Death Strandinggives porters a massive amount of tools that can help them master deliveries. From robots and vehicles to exosuits and container repair spray, Kojima Productions was careful to think of everything players could possibly need on their journeys. However, while player-created bridges and ziplines can make traversal a breeze, one obvious thing is missing fromDeath Stranding: a portable music player.
The lack of a portable music player in the originalDeath Strandingwas an odd decision, especially when one considers Hideo Kojima’s passion for music and how he has included ways to listen to licensed music in his previous games likeMetal Gear Solid 5.Low Roar’s beautiful songsas well as some original tracks crafted for the game would be awesome to listen to when making a long journey across the country, but apart from a handful of moments that are set to play certain songs, players are forced to return to their private rooms every time they want to jam out. InDeath Stranding 2, Hideo Kojima can and should give fans a way to listen to songs while traversing the map.
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Death Stranding 2 Should Have a Proper Music Player
One potential justification fora music player not existing inDeath Strandingis that it could have interrupted the moments where Kojima wanted a certain song to play, or, more importantly, negatively impact the game’s feeling of isolation. While this is a fair stance when it comes to the main story of the game, once it is completed and the world starts to shift toward some degree of normalcy, adding a music player in would have made sense. Players would have taken in the full story by that point and would only be embarking on side deliveries or replaying old ones, so letting them listen to music at that point wouldn’t have compromised Kojima’s vision.
As for how a music player could be distributed in the sequel,Death Stranding 2could bring back a prepper from the original game. Though the Musician gives players a harmonica tosoothe a stressed BBin the original title, this time around he could reward Sam Bridges with some kind of futuristic iPod. Players could then listen to music from the first and second game, making their own in-game playlists that include tracks fromDeath Stranding’s original score as well.
Considering thatDeath Stranding 2’s themeasks players if they should have reconnected, it would make sense for the world to feel slightly less isolated this time around. Players may run into preppers outside their bunkers, proper buildings being constructed, and conflicts happening across the map. A silent and empty world may be a thing of the past, so letting Sam enjoy some music on his next adventure would hardly feel out of place.
Even ifDeath Stranding 2’s worldretains the isolated approach, a music player would be an excellent post-game reward. With wacky items like the otter hood included despite clashing withDeath Stranding’s tone, it is hard to imagine an MP3 player doing much harm. After all, some of the best deliveries are those with Low Roar music playing in the background, so allowing players to recapture that feeling on any delivery would only make the gameplay more impactful.
Thoughthe originalDeath Strandinghad an abundance of brilliant music, and it was used very well in the main story, its disappearance from side content and post-game activities was disappointing. A music player would allowDeath Stranding 2’s score to be enjoyed at all times, and if it comes in the form of a post-game reward, then the immersion of the main story will not be negatively impacted in the slightest.
Death Stranding 2is currently in development for PS5.
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