The new Death Stranding 2 art book has revealed several interesting ideas that were cut from the game.

Like most video games, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach went through a period of pre-production where ideas and concepts were fleshed out. Game director Hideo Kojima began working on the sequel shortly after work wrapped up on the first Death Stranding game, but following the start of the COVID pandemic in 2020, a new story was written as Kojima began to rethink the very idea of connection.

While he hasn’t revealed how different the game was prior to this, the recently released book, The Art of Death Stranding 2, does show a few glimpses at what almost was. We’ve gone through it and listed some of the interesting tidbits gleaned from the book below, but there are some major spoilers ahead, so consider yourselves warned. The book is full of behind-the-scenes artwork showing off various designs for the game’s characters, world, and vehicles, all imagined by art director Yoji Shinkawa and his talented team of illustrators.

If you’d like to add it to your collection,the book is now available and priced at $40 (was $50) through Amazon, and it’s a deluxe tome of beautiful art to explore.The game is also launching for PC on March 19.

The Art of Death Stranding 2: On the Beach

$40 (was $50) | Releases November 11

Preorder at Amazon

The Art of Death Stranding

$24.64 (was $40)

See at Amazon

Spoiler warning

One more spoiler warning before we start looking at the Death Stranding 2 that almost was. Don’t scroll any further if you’re planning to play the game!

Who are you calling Fragile?

She’s Fragile, but not that fragile! Death Stranding 2’s leading lady was in the captain’s chair for most of the game, but at one point, the idea of Fragile wearing a mech suit and heading into battle was floated around. Some of the ideas for these exoskeletons are wild, as they looked like they would be right at home in an ’80s cyberpunk anime with the combination of exaggerated shoulders, insect-like leg augmentations, and bulky armor. Ultimately, it was decided that Fragile would take on a leadership role.

Is Turtleneck Sam not turtley enough?

We’d mentioned this previously, but early concept art for Death Stranding 2 showed Sam and Fragile swapping their Timefall-resistant fatigues for boardroom power suits. Sam’s outfit in particular looked verychic with its bold colors and a turtleneck.

Tomorrow never dies

The mysterious Tomorrow is quickly revealed to be a bare-knuckle powerhouse in Death Stranding 2, as he can go toe-to-toe with BTs and Higgs. Early ideas for her included the ability to shape-shift into different forms, and at one point, the art team toyed with giving her a katana to wield.

Cat-tastrophic design ideas

Tarman’s cat-like companion shows off a cuter side of Death Stranding 2, if you can overlook it being constantly drenched in tar and having demonic wings. That design stays constant throughout Death Stranding 2, but the concept-art team did experiment with giving the cat more BT-like characteristics, like a face that could erupt into a maw of teeth and tentacles.

He’s a doll, man

Dollman’s design went through several iterations before Kojima Productions settled on the character model resembling a ventriloquist dummy, but one of the ideas had a festive theme to it. Dollman was at one point envisaged as a Nutcracker Prince-style doll, but with a few more creepy characteristics that took him from lovable sidekick to pure nightmare fuel.

Die Hardman with a vengeance

Lurking in the shadows for most of the game, Die Hardman finally made his grand debut with an elaborate song-and-dance number in Death Stranding 2. After shouldering an immense amount of guilt for his actions in the first Death Stranding game, Die Hardman appears to be in a far healthier state, and his early designs toyed with giving him a nomadic appearance and an impressive beard.

Attaining Neil Vana

One of Sam’s persistent antagonists in Death Stranding 2, Neil Vana resembling Metal Gear Solid’s Solid Snake was no accident. Other designs for the character imagined him as a Border Patrol agent, an aged master swordsman, and a soldier with a visor design that looks very similar to the one used by Raiden in Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance.

The afterlife aquatic

While Sam has his hands full with bandits, doomsday cults, and the ghost mech army led by Higgs, Beached Things also return to menace him throughout Death Stranding 2. The sequel saw BTs evolve into even deadlier forms, and Kojima Productions looked to marine life for inspiration. This resulted in BTs with a combination of human, squid, manta ray, and crab influences, all coming together in several nightmarish designs.

This level design would have turned us all into arachnophobes

And if BTs weren’t bad enough, Sam also had to deal with various Chiral creatures on his travels. One idea that was cut from the sequel was a nesting ground for these organisms, which would have resembled a spider’s nest, with thick webs threaded out among natural rock formations.

Our HR Giger counter is ticking

As a nod to famed Swiss artist HR Giger, one of the ghost-mech designs in Death Stranding 2 has a head that’s inspired by the skull of the infamous Xenomorph from the Alien movies. Look closely at the brutish mech that carries Higgs in his coffin, and you’ll see that its mechanical skull resembles the Xenomorph design.

My large post-apocalyptic pony

Death Stranding 2 gives Sam several vehicles to help him on his journey–including a coffin-shaped surfboard–but one idea that the concept-art team had was for a quadrupedal mount that he could ride across the wilderness. These concepts included a horse-like mech that had an apocalyptic flair to it, as well as a spider-like design with insectile appendages.

Plain sailing

The DHV Magellan is another tribute to Kojima’s past–it bears a strong resemblance to the Metal Gear Rex mech from Metal Gear Solid–but early designs for it originally drifted toward making it resemble a conventional cargo ship or submarine.

Not bad for a dead man

Throughout his journey, Sam comes across a mysterious Red Samurai who saves his bacon. Later in Death Stranding 2, it’s revealed that the hulking warrior contains the corpse of Deadman and is controlled by him from his Beach. In a bit of foreshadowing, you can spot several bodies that match the size and physique of the Red Samurai, all zipped up in body bags inside Deadman’s Mexico lab.

Pizza time!

In one memorable scene, Sam almost gets his butt handed to him by the Pizza Chef. Japanese filmmaker Mamoru Oshii provided the likeness for this character, and to make his home stand out more, his handwritten signature was incorporated into his pizzeria logo.

 The new Death Stranding 2 art book has revealed several interesting ideas that were cut from the game.Like most video games, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach went through a period of pre-production where ideas and concepts were fleshed out. Game director Hideo Kojima began working on the sequel shortly after work wrapped up on the first Death Stranding game, but following the start of the COVID pandemic in 2020, a new story was written as Kojima began to rethink the very idea of connection.While he hasn’t revealed how different the game was prior to this, the recently released book, The Art of Death Stranding 2, does show a few glimpses at what almost was. We’ve gone through it and listed some of the interesting tidbits gleaned from the book below, but there are some major spoilers ahead, so consider yourselves warned. The book is full of behind-the-scenes artwork showing off various designs for the game’s characters, world, and vehicles, all imagined by art director Yoji Shinkawa and his talented team of illustrators.If you’d like to add it to your collection,the book is now available and priced at $40 (was $50) through Amazon, and it’s a deluxe tome of beautiful art to explore.The game is also launching for PC on March 19. The Art of Death Stranding 2: On the Beach $40 (was $50) | Releases November 11 Preorder at Amazon The Art of Death Stranding $24.64 (was $40) See at Amazon Spoiler warningOne more spoiler warning before we start looking at the Death Stranding 2 that almost was. Don’t scroll any further if you’re planning to play the game! Who are you calling Fragile?She’s Fragile, but not that fragile! Death Stranding 2’s leading lady was in the captain’s chair for most of the game, but at one point, the idea of Fragile wearing a mech suit and heading into battle was floated around. Some of the ideas for these exoskeletons are wild, as they looked like they would be right at home in an ’80s cyberpunk anime with the combination of exaggerated shoulders, insect-like leg augmentations, and bulky armor. Ultimately, it was decided that Fragile would take on a leadership role. Is Turtleneck Sam not turtley enough?We’d mentioned this previously, but early concept art for Death Stranding 2 showed Sam and Fragile swapping their Timefall-resistant fatigues for boardroom power suits. Sam’s outfit in particular looked verychic with its bold colors and a turtleneck. Tomorrow never diesThe mysterious Tomorrow is quickly revealed to be a bare-knuckle powerhouse in Death Stranding 2, as he can go toe-to-toe with BTs and Higgs. Early ideas for her included the ability to shape-shift into different forms, and at one point, the art team toyed with giving her a katana to wield. Cat-tastrophic design ideasTarman’s cat-like companion shows off a cuter side of Death Stranding 2, if you can overlook it being constantly drenched in tar and having demonic wings. That design stays constant throughout Death Stranding 2, but the concept-art team did experiment with giving the cat more BT-like characteristics, like a face that could erupt into a maw of teeth and tentacles. He’s a doll, manDollman’s design went through several iterations before Kojima Productions settled on the character model resembling a ventriloquist dummy, but one of the ideas had a festive theme to it. Dollman was at one point envisaged as a Nutcracker Prince-style doll, but with a few more creepy characteristics that took him from lovable sidekick to pure nightmare fuel. Die Hardman with a vengeanceLurking in the shadows for most of the game, Die Hardman finally made his grand debut with an elaborate song-and-dance number in Death Stranding 2. After shouldering an immense amount of guilt for his actions in the first Death Stranding game, Die Hardman appears to be in a far healthier state, and his early designs toyed with giving him a nomadic appearance and an impressive beard. Attaining Neil VanaOne of Sam’s persistent antagonists in Death Stranding 2, Neil Vana resembling Metal Gear Solid’s Solid Snake was no accident. Other designs for the character imagined him as a Border Patrol agent, an aged master swordsman, and a soldier with a visor design that looks very similar to the one used by Raiden in Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance. The afterlife aquaticWhile Sam has his hands full with bandits, doomsday cults, and the ghost mech army led by Higgs, Beached Things also return to menace him throughout Death Stranding 2. The sequel saw BTs evolve into even deadlier forms, and Kojima Productions looked to marine life for inspiration. This resulted in BTs with a combination of human, squid, manta ray, and crab influences, all coming together in several nightmarish designs. This level design would have turned us all into arachnophobesAnd if BTs weren’t bad enough, Sam also had to deal with various Chiral creatures on his travels. One idea that was cut from the sequel was a nesting ground for these organisms, which would have resembled a spider’s nest, with thick webs threaded out among natural rock formations. Our HR Giger counter is tickingAs a nod to famed Swiss artist HR Giger, one of the ghost-mech designs in Death Stranding 2 has a head that’s inspired by the skull of the infamous Xenomorph from the Alien movies. Look closely at the brutish mech that carries Higgs in his coffin, and you’ll see that its mechanical skull resembles the Xenomorph design. My large post-apocalyptic ponyDeath Stranding 2 gives Sam several vehicles to help him on his journey–including a coffin-shaped surfboard–but one idea that the concept-art team had was for a quadrupedal mount that he could ride across the wilderness. These concepts included a horse-like mech that had an apocalyptic flair to it, as well as a spider-like design with insectile appendages. Plain sailingThe DHV Magellan is another tribute to Kojima’s past–it bears a strong resemblance to the Metal Gear Rex mech from Metal Gear Solid–but early designs for it originally drifted toward making it resemble a conventional cargo ship or submarine. Not bad for a dead manThroughout his journey, Sam comes across a mysterious Red Samurai who saves his bacon. Later in Death Stranding 2, it’s revealed that the hulking warrior contains the corpse of Deadman and is controlled by him from his Beach. In a bit of foreshadowing, you can spot several bodies that match the size and physique of the Red Samurai, all zipped up in body bags inside Deadman’s Mexico lab. Pizza time!In one memorable scene, Sam almost gets his butt handed to him by the Pizza Chef. Japanese filmmaker Mamoru Oshii provided the likeness for this character, and to make his home stand out more, his handwritten signature was incorporated into his pizzeria logo.  Read MoreGameSpot – All Content