where people stopped playing, including one right at the start, whereas, by contrast, the sequel allowed more people to "reach the ending."
In an interview with Nikkei Xtrend, as translated by GamesRadar+, Kojima discusses how he made the decision to decrease the level of difficulty for the Death Stranding sequel even though the change received a "slightly lukewarm response" from the original's core audience.
The first game is known for its grueling difficulty, and the joy that you get from overcoming that, particularly through the connections you make with others. "In a broader sense, I thought in many different ways about the level of difficulty," Kojima says. "If I'm being honest, I think there were some pretty prickly parts. Forced to take this harsh journey alone, making deliveries in spite of your loneliness, connecting the world… Despite how new this experience was, over 20 million people played it, and I thought that I wanted to reach more people."
One of the key ways that Death Stranding 2 removes some of the friction for players is the reduction in the amount of time the player is required to traverse the land on foot. "Because of this, we implemented features that fit with the themes and quirks of gameplay that would make it easier to play," he says. "One example of this is the increase in vehicles."
Kojima describes two major dropping off points for players, with one of them being right at the start of the game. "In truth, we intentionally did away with the extreme style of game development from the previous game. There were two missions that were major drop-off points. One is where you have to carry the remains of president Bridget Strand. This game doesn't have any major drop-off points, and so more people were able to reach the ending."
While Death Stranding 2 is more broadly palatable than the original, Kojima thinks the response from the original's core fanbase was not pleased with the change. "In terms of the level of difficulty, it was extremely hard to get the balance right. The core audience from the original game has had a 'slightly lukewarm' response." You can't please everyone, I suppose.
