Compare Death Stranding 2: On the Beach vs Kingdom Come: Deliverance II

Accessibility-adjacent options, especially boss skips and a more accessible sequel structure, are treated positively by reviewers who mentioned them.

One reviewer warned that excessive profanity and potentially offensive material make the game unsuitable for some audiences.

Enemy AI is a repeated weak spot, with reviewers noting it is not especially sharp even when combat remains fun.

AI and NPC behavior were praised for believable reactions, routines, crime responses, and increased sophistication over the first game.

The only clear aiming criticism was the absence of gyroscopic aiming, despite the game pushing ranged weapons more heavily.

Ranged play was viewed as improved by some reviewers, especially archery, but another found ranged combat weightless and weak.

Animation quality is strongly praised through motion capture, character animation, and facial/body performance work.

Cutscene direction and mocap were praised for selling relationships and emotional scenes convincingly.

Art direction is strongly praised, especially the detailed vistas and rugged depiction of Australia.

The visual style of menus, maps, and medieval presentation received praise for matching the game’s historical tone.

Atmosphere is a major strength, ranging from meditative and haunting to warm, strange, and emotionally resonant.

Atmosphere was praised alongside world-building, especially in cities, music, and historically grounded locations.

Boss design earns frequent praise for spectacle and improvement, though some reviewers found bosses simple or out of place.

Bugs were present but usually minor; reviewers ranged from calling glitches common to saying issues rarely disrupted play.

Camera behavior was a noted issue for one reviewer, especially through finicky first-person viewpoint problems.

Character development is praised where reviewers saw Sam relying on others more and the sequel deepening characterization.

Henry and Hans received strong praise for their evolving relationship and character arcs, with Henry’s trauma and growth adding stakes.

The cast/character roster is widely praised as excellent, quirky, memorable, and performance-rich, with a few mixed views on newer characters.

The cast was praised for memorable personalities, humor, and a strong sense of history.

Checkpointing was criticized for causing lost progress when autosaves appeared only at limited quest points.

Combat is widely seen as tighter and more viable than before, but several reviewers still found it basic, intrusive, or less compelling than traversal.

Combat drew broad attention for its realism, skill focus, and improvements, though several reviewers still found it harsh, clunky, or frustrating early on.

Community features receive strong praise for likes, shared structures, monorails, roads, and the sense of helping unseen players.

Dollman’s companion role is strongly praised for scouting, advice, and personality, making the journey feel less lonely.

The dog companion Mutt was praised as useful and worthwhile, especially for tracking and early side-quest benefits.

Reviewers praise expanded tools, weapons, boots, and unlockable options, making the sequel feel broader than the first game.

Reviewers praised the breadth of activities, quests, and post-launch additions, with many describing a large and varied set of things to do.

Controls are mostly praised as more refined, smoother, and less cumbersome, including PC input support, with only minor complexity caveats.

Controls were described as noticeably smoother than the first game, especially in camera feel, aiming, and sword fighting responsiveness.

The delivery loop is often called addictive, satisfying, and more approachable, with dissent focused on repetition rather than the basic loop itself.

One reviewer found the loop rewarding but volatile, with strong highs offset by repeated frustration and setbacks.

Crafting split reviewers: blacksmithing and alchemy could be charming and rewarding, but several found parts clunky, slow, or repetitive.

Crash stability was praised by multiple reviewers who reported no crashes, no soft locks, or no hard crashes.

Dialogue quality is mixed, with one review praising clarity while others complain about long or nonsensical speeches.

Dialogue was mostly praised for impact, humor, and organic choices, though one reviewer found some repeated dialogue drawn out.

Difficulty balance is one of the more divisive areas: some praise fair harder settings, while others say combat, BTs, or traversal became too easy.

Difficulty was often called demanding and unforgiving; reviewers generally treated this as part of the appeal, though not always an easy one.

The post-launch expansions were credited with adding a large amount of extra content to the package.

Vehicles are praised for handling better and arriving earlier, though several reviewers felt driving can trivialize the hiking-focused identity.

Resource balance is mixed because plentiful building materials make construction smoother but also reduce challenge.

The early economy was described as restrictive, especially when selling damaged or stolen goods with limited vendor money.

Emotional impact is usually strong, driven by sincerity, human stories, and moving payoffs, but not every reviewer felt affected.

Reviewers described the story as memorable and emotionally powerful, including scenes that brought strong lasting reactions.

Enemy variety is mostly praised for new forms and loadouts, but at least one review felt bandits and BTs were too familiar.

Environmental detail is consistently praised for texture, variety, visual density, and natural effects.

Environmental detail was praised for dense, specific objects, puddles, tools, farms, residences, and believable spaces.

Exploration is strongly praised for making Australia exciting, scenic, and rewarding to traverse, especially when routes and vistas click.

Exploration was praised for beautiful spaces, meaningful discoveries, and a strong adventuring feel, though harsh systems made some travel demanding.

Facial animation evidence is uniformly positive, with reviewers highlighting detailed faces, capture, and rendered human contact.

Facial animation feedback was mixed: one reviewer noted lifeless dialogue faces, while another praised key character animations.

One reviewer praised the sequel for preserving the franchise’s heart and soul while expanding its systems.

Reviewers generally agreed the sequel stays true to the original while improving its systems, scope, and accessibility.

Family friendliness was limited by repeated profanity, sexual content, and depictions of women that one reviewer found objectifying.

Fast travel is useful and convenient through the Magellan and waypoint systems, though some restrictions and grading tradeoffs remain.

Fast travel opinions were mixed: one reviewer praised dynamic events, while another found it cumbersome and interruption-prone.

Frame-rate stability is consistently positive, with reviewers citing smooth 60fps, high PC frame rates, and handheld stability.

One reviewer reported a consistent frame rate and treated that as part of the game’s stronger technical state.

Fun factor trends positive, with many reviewers calling the sequel more fun, though some still did not personally connect with it.

Several reviewers found the game highly entertaining, addictive, and rewarding once its demanding systems clicked.

Reviewers generally describe the broader mechanics as substantially refined and more approachable, though one review found the gameplay disappointing despite the spectacle.

Reviewers repeatedly framed the systems-heavy design as a major strength, praising how mechanics connect to role-playing, dialogue, world simulation, and player expression.

Graphics quality receives near-universal acclaim, with reviewers repeatedly calling it gorgeous, stunning, or among the best-looking games on PS5/PC.

Graphics were broadly praised for impressive landscapes, cutscenes, lighting, and major visual improvements over the first game.

Grind level is rated positively by one reviewer who felt the game can be enjoyed at the player’s own pace without grinding.

The game was not seen as a pure grind, but reviewers still emphasized the effort and repetition needed to gain traction.

Handheld play is viable but compromised, with Steam Deck running at low resolution while ROG handheld play was issue-free.

Handheld suitability was supported by one reviewer who described the game as scalable enough for handheld play.

Haptic/DualSense integration is praised as highly immersive through controller feedback, speaker use, and adaptive triggers.

DualSense haptics and adaptive triggers were praised for reflecting stamina, sword clashes, and sharpening interactions.

Horror tension is mixed to weak because BTs can still feel tense, but several reviewers say the sequel reduces their fear factor.

A horror-leaning quest was criticized for being too short for its dread to fully develop.

The adaptive HUD was praised for hiding unnecessary elements and improving immersion when information was not relevant.

Immersion is strongly praised, with reviewers describing effortless absorption and deeply lingering experiences.

Immersion was one of the clearest strengths, with reviewers repeatedly describing the world, systems, and presentation as absorbing.

Reviewers praise the sequel’s inventive systems, unusual world, and a gameplay structure that few other games attempt.

One reviewer praised the scale of improvement as something other studios rarely achieve.

The main noted learning curve is movement weight, which takes adjustment before it becomes satisfying.

The learning curve was repeatedly described as steep, slow, and friction-heavy, rewarding patience but likely turning some players away.

Level and environment design is praised for being more thoughtful and confident in how it leverages traversal.

One reviewer praised the way locations were recontextualized into memorable set-pieces that rewarded planning and awareness.

Post-launch support was described positively through free updates, fixes, and eagerly awaited features.

Load times receive a perfect single-review score for near-seamless transitions between menu, cutscenes, and gameplay.

Load times were criticized by one reviewer as long enough to worsen stealth retries and experimentation.

Loot was criticized for early encumbrance pressure and the difficulty of carrying everything a player might want.

Lore support and depth are praised through the Corpus encyclopedia, which helps handle the dense terminology and proper nouns.

The historical codex and contextual detail were praised for offering extensive background on people, events, and society.

Map and navigation design gets strong praise from the Route Simulator and more convenient route planning.

Maps were praised for medieval flair and exquisite town art, supporting the game’s historical presentation.

Menu usability is improved overall, especially radial menus and reworked menus, though some still found systems fiddly or clunky.

Menu usability was mixed to negative, with some praise for navigation but others calling the menu system dire or frustrating.

Mission design is mixed: reviewers liked forward momentum and variety, but some criticized forced backtracking or insufficient challenge.

Main mission design was mixed: reviewers praised varied scenarios, but one criticized a required sequence for lacking an alternate path.

Mission variety is praised for fresher cargo conditions, hazards, and delivery setups, though some reviewers still noted simplification.

Mission variety was strongly praised, especially for quests that went beyond simple errands or bandit-clearing objectives.

Movement and hiking retain a distinctive physical weight that many reviewers loved, even when vehicles reduce how often players need to walk.

One reviewer felt early traversal was unnecessarily taxing, especially before stronger equipment and better mobility options eased the burden.

Asynchronous multiplayer is one of the clearest strengths, making players feel connected through structures, roads, likes, and shared effort.

Narrative quality is highly divisive: many praise the story as memorable and emotional, while others find it muddled, messy, or unsatisfying.

Narrative quality was a major strength, with reviewers praising the historical saga, main quest, character arcs, and cinematic ambition.

Onboarding is praised for clearer instructions, a stronger opening, and a better job of pulling players into the systems.

Onboarding divided reviewers: returning and new-player recaps helped, but some found the opening overloaded or blunt.

The open world is repeatedly praised as varied, beautiful, and more densely interesting, with Australia seen as a stronger setting than before.

The open world drew strong praise for its scale, density, historically grounded cities, and lived-in regions across multiple maps.

Originality remains high, with reviewers praising bold creativity, even as some say the sequel is safer than the first.

Reviewers repeatedly emphasized how unusual and specific the game feels compared with modern RPGs.

Pacing is mixed: many reviews praise improved mission or story momentum, while others call the narrative slow, muddled, or filler-heavy.

Pacing opinions varied: some praised the sustained momentum, while others complained about indulgent cutscenes or late-game pacing issues.

Performance optimization is praised across PS5 and PC, including smooth performance mode, strong PC scaling, and polished port work.

Performance was generally praised across PC and console contexts, with reviewers noting strong optimization and technical improvements.

Platform-specific support is excellent in cited reviews, covering deep PC settings, controller support, and full DualSense implementation.

The PS5 Pro version was praised as a graphical treat, with platform-specific technical strengths noted.

Polish is praised through refined systems, a smooth PC port, and an almost flawless technical presentation.

Reviewers saw the sequel as much more polished than the first game, with rough edges reduced and systems better realized.

Progression is praised for faster unlock pacing and more forgiving advancement that keeps deliveries rewarding.

Progression was widely praised for turning early friction into rewarding growth through skills, perks, equipment, and player learning.

One reviewer found Sam especially well cast and suited to the game’s semi-silent protagonist role.

One reviewer strongly disliked Hans as a long-term companion presence, creating strain on their desire to continue.

Fetch-style questing remains a pain point for one reviewer, who found ferrying boxes back and forth exhausting.

Quest design was one of the strongest points, with reviewers praising memorable side stories, branching approaches, and strong writing, despite a few disappointing payoffs.

Replay value is supported by one reviewer eager to return for more missions after finishing the story.

Replay value looked strong thanks to hardcore mode, major content additions, and reviewers wanting to return for more playthroughs.

One reviewer praised the sequel for letting individual playstyles feel legitimate through its expanded systems.

Reviewers admired the freedom to solve problems, exploit systems, and role-play, though the sandbox sometimes clashed with scripted story demands.

The save system was one of the most divisive topics, praised by one reviewer but criticized by many as stingy or punishing.

Supporting characters are often praised for nuance and memorable moments, though one review felt they were underused.

The sequel was credited with giving supporting women and other groups somewhat more agency than before.

Skill-tree and APAS-style systems are praised for rewarding playstyle choices and allowing situational re-specs.

Reviewers liked the depth and usefulness of perks, weapon techniques, and skill trees, especially when they enabled meaningful playstyle specialization.

Social features are praised where likes and player feedback create a warm, positive network of encouragement.

Sound design is very highly rated for immersive environmental audio, rain, wind, footsteps, and overall atmosphere.

Sound design was praised for supporting immersion and helping players identify attacks or stealth-relevant cues.

Soundtrack quality is strongly praised, from licensed tracks to Ludvig Forssell/Woodkid scoring and emotionally timed music.

The soundtrack was one of the most consistently praised elements, with several reviewers calling it orchestral, phenomenal, or legendary.

Stealth is broadly praised as deeper, more flexible, and more fun, with many reviewers comparing the expanded toolkit favorably to Kojima’s stealth legacy.

Stealth was useful and sometimes satisfying, yet reviewers also called it finicky, weak, or frustrating in specific forced sections.

VR Training/tutorial support is praised as both useful and fun for refreshing mechanics.

Tutorial quality was mixed, with one reviewer calling it decent while others criticized dense text screens and poor explanations.

Upgrade systems are praised for flexible perks and incentives that help tailor traversal, stealth, and combat approaches.

The revised perk and upgrade system was praised for offering meaningful upside-focused choices rather than weak side-grades.

User interface design is praised for thoughtful fictional UI and a radial menu that makes road management easier.

UI feedback was positive when reviewers discussed improved, adaptable, or visually polished interface presentation.

Value was praised because the game is both strong and very long, with some reviewers reporting enormous playtime.

Vehicle roster evidence is limited but positive, with one reviewer praising the usefulness and variety of vehicles across missions.

Visual effects are praised as incredible, with weather, landscapes, and special effects repeatedly singled out.

Visual set pieces and in-engine scenes were praised for creating striking emotional moments.

Voice acting is one of the strongest consensus positives, with performances frequently called excellent, memorable, or world-bringing.

Voice acting was broadly praised, especially the main cast, though some reviewers noted repeated or uneven minor NPC voices.

Weapon balance is mixed to weak, with several reviewers calling Sam overpowered or finding many weapons redundant, despite some praise for variety.

Weapon balance was mixed: one reviewer liked weapon choice, while another found some ranged options hard to use effectively.

World-building is praised as bizarre, imaginative, and distinctive, though one review criticized gaps in cultural representation.

World-building was repeatedly praised as immersive, historically grounded, and central to the game’s appeal.

Dynamic weather, terrain hazards, and reactive routes add life and variety, though one critic felt some additions gesture at depth without enough substance.

Reviewers consistently praised the reactive crime, reputation, NPC, and quest systems that made the world feel alive and responsive.

Writing quality is split sharply, ranging from career-best praise to criticisms that the script and finale do not land.

Writing was described as excellent, engaging, humorous, and consistently strong across main and side content.