You didn't play Death Stranding 1 or don't remember what happened there? Now’s the time for a story recap before the release of Death Stranding 2
Death Stranding 2 is one of the most important releases of the year. So we have prepared for you a reminder of the world, characters, and plot of the first Death Stranding.
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is one of the most important releases of the year. As you'd expect from Hideo Kojima's games, the story is a really important part of the production. Since Death Stranding 2 is a direct continuation of the first Death Stranding, furthering the plot and developing the gameplay, it would be good to be familiar with the first installment to understand the sequel fully. With this text, we will remind you of the first Death Stranding. We're discussing the game world, all the important characters, the whole story, and the events that happened before the story. Reading the article should therefore remind you of all the information needed to understand Death Stranding 2 or allow you to start with the sequel if you don't want to play the original.
The text has major spoilers for the first Death Stranding. We reveal the entire plot, the ending, all the twists and turns, and the personal stories of the characters.
Death Stranding World
The action of Death Stranding takes place in the near future, in post-apocalyptic North America. One of the most important features of the world is the presence of two dimensions - the real world and the Beach. Beaches are a kind of personalized purgatories or passages to the afterlife. Every person has their own Beach, and after death they must pass through it to reach eternal rest. While the body (called Ha) remained in the real world, the soul (Ka) moved to its Beach. Several decades before the events of the game, the real world and the Beaches were connected as a result of the American government's research.
BTs - the biggest threat in the world of Death Stranding. Kojima Productions
The merging of the world of the living with the world of the dead caused the souls of the deceased to instinctively return to their bodies instead of passing into the afterlife. Bodies possessed in this way turn into Beached Things (BTs), invisible, aggressive ghosts trapped in the world of the living. The cores of the BTs are made of antimatter, while people are made of matter. If a BT devours a man, the contact between matter and antimatter will create an explosion, which will sweep everything off the surface of the Earth within a radius of several dozen kilometers. These explosions are called voidouts. Shortly after the two worlds merged, there were massive voidouts that almost completely destroyed civilization - this event was called the titular Death Stranding.
After several decades, the remnants of humanity live in isolated bunkers and cities named Knotes. Uninhabited areas are full of BTs, so each journey may result in another voidout. The body of every deceased human must be cremated before it turns into a Beached Thing. Through the Death Stranding, a time-disrupting substance, called chiralium, present on the Beaches, got into the atmosphere. Because of it, the rain became a deadly danger, as it instantly ages everything it touches. Survival in the last clusters of humanity rests on the shoulders of couriers delivering important packages and supplies. The presence of chiralium also led to a technological breakthrough and the creation of a chiral network, allowing for instant data transmission between cities. Some people also began to suffer from DOOMS - a disease spreading nightmares, but in return allowing to sense or even control the BTs.
The new president of the remnants of the USA, Bridget Strand, has set up a government organization called Bridges to expand the chiral network across the entire continent. Scientists have also developed a way to bypass the BTs – Bridge Baby (or BB), premature babies removed from pregnant women after brain death, who, due to their connection to death, are able to detect deadly ghosts. The Bridges expedition, led by Amelie, the president's daughter suffering from DOOMS, reaches the west coast of America, but there it is defeated by Homo Demens, a group of nihilistic terrorists planning to destroy the remnants of humanity. Amelie herself is captured by the leader of Homo Demens, Higgs. So, the last hope for America is the adopted son of the presidential family, Sam, who works as an independent courier. His task is to once again connect the continent with a chiral network and save Amelie. During his journey, however, he discovers that the Death Stranding is a natural phenomenon, linked to several ancient extinctions - the stranding associated with humanity was the fifth in history, and the sixth, final stranding, which will destroy not only humanity, but the entire universe, is rapidly approaching.
Death Stranding Characters
Sam - the best delivery man in the world. Kojima Productions
- Sam Porter Bridges - the main character of the game. Former member of Bridges, independent courier and adopted son of the presidential family. He has a phobia of other people's touch and suffers from mild DOOMS - he can sense the BTs, but he can't see them. He is also a repatriate - due to mysterious events from his past, Sam is unable to permanently die and comes back to life after each death. He left Bridges after the death of his wife and unborn daughter in a voidout, which he survived thanks to repatriation, thus becoming the main suspect. He currently works as a private courier, isolating himself from society. Thanks to repatriations, his body is unnatural for the BTs, and his blood is able to send them back to the underworld.
- At the end of the game, we find out that Sam is actually a prototype BB and the son of Clifford Unger, who agreed to the tests in exchange for saving Sam's life after his pregnant wife's brain death. When he discovered what truly awaited his child, he attempted to rescue him from the research facility. Unfortunately, this resulted in the deaths of both him and Sam at the hands of President Strand. On his Beach, however, Sam was brought back to life by Amelie, which made him a repatriate, and later he was adopted by the presidential family. His unnatural existence brought Beach closer to the world of the living and ultimately triggered the Death Stranding. Eventually, he rebuilds the chiral network, saves the world and leaves Bridges again to raise Lou.
Lou - a companion and a tool. Kojima Productions
- BB-28 / Lou - Sam's BB, which was assigned to him after the death of her original owner. During the game, Sam forms a paternal bond with Lou and eventually, against his superiors' orders, he frees her from her capsule instead of euthanizing her. It's a miracle that Lou manages to survive being removed from the capsule. Sam takes her with him, rebuilding the family he lost.
Fragile - a former courier seeking revenge. Kojima Productions
- Fragile - owner of the largest private courier company in America, Fragile Express, and former boss of Higgs. She suffers from serious DOOMS - she sees the BTs and can freely teleport herself and others between the world of the living and the Beach. Higgs used her company and couriers to secretly send contraband to various cities and planted a nuke in a package delivered personally by Fragile. This resulted in the destruction of a major city and severely damaged Fragile's reputation. The woman managed to prevent the explosion of the second bomb, but she paid a high price for it - Higgs forced her to run through the rain wearing only a mask. Fragile therefore has a young face but an old, sick body. She joins Sam in seeking revenge on Higgs, and after defeating the villain and saving the world, she regains her reputation and position as the chief courier in the country.
Higgs - a harbinger of the apocalypse. Kojima Productions
- Higgs Monaghan - former courier of Fragile Express, leader of the terrorist organization Homo Demens and one of the two main antagonists of the game. He suffers from the highest possible level of DOOMS - can summon and control the BTs. After encountering the extinction factor and discovering the truth about the upcoming final stranding, he went crazy and became an apocalypse agent, determined to destroy the world. After the destruction of several cities and the kidnapping of Amelie, he stands to fight against Sam on her Beach, where he loses. The extinction factor punishes him for his failure, taking away his powers and leaving him at the mercy of Fragile. Despite his apparent death, the villain mysteriously returns in Death Stranding 2 in a robotic body, ready to seek revenge. Lover of ancient Egypt and pizza.
Amelie - the key to the future. Kojima Productions
- Amelie - the daughter of the US president, Bridget, and the main target of Sam's mission, imprisoned on the west coast by Higgs. In reality, she's the second main antagonist of the game, the source of DOOMS, a separate part of Bridget's soul, and the extinction factor, a being whose destiny is to destroy the universe through the last stranding. Knowing about the inevitable destruction and her own destiny broke her and convinced her of the need to quickly end the suffering of humanity. From the very beginning, she was the one giving orders to Higgs, trying to speed up the apocalypse. Eventually, Sam convinces her that despite the ubiquitous suffering and inevitable end, life and human connections matter. Amelie sacrifices herself and stays on her Beach before separating it from the rest of the world, preventing the last stranding for the next millennia, until the natural end of time comes.
Cliff - an undead soldier looking for a child. Kojima Productions
- Clifford Unger is a soldier who occasionally attacks Sam in an attempt to kidnap Lou, believing it to be his child. He's actually Sam's father and a war veteran who was killed by Bridget while trying to save little Sam from experiments that would have turned him into the first Bridge Baby. During every meeting, he confused Lou with Sam. After the last fight with Cliff, the soldier finally recognizes Sam, and the realization that his son has grown up and is doing well allows him to pass on to the afterlife.
- Die-Hardman - director of Bridges, Sam's superior during the game, and the unofficial leader of the USA after the death of President Bridget Strand. Once he was a soldier serving in Cliff Unger's unit and owed his life to Cliff. He secretly helped him steal little Sam from the research facility, but despite his help, Cliff and Sam died, killed by Bridget with his own weapon, which made him feel incredibly guilty. Throughout the entire game, he hides his true goal, which is to kill Amelie to prevent the last stranding. Ultimately, after saving the world, he is officially inaugurated as the new president of the United States of America.
Deadman - a doctor and a friend. Kojima Productions
- Deadman - a doctor assigned to Sam's expedition and a member of Bridges. He was created in a laboratory instead of being naturally born; therefore, he doesn't possess a soul and is fascinated by the afterlife. One of Sam's closest and most trusted allies, who over time also becomes attached to Lou, even though he initially didn't perceive her as a human. Eventually, he helps Sam desert from Bridges, officially becoming his first real friend.
Mama - a scientist stuck between life and death. Kojima Productions
- Mama and Lockne - separated Siamese twins, creators of the chiral network. Mom was a surrogate for Lockne, but as a result of a terrorist attack during childbirth, she was trapped under the rubble of the hospital. Her child was ultimately born as BT and connected to her with a spectral umbilical cord, keeping her in a state between life and death. Sam fulfills her request and cuts off the connection with her child, which kills her. Her soul merges with Lockne, allowing both to live as separate entities in the same body.
- Heartman - the chief scientist of Bridges, who lost his family in a voidout while undergoing heart surgery. Even though the voidout didn't reach him, it cut off the power to his hospital and the equipment keeping him alive. Heartman ended up on the Beach, where he saw his family and was separated from them when he was brought back to life by emergency defibrillation. Terrified by the vision of being separated from his family in the afterlife, Heartman began to temporarily stop his heart to search for the Beach, through which his wife and child had passed. Ultimately, it damaged his heart. Heartman is stuck in a cycle of living for 21 minutes and dying for 3 minutes.
Bridget - the source of Sam's mission. Kojima Productions
- Bridget Strand - President of the USA and Sam's adoptive mother. Dies of cancer at the beginning of the game, entrusting Sam to create a chiral network and find Amelie. In the past, a part of her soul separated from her and became a factor of extinction, taking the name Amelie. Bridget publicly treated her like a daughter. Unlike Amelie, however, she wants to stop the last stranding and connect the USA with a chiral network. For this purpose, she conducted research on BBs and killed Cliff when he tried to save his son from her experiments. She accidentally shot Sam as well, who was, however, resurrected by Amelie, after which Bridget adopted him out of guilt.
Death Stranding Plot
Sam's journey across America is long and exhausting. Kojima Productions
During a routine delivery to the Central Knot, Sam suddenly gets a job from Igor, the local corpse disposal guy - in the city, the corpse of a Homo Demens terrorist was discovered. The body was found very late and is close to transforming into a BT, so Sam agrees to help Igor transport the corpse to the nearest crematorium. However, on the way, they are attacked by a horde of BTs summoned by Higgs, the leader of Homo Demens. The BTs devour Igor, causing a voidout that destroys the Central Knot. The only survivors are Sam and Lou - the BB assigned to Igor, which Sam takes with him.
Sam wakes up in the bunker of the Bridges organization, forcibly equipped with locating handcuffs that make him a member of the organization. Despite his reluctance, he agrees to meet with the dying president and his adopted mother, Bridget, in the Capital Knot. Ultimately, he also agrees to continue the Bridges mission and expand the chiral network, not to connect America, but to save his sister Amelie, who is imprisoned by Higgs on the west coast, in the Edge Knot. Sam and Lou thus begin their journey to the west, along the way connecting subsequent Knots, bunkers, and distribution centers. In the Port Knot, Sam faces Higgs for the first time and learns about the existence of the extinction factor.
With the help of Fragile, Sam continues to connect the continent and learns about her past after disarming the nuclear bomb planted in his package by Higgs. He is repeatedly attacked by both Higgs and Clifford Unger. On the way, he forms friendships with Fragile, Deadman, Mama, Lockne, and Heartman, and begins to feel paternal instincts towards Lou. He also often has vivid memories of the still-alive Clifford, in which it seems like he's looking at him from Lou's perspective.
Sam reaches the Edge Knot, where he engages in battle Higgs' BTs. Higgs takes Amelie to her Beach, and Sam and Fragile follow him. Sam defeats Higgs, who is punished for his defeat by losing his powers. Fragile ultimately abandons Higgs on an empty Beach with no escape route and a loaded weapon. Higgs kills himself to avoid eternal imprisonment on the Beach. Suddenly, Die-Hardman shows up at the beach and tries to kill Amelie to stop the last stranding, but he can't harm her. Then, Cliff appears to bring his former subordinate back to the world of the living, and Amelie kicks Sam out of her beach. Sam realizes that it was Amelie who was behind Higgs all along, and the presence of the chiral network, which brought the entire nation closer to the Beach, will allow her to prematurely begin the last stranding. The courier begins a journey to the east, back to the Capital Knot, to regroup with his allies and stop Amelie.
On the way to the Capital Knot, Sam has his final duel with Cliff, who recognizes Sam as his son and realizes his mistake - he was not looking for Lou, but Sam. After Cliff's departure to the afterlife, Sam makes his way through a huge horde of BTs, including a gigantic, flying whale, and reaches the Capital Knot. Together with all allies, they are developing a plan there to stop Amelie. Fragile teleports him back to her Beach, where Sam confronts Amelie for the last time.
Extinction postponed for the next millennia. Kojima Productions
Sam learns that the last stranding cannot be stopped, only slowed down, and Amelie perceives bringing a swift end as mercy, both for herself and for all of humanity. He overcomes his phobia and hugs Amelie, convincing her that despite the omnipresent suffering and the inevitable end, life is still worth it. Amelie finally decides to permanently cut herself off from the rest of the world, serving for millennia as the guardian of the last stranding, holding it back until the end of time comes. As a result of their sudden disconnection, Sam becomes trapped on his own Beach. Although he contemplates suicide to escape from eternal isolation, he is found and saved by Mama, Lockne, Heartman, Fragile, and Deadman, who pull him back into the world of the living.
After a few weeks, the inauguration of Die-Hardman as the new president of the United Cities of America takes place. Die-Hardman reveals to Sam the truth about Cliff's death and his own sense of guilt. Meanwhile, Sam gets bad news from Deadman - Lou's expiration date has passed, she can't survive in her pod any longer, and removing her from it would almost certainly mean death. According to the law, Lou should be cremated, but Deadman encourages Sam to desert and oppose the last order. Sam hugs Deadman, thanks him for everything, and heads to the incinerator, experiencing visions of Cliff's death along the way and realizing that he was the bridge baby during the visions, not Lou. In the incinerator, Sam decides not to dispose of Lou and destroys the handcuffs connecting him to the Bridges system, thereby breaking the law. After opening the capsule and desperate resuscitation, Lou manages to survive, possibly thanks to the help of BB infants appearing in the incinerator. Sam officially takes in Lou and leaves to live his own life, naming her Louise - the name he had planned to give to his deceased daughter long ago.
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