Death Stranding 2 is already shaping up to be one of 2025's most bold and almost certainly bizarre games, with its plethora of cameos and ever-complex plot points proving to please fans of the original and intrigue newcomers. However, gameplay showcasing just a handful of the game's unique features has revealed perhaps one of its most weirdly wonderful aspects. When fans say it has to be seen to be believed, they truly mean it, as this is not only another of Kojima's wild ideas, but also a fascinating insight into just how far technology has progressed.
There are many weird things about Death Stranding 2, but by far this seemingly important gameplay mechanic that was first showcased at TGS has to be the most surreal. It simultaneously has that bizarre Kojima charm and manages to be very over-the-top, especially when it comes to just how revolutionary it is. While it's likely to prove at least somewhat contentious, it has the potential of winning Death Stranding 2 Game of the Year.
Death Stranding 2's Photo Mode Is Truly Remarkable
It's Equal Parts Creepy And Mesmerizing
Death Stranding 2 has a photo mode, although it's probably not like what most players were expecting. Instead of pausing the game and allowing players to move the camera around, changing filters, and snapping beautiful shots of sunsets, Death Stranding 2 sees Sam Porter take photos of other characters as they pose for him while making awkward and slightly uncomfortable noises.
So far, gameplay of the photo mode has showcased Sam taking polaroids of Tomorrow, Fragile, and Rainy - three of the game's female characters - as they pose with plushies or by a car.
What makes this special though, is just how realistic the whole thing is, with each character and their various poses done in real-time - characters will shift their poses naturally, much like how someone would in real life. Fragile goes from holding her plushie to throwing it in the air before returning to another pose with Tomorrow and Rainy, all in the same motion, and Sam can snap a picture at any time. This level of realism is aided by the phenomenal motion capture, not to mention the photorealistic visuals that make Death Stranding 2 such an appealing title.
There are already so many ways Death Stranding 2 will revolutionize gameplay mechanics, but the realistic photo mode definitely takes the cake. While it's hard to deny that there's a level of uncomfortableness about the whole affair, it's equally hard to deny just how mindblowing this is, bringing Kojima's dream of turning video games into movies closer to reality.
Of course, it's unlikely that at any moment players will be able to whip out their camera and whoever is around will start posing, but if there are enough moments like this that don't loop, it is a game-changing for photo-modes.
Death Stranding 2's Photo Mode Plays A Pivotal Role In The Story
Kojima Explains Players Should "Take Good Pictures"
Interestingly, the photo mode will somehow affect Death Stranding 2's story, with Kojima himself advising players that it “would be better to take good pictures.” Naturally, much like many elements of the game, it's been kept under wraps just how much the photo mode affects the story and in what ways it shapes it. It's hard to imagine that players with poor photography skills will get a bad ending, but it's very interesting that it's being implemented in such a pivotal way.
Of course, the potential to photograph all the famous actors appearing in Death Stranding 2 certainly seems like a novel way to spend a few hours, if only to see what bizarre poses they pull. Just how much emphasis has been given to the photo mode remains to be seen, but it clearly seems like something Kojima and his team are ionate about, given just how much effort has been poured into it. If the rest of Death Stranding 2's gameplay feels as immersive as the photo mode, it's not hard to imagine it winning GOTY.
Death Stranding Is Just Old School D&D With Extra Steps
Death Stranding is like a classic Dungeons & Dragons hex-crawl through the surreal lens of an auteur Dungeon Master, with the same exploration focus.
It is worth noting that Kojima has a history of inappropriate photo modes, such as the ability to take lecherous images of the Beauty and the Beast unit in MGS4, which makes the current focus on female characters a little alarming. However, so long as he keeps it PG and its implementation in the story is interesting, then the photo mode could prove to be a fun experience and a way of bonding with the characters. Death Stranding 2 is shaping up to either be the best game ever made or another Kojima oddity just with an enormous budget.
Source: X/Kojima Productions, PlayStation/YouTube
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
- Released
- June 26, 2025
- Developer(s)
- Kojima Productions
- Publisher(s)
- Sony Interactive Entertainment
- Franchise
- Death Stranding
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5
