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The world is more dynamic and diverse, there are more options for asynchronous connection, and more opportunities for player expression. Gameplay is an evolution of the first, but there's so much more depth and texture now. Of the time I played, the vast majority was spent experimenting with gameplay systems rather than passively watching cutscenes - despite the prevalence of film production facilities in the studio hinting otherwise. How unlike Kojima!

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The game is still focused on taking cross-country delivery jobs through a hostile landscape for social media likes, stacking and balancing a load of boxes on your back, and dealing with momentum-based traversal at a slow and steady pace. Yet Kojima compared the transition between games as similar to that between Metal Gear Solids 1 and 2: where the first game had to introduce stealth gameplay for the first time, the second could build on it; likewise Death Stranding was the first delivery game but now it's been vastly expanded. To me, it feels similar to the difference between Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom - it's more of the same, but the added depth makes the first game feel primitive by comparison.
Let's start with environments: both the Mexican desert and the Australian outback are far more dynamic than America before thanks to extreme weather conditions. Sandstorms topple Sam over, intense rainfall leads to flooding, and earthquakes shake the ground and screen alike to send avalanches tumbling. There's more diversity too, from barren mountainous outcrops, to white sandy deserts, lush jungle, and moon-like rocky debris, all bathed in blinding sunlight or striking moonlight depending on the time of day (which can impact the temperature of your precious cargo). Plus, creating routes across the map will now signal specific hazards along the way to prepare for in advance. I do miss the rugged and melancholic Icelandic tundra that formed such a core part of the first game's identity, but it feels static by comparison. Here the changing landscape and lighting allow Kojima's cinematography to thrive: from the glare of sunset blooming behind ghostly silhouetted entities, to a giant moon overwhelming the sky lending space-age iconography to match his meeting rooms.

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There's far more customisation this time around too: for Sam, for his backpack, and for vehicles. Sam naturally and explicitly levels up his abilities through use, be that increasing his stamina or his proficiency with different weapon types. Moreover, as his porter rank increases in different areas following the completion of each mission, new buffs are unlocked on a skill tree. For instance, more time in stealth will allow for buffs like better noise cancellation and enemy alerts, while more time in combat will unlock improved bullets and a better scanner range. It's RPG-lite, but it adds to the feeling of Sam being an extension of your playstyle and adapting to each mission.
Then there's backpack customisation, with Sam able to fabricate various attachments: extra ammo pouches, shields, and the like. This later extends to vehicles too. Not only was I able to add an arm to a truck that would automatically grab lost packages, I then attached machine guns to automatically shoot enemies as I drove through bases in tank-like fashion. After previously trudging through on foot, that felt particularly cathartic.

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In many ways, Death Stranding 2 feels like Metal Gear Solid 6 - an extension of the open world design and smooth transition between stealth and combat the fifth game provided. Mexico and Australia are filled with enemy bases to infiltrate, with Sam able to sneak around for silent takedowns, or simply fire away with powerful weapons. He's given a whole load of options, from pistols and assault rifles and shotguns, to grenade launchers, a blood boomerang (we're in Australia, after all), and the return of my favourite rope-firing Bola Gun. Weapons are punchy and combat can be explosive, if a little easy.

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Combat against BTs, meanwhile, is more active this time. The previously invisible enemies are more visible now, not to mention the new Watcher type that can properly see Sam rather than sense him, resulting in some tense sneaking. And with plenty of weapon types to retaliate with, BT encounters are no longer a tedious lesson in holding your breath but shootouts against nightmarish visions. BTs may have lost some of their fear factor as a result, but when the rainfall comes Death Stranding 2 remains darkly atmospheric. As for bosses, I only fought a couple in my playtime and while they were fantastically surreal, I'm still waiting for that Psycho Mantis or The End moment.
The Metal Gear influence on combat, at least, was indirect. "There are so many people all over the world asking me to make another Metal Gear, so I added more options for combat," he said. "When I was working out those mechanics, I was a little worried because many of the staff that worked with me on Metal Gear still work here, and we kept saying to each other, 'Does this feel too much like Metal Gear?' It wasn't on purpose."