Death Stranding 2: On the Beach review codes aren't available for press outlets like ourselves yet, but Sony and Kojima Productions will have been conducting internal reviews for months now. These are more designed to offer the studio feedback on what areas they could improve and give a rough estimate of where the PS5 game might land review score-wise when we do gain access.

There's no way to know what the internal reviews estimated Death Stranding would receive when it came out on PS4 in 2019, but the original version scored an 82. The PS5's Director's Cut improved on that slightly with an 85.

Now, according to a new interview with Hideo Kojima in the latest Edge magazine (via VGC), the full PS5 follow-up is scoring significantly higher with its test reviewers. Sony is apparently pleased about this, but Kojima himself wishes the release would prove a bit more controversial.

Kojima explains that he does listen to feedback and criticism regarding elements such as controls and the camera, but the story and themes remain untouched regardless of what test reviewers say. "Of course, I want people to play my game, so I must listen to them to a certain extent. But also, I’m not interested in making something that appeals to everyone."

He goes on to state that he sat in on a lot of monitoring tests for the original game. "I’d find that four out of ten people would love the game, but six would say it was a terrible game. For me, I think that’s a good balance. But with the playtests for Death Standing 2: On the Beach, everyone seems to be positive."

Kojima then says he's not interested in appealing to the mass market or selling millions of copies; he wishes to create games that prove controversial. "Of course, I can’t afford to make a failure, either. I must take care of my studio, my staff, and our production budget. But in essence, I don’t want to simply recreate something that’s already in the world. I want to make something new."

Hideo Kojima has constantly pushed the barrier of video games, spanning as far back as the decision to make Raiden the main character of Metal Gear Solid 2. Each of the Metal Gear Solid games has felt unique since then, and Death Stranding was a significant departure from his previous efforts. Death Stranding 2, on the surface, seems like Kojima's most iterative sequel to date. We're sure he has more than a few tricks up his sleeve, however.

Death Stranding 2 releases for PS5 on 26th June 2025, and you can have a read through our Preview round up through the link. What do you think of Kojima's thoughts regarding the internal reviews? Let us know in the comments below.

[source videogameschronicle.com]