Compare Death Stranding 2: On the Beach vs Fatal Fury: City of the Wolves

Reviewers described the sequel as more understandable and more accessible, with lore and design changes that reduce friction for more players.

One review called the game fully accessible with remappable controls and subtitles, but also noted the lack of colorblind modes.

A reviewed accessibility/parents section described the game as ESRB Teen with language, suggestive themes, and violence.

Enemy AI was a rare weak spot, with one review saying it was not especially sharp even as combat remained playful.

One review found the AI frustratingly reactive in arcade-style play, saying many moves were blocked and countered immediately.

Aiming drew a small caveat because one reviewer wanted gyroscopic aiming despite the stronger focus on ranged weapons.

Animation and motion capture were praised as elite, with reviewers pointing to fantastic performance capture and some of the best motion work they had seen.

Reviews praised the smooth animation work, linking it to the game’s flashy, readable presentation.

The comic book-inspired art style was highlighted as a standout part of the package.

The atmosphere was consistently praised for haunting landscapes, calm-chaos contrast, and strange moments that made the world linger.

One review said each location had its own unique look and feel, helping the stages avoid sameness.

Boss fights were broadly improved and visually striking, though several reviewers said they could be simple, optional, or less challenging than expected.

A review noted Campaign+ culminates in a brutal final boss, suggesting a strong challenge spike.

Character arcs landed unevenly: some reviewers warmed to the cast and late-game moments, while others felt arcs happened away from Sam.

Arcade mode was praised for delivering nice character-building moments and long-awaited payoffs for fans.

Combat was widely seen as improved, snappier, and more flexible, though a few reviewers found it clunky, overemphasized, or easier to avoid.

The core fighting was described as excellent, with the actual moment-to-moment combat standing out most.

The community layer was a highlight, with reviewers praising the sense of shared infrastructure and collaborative help across the world.

One review said the defensive and aggressive systems work together to create more balanced fights.

Weather, hazards, floods, earthquakes, fires, and other systems made the world and deliveries feel more varied and reactive.

The package was repeatedly framed as content-rich, with plenty of single-player and multiplayer ways to play.

Controls were generally praised as refined and smoother, including PC input options and better feel compared with the first game.

Controls were praised as smooth and responsive in motion.

The delivery loop remained central but was described as tighter, more addictive, and more player-friendly across several reviews.

The loop of strategy, mind games, and explosive damage was singled out as especially satisfying.

Cross-play was explicitly praised for making it easier to find opponents across platforms.

Dialogue drew a mild caveat from one reviewer who found some cutscenes too long, even while praising the cast overall.

Dialogue drew criticism in one review for feeling random at times.

Difficulty was mixed: reviewers noted optional harder settings and late-game challenge, but many felt vehicles, weapons, or BT changes made parts too easy.

One review said campaign fights felt evenly matched for most of the run, aside from bosses.

A review praised the first season DLC being included free for owners, boosting perceived value.

Vehicles were one of the biggest improvements, arriving earlier and handling better, though some reviewers felt they trivialized traversal.

Meter management and REV decisions were described as important tactical tradeoffs during matches.

Many reviewers found the final hours, sincere human stories, and emotional stakes powerful, while one review felt comparatively unmoved.

Enemy variety was praised for making combat more engaging, especially with better-equipped bandits, BT variants, and Ghost Mechs.

The Australia and Mexico environments were repeatedly praised for variety, vistas, textures, weather, and visual detail.

Stages were praised for animated background elements and lively scene detail.

Exploration was praised for making the next horizon feel exciting and for encouraging movement through a striking world.

Episodes of South Town was credited with letting players explore the city district by district.

Facial capture and character work were strongly praised, with reviewers calling the faces and cutscene direction exceptional.

Reviewers agreed the sequel keeps Death Stranding’s identity but debated whether the stronger Metal Gear-style action sands away some original friction.

One review said the presentation modernizes the game while staying true to the series.

Fast travel through the Magellan and key waypoints was useful, though some reviewers noted scoring tradeoffs or occasional restrictions.

Performance notes were positive, with reviewers citing 60fps on PS5 and high, steady PC frame rates.

Performance was praised as flawless, with no stutters or drops during flashy moments.

Despite its strangeness and length, reviewers often found the sequel more fun, more gripping, or never boring.

Multiple reviews describe the game as simply fun, with one explicitly saying they had a lot of fun throughout.

The mechanics were broadly praised as a major sequel upgrade, with richer delivery tools, stronger systems, and more approachable play.

The REV system was praised as a fantastic new layer that deepens the broader mechanics.

Visuals were one of the strongest consensus points, with repeated praise for stunning landscapes, fidelity, faces, and next-gen presentation.

Visuals were strongly praised in at least one review, especially character detail and lighting.

One reviewer specifically noted that the game can be played at a relaxed pace without needing to grind it out.

One review criticized Episodes of South Town for feeling more like grinding in an RPG than pure skill growth.

The PC review found Steam Deck and handheld play workable, though at a fairly low resolution on Steam Deck.

DualSense haptics were singled out as excellent, bringing surfaces, weather, gear, and action details into the controller.

Immersion was praised through the world’s quiet storytelling and lingering human moments.

A review said the stage variety made fights feel like a city-wide tour through town, strengthening immersion.

The quest-led campaign concept was described as moving the needle for the fighting genre.

Reviews frequently positioned the game as accessible at first touch but demanding to truly master.

The new continent was praised for a far greater variety of locations and terrain challenges.

Free season-one DLC was cited as a reason the game should stay engaging over the long haul.

Load times received a rare explicit rave, with one review saying transitions from menu to play were almost instant.

The Corpus lore tracker was noted as a helpful way to manage the sequel’s dense terminology and story context.

One review felt the game digs deeper into story and lore than expected after the long wait.

Route planning and the 3D map were praised as important, clearer tools for planning long deliveries.

Matchmaking impressions were mixed: one review reported long waits in betas, while another praised quick matchmaking and smooth online performance.

Menus were viewed as improved overall, though at least one reviewer still found inventory and menu handling fiddly.

Room-match navigation was criticized for relying on a slow-moving cursor and feeling awkward.

Mission design was praised for moreish delivery structure and some fun, weird orders, though the core remains delivery-focused.

The campaign was praised for presenting different fighting scenarios instead of repeating the same setup.

Reviewers praised more varied cargo conditions, hazards, objectives, and mission setups that kept deliveries fresher.

Mission variety was supported by examples like gauntlets and multi-opponent encounters.

Monetization impressions were mixed, with one review praising free included DLC and another objecting to paying extra for fan-favorite content.

Movement on foot was described as smoother, more responsive, and still satisfyingly weighty when hiking mattered.

One review praised the game’s excellent flow in matches, suggesting strong movement feel once systems click.

The asynchronous multiplayer remained a signature strength, praised for paths, structures, likes, and indirect collaboration.

A review described the overall multiplayer offering as valuable within a sizable package.

Narrative response was mixed-positive: many reviewers praised the story and themes, while others found it opaque, messy, or oddly paced.

Narrative coverage praised the quest-led story structure and the amount of campaign content.

The sequel was seen as more welcoming and quicker to grab players, especially compared with the first game’s slow start.

One review said the game was easier to pick up than expected, even for someone worried about complexity.

One review encountered servers going down before launch, making this the only direct stability caveat in the review set.

Online stability drew split impressions: one review said rollback play was stable, while another encountered disconnects and poor signal.

One mixed review still called it a strong open-world sandbox checklist game, even while missing the first game’s sparer approach.

Originality remained a strength, with one review calling the sequel exciting and original despite its imperfections.

A review described the combat as feeling both familiar and fresh rather than derivative.

Pacing was one of the most divided attributes: many reviews praised improvements, while others criticized slow burns, filler, or poorly paced story delivery.

The main complaint in one otherwise positive review was that the PvE side ends too quickly.

Performance was strongly praised on PS5 Pro and PC, with several reviewers reporting flawless or dreamlike optimization.

Optimization was praised thanks to flawless performance and no noticeable stutter during supers.

PC and controller support were praised for deep options, upscaling support, and broad input compatibility.

Polish was frequently praised through streamlined tasks, quality-of-life upgrades, tighter design, and a more focused sequel structure.

A review described the overall package as complete and rewarding, pointing to solid polish despite smaller rough edges elsewhere.

Progression was praised for APAS, RPG-like upgrades, freely swapped perks, and systems that reward how players approach deliveries.

Episodes of South Town uses battle-earned experience and leveling as its main progression structure.

Sam drew a mixed note from one review that still found him emotionally hard to connect with despite more range.

Quest design was mixed, with some reviewers finding filler or insufficient challenge despite the stronger overall delivery structure.

Replay value was split between extensive remaining missions and one reviewer saying they would not replay from scratch.

One review said the content and upcoming support should keep players engaged for the long haul.

One reviewer praised the sandbox for giving players broad choice across traversal, combat, and stealth.

Side characters were a major strength for several reviewers, though some felt the new cast was underused or less forceful.

The APAS and skill systems were described as useful and flexible without being overly bloated.

RPG-lite progression includes new skills and abilities as characters level up.

Social features were praised for ziplines, shared structures, likes, and infrastructure that made helping others satisfying.

Sound design was praised as immaculate or immersive, including 3D audio, voice work, and soundscape details.

Sound effects were described as strong and impactful overall.

The soundtrack was strongly praised for licensed music, original tracks, and emotional placement during key moments.

The soundtrack was praised for its diversity, ranging from funk-inspired tracks to heavier material.

Stealth was broadly improved through more tools, better combat integration, and added tactical options, though not always as deep as Metal Gear.

Tutorial impressions were positive but mixed in strength: one review called it passable, while another called it really good.

The upgrade system was praised because unlocked tools felt useful and rewarding during deliveries.

UI and UX were praised in one review for making objectives clearer and loadout handling smoother.

UI design was criticized as ugly and frustrating even when the game itself was strong.

Value was supported by the long runtime and substantial post-credits content, with the caveat that it asks for a major time commitment.

One review flatly said the game is definitely worth checking out.

Lighting effects and visual flourishes were explicitly praised.

Voice acting and performances were widely praised, especially Troy Baker and the broader ensemble cast.

Voice acting impressions were mixed: one review praised the English cast, while another disliked the lack of voice acting in part of Episodes of South Town.

Weapon balance was mixed, with reviewers noting a large arsenal but also saying it could overpower enemies or trivialize friction.

World-building was praised for being unique, expanded, bizarre, and richly thought out, though sometimes delivered through dense exposition.

The game’s lore and setting inspired enough interest that one reviewer emphasized being invested in South Town and Fatal Fury history.

World interactivity was praised through player-built structures that improve both the user’s route and other players’ journeys.

Writing quality landed mostly positive but not unanimous, with praise for Kojima’s charm and story highs alongside some criticism of nonsense or opacity.

Writing received a lukewarm read in one review, which called it nothing special.