Summary
Kojima Productions’Death Strandingwas not only one of the most distinctive titles of 2019, but it is also undoubtedly one of the strangest and most unconventional video games ever made.Hideo Kojimais known for his unique ideas, butDeath Strandingcertainly takes the cake as one of his best in that area. Now,Death Stranding 2: On the Beachis headed this way, with the intent to capitalize on the first game’s uniqueness, all while offering some new features on top of the continued story.
Based on what has been revealed so far,Death Stranding 2: On the Beachwill be building on the groundwork laid by its predecessor with a familiar yet fresh approach to that formula. However newDeath Stranding 2may end up feeling, though, it would arguably feel incomplete without its own version of one of the first game’s most memorable moments — the tar belt puzzle. This particular sequence is widely known for its brilliant and unexpected design, despite also having an infamous reputation for being one of the first game’s most frustrating moments due to a lack of clear guidance.
Death Stranding 2 Should Reprise DS1’s Tar Belt Puzzle
Death Stranding’s tar belt puzzleis one of the game’s most mind-blowing moments, as it requires players to intentionally die in order to progress. When Sam approaches an impassable tar-covered landscape filled with ruins and debris in the game, unknowing players are left wondering what to do next, especially given the moment’s lack of handholding. The only way forward, then, is for Sam to deliberately allow himself to drown in the tar, thereby killing him in the process. While games almost always encourage players to avoid dying at all costs,Death Stranding’s tar belt puzzle makes death the solution.
Death Strandingisn’t the first title to require the death of the protagonist before things can progress, as many other games put unbeatable foes in players' path to force a game over — likeGod of War Ragnarok’s Thor fight. However, what makesDeath Stranding’s tar belt puzzle different is how it is used to reinforce the game’s themes of death and rebirth, along with tying players directly to the Beach, which had mostly been relegated to cutscenes and post-death sequences up to this point in the story.
Kojima is known for these “Aha!” moments in his games, with the Psycho Mantis fight inMetal Gear Solidbeing a great example of this.
A Reprisal of the Tar Belt Puzzle in Death Stranding 2 Would Fit the Game’s Theme
While the tar belt puzzle inDeath Strandinghas mostly received praisefor its intuitive design, its presence in the game was also somewhat of a disappointment. The concept of death being the solution to overcome the problem was only used here inDeath Stranding, meaning it was arguably underutilized and could have been used in other ways. This is ultimately whereDeath Stranding 2comes in, as even its subtitle, “On the Beach,” suggests an even greater emphasis on the themes of death and rebirth introduced inDeath Stranding.
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach’s titlebeing what it is, it would make sense for the sequel to reprise the tar belt puzzle from the first game. Perhaps players will need to regularly access the Beach for whatever reason, and the only way to get there will be to intentionally allow Sam to die. It could creatively accomplish this by including its own version of the tar belt puzzle, though using the mechanic too much could be seen as overkill and effectively steal from the beauty of its design.
