Kojima games have always been confusing, featuring complex themes regarding war, autonomy, and duty, but theDeath Strandingduology really takes the cake in terms of the secrets that it keeps.Death Stranding 2: On the Beach’spre-order trailerfeatures the same beautiful and desolate vistas as the first game, and also heavily features Chiralium throughout. This sticky substance is one of the most important clues to understanding what, exactly, theDeath Strandinggames are about.
Before understanding what Chiralium does, it’s important to understand where it comes from:it’s a by-product released during the game’s titular event, the Death Stranding.In the game, the Death Stranding was a mass-extinction event that caused the living to be connected with the dead in a metaphysical location called the Beach. The Beach is the place souls go right after death, and the Stranding prevented souls from truly moving on to the afterlife. These stuck souls were then attached to their physical bodies, becoming “Beached Things,” or BTs.
Chiralium In Death Stranding 2 Explained
A By-Product Of The Stranding With Devastating Ecological Impact
During the Stranding, large quantities of Chiralium were found to have been created. It’s not certain where or how this occurred, but the presence of Chrialium directly correlates with the Death Stranding. Scientists in the game explain that Chiralium is likely similar to dark matter or antimatter in that it’s always existed in the universe, but not in a form which humanity could interact with.It was first discovered when a human and BT came together, causing a voidout and leaving nothing but Chiralium behind.
“Voidouts” occur when “real” matter interacts with the antimatter inside a BT, causing a huge, annihilating explosion. Several missions from the originalDeath Strandingfeature Sam needing to safely dispose of BTs before they can cause a voidout.
Chiralium’s integration into the Earth’s ecological system changed the environment as well. Now, Chiral-infused rain, called Timefall, sweeps across the landscape,permanently and quickly aging anything it touches.This has caused untold environmental devastation, and it’s uncontrollable and seemingly impossible to stop. Despite this, there have been many scientific endeavors to use the positive attributes of Chiralium to combat and adapt to the aftereffects of the Stranding.
Why Chiralium Is Important To DS2’s Story
Chiralium Permeates The Game And Warps Reality
In the originalDeath Stranding, much of Sam’s day-to-day conflict stems from the harsh atmosphere that the Stranding created through the genesis of BTs and Chiralium. It permeates every part of the game, forcing you to choose every step wisely to survive the hostile world around you.Chiralium crystals bend the rules of reality,and Sam must adapt to these new rules to survive.
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In terms of significance, humanity’s adaptations to Chiralium are the only reason they’ve survived as long as they have post-Stranding. They created the Chiral Network, which allows them to instantly transfer any amount of data from one place to another, reconnecting America’s cities and allowing for the preservation of human history and culture. However,the use of the Chiral Network also increases the levels of Chiralium in the area, causing more Beaches to be created. It seems that Chiralium is the thread that ties our world to the Beach, and the more thoroughly it’s used, the tighter the two become bound.
In theDeath Stranding 2trailer, it is revealed that gateways to other continents have been opened, likely using the Chiral Network. This increased use of Chiralium for transport will increase the production of Chiralium as well, expanding its reach throughout the globe.
At the end ofDeath Stranding, Sam stopped an extinction event now called the Last Stranding. Amelie, Sam’s sister and the antagonist of the game, tried to bring about a world ending Stranding, to hasten the destruction of humanity, so that something else could rise in its place. She did this by encouraging Sam to create a countrywide Chiral Network that the players spend most of the game building, only for it to be used for Amelie’s purposes. Now that Amelie has been stopped, it’s unclear as to the role of Chiralium and the Chiral Network inDeath Stranding 2. However, one thing is clear: humanity can’t survive without the Chiral Network, even with the large threat that Chiralium poses, so how will we adapt to keep the world safe?
