Death Stranding 2 TGS presentation shows off photo mode, puppet music video and absolutely nothing else

Hideo Kojima has always walked the line between cringe and creative, but whatever side he chooses, the fact that gaming still has authors is something to be celebrated. Death stranding 2‘s TGS presentation was definitely a mix of the two, with no gameplay shown in favor of a puppet dance routine.

Kojima has always been tight-lipped about his current projects, up to and including Metal Gear Solid2‘s Raiden bait and switch, only to hear he’d be giving a full stage presentation to talk all about it Death Stranding 2: On the beach was nothing short of revelatory for many fans, myself included.

In true Kojima fashion, though, that’s not quite what happened. While Kojima reconfirmed the game’s planned release date of 2025 and promised to reveal a more specific release date next year, that was all the news we heard as far as the game itself was concerned. On the contrary, most of the presentation was devoted to showing off DS2The new and improved photo mode of all things, centered around an extended montage of the game’s three heroines posing around the ship that seems to serve as your central hub.

The names of several prominent characters were also revealed, including Rainy, Tomorrow, Dollman (yes, really) and Tarman (yes, really). Sometimes I feel ashamed because I think this man is a genius. Kojima Productions also unveiled a $1,700 jacket in collaboration with high-end techwear brand Acronym, presumably just to further Kojima’s quest to be the best-dressed game developer in the world.

Finally, as if to apologize for the lack of plot details or gameplay showcases, Kojima revealed his coup de grace: a music video starring DS2 character Dollman, a four-inch doll animated at 24 frames per second. Dollman gives an extensive dance performance DS2 main character Sam (Norman Reedus, probably wondering how his life choices led him to this) to an original song by Japanese pop star Daichi Miura. It appears to be set up as an in-game cutscene, meaning Sam will likely be pulled aside at some point in the final game to witness this in between saving the world and delivering packages. Hopefully some of that pop star budget will go towards the actual gameplay.

Anyway, I want to play this now. Unfortunately, Death Stranding 2: On the beach is scheduled for 2025, with a PS5 Pro version likely coming not long after. A PC version is not currently on the cards.