DespiteDeath Stranding 2being a sequel, the public knows very little about the upcoming game.Hideo Kojima has a penchant for making game trailersthat pose more questions than they do answers. Add that to the unique world introduced in the firstDeath Strandingand it would be hard to find someone other than Kojima who knows exactly what’s going on.
One of the most unique aspects ofDeath Stranding’s world is the BTs. When a living thing dies and its body isn’t disposed of properly, its soul becomes trapped in the world of the living and becomes a Beached Thing. Apart from its natural hostility toward the living, BTs that come into contact with living things can cause Voidouts - massive explosions that can level entire cities. BTs are one of the main antagonist groups in the firstDeath Stranding, but they could use more variants forDeath Stranding 2.
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There Are Only A Handful of BT Types In The First Death Stranding
When it comes to general gameplay, Sam Bridges really only fights two types of BTs. The first and most common type of BT is the Gazers. Taking on the shadowy appearance of human beings with umbilical cords,Gazers appear wherever Timefall rain appears. Completely devoid of vision, Gazers detect Sam via the sounds he makes. Walking, shooting a weapon, or driving through Timefall areas using a Reverse Trike or Truck are just some of the actions that can alert BTs to Sam’s presence. Once a group of Gazers detects Sam, they will try to capture him by creating a pool of tar in his vicinity and dragging him under. Failure to escape the Gazers' clutches will result in them carrying Sam over to the second BT variant: the Catchers.
Cathers are large BTs that take on multiple forms. The firstDeath Strandingrevealed that there are Catchers which share physical aspects of animals like octopi, lions, and even humans, albeit with more otherworldly anatomies. Most Catchers serve as mini-bosses while some specific ones,like Higgs Monaghan’s Catcher Titan, are bosses found in the main story. When hostile, Catchers produce a stage encased in tar where objects like buildings and cars routinely sink and emerge from the sludge. Catchers will then proceed to attack whatever it is they ensnared in their domain (which is usually Sam Bridges) with a wide variety of moves. How a Catcher attacks is largely dependent on its type. Whale-like BTs can shoot projectiles from the air while Lion-shaped BTs can attack using their quadruped frames. Players must either defeat the BT that captured them by destroying its Chiral core or escape by running outside the tar stage the BT has created.
Death Stranding 2 Should Up The BT Variety
Seeing asDeath Stranding 2will be the second foray into this particular world, players already have some notion about how things work. When it comes to BTs, handling them is as easy as avoiding Timefall and keeping quiet whenever they enter BT territory. Should players want to start a fight with these otherworldly creatures, all they have to do is useSam’s unique weapons with ammunition coated in his Repatriate bloodto make short work of them.
It would be nice to seeBT variants that subvert player expectations. A BT that can see as well as hear would make for a truly scary adversary, as would a variant that can persist without Timefall present. Using the rules established by the first game, Kojima Productions can create a wide variety of BTs that break these established guidelines and make them feel fresh and dangerous again. It’s still too early to say what the development studio has in store for the sequel, but if Kojima’s track record is anything to go by, players will have to be wary about taking on BTs inDeath Stranding 2.
