The reveal of the long-rumoredDeath Stranding 2at The Game Awards 2022 was punctuated by the confirmation of several returning cast members. Although the trailer focused heavily on Lea Seydoux’s Fragile, it also gave fans a brief glimpse at new looks for Norman Reedus' Sam Bridges and Troy Baker’s Higgs. What caught particular attention was Sam’s apparent age difference betweenDeath Strandingand its sequel, leading many to speculate why he appears so much older than the rest of the cast.
Additional cast members listed in the credits but missing from the trailer include Elle Fanning and Shioli Kutsuna. AlthoughHideo Kojima had teased these actors' involvementin the project on Twitter, their role in the game has yet to be revealed. As is typical of Kojima, the cryptic nature of this trailer leaves a lot of room for speculation on many fronts. However, the reasoning behind Sam’s drastic age difference could have a few causes leading intoDeath Stranding 2.
RELATED:Death Stranding 2’s Setting Looks Like a Huge Change From the Original
Timefall May Be Responsible for Sam’s Aging
Although it is possible that Sam aged due to the length of time betweenDeath Strandingand its sequel, that seems like too simple of an answer for Kojima Productions.Fans of Kojima’sMetal Gearserieswill be familiar with the way in which Snake suffered accelerated aging as a clone.Death Strandinghas its own in-universe cause of accelerated aging in the form of the Timefall phenomenon which is a mysterious rain that causes anything it comes into contact with to rapidly progress through time. Timefall has the power to decay machinery, kill plant life, and even age humans who are unfortunate enough to come into contact.
Death Strandingalready has one character whosuffered the effects of Timefall: Fragile, who had Timefall affect every part of her body except her face while attempting to prevent Higgs from destroying South Knot City. Given Fragile’s prominence in this reveal trailer, it is possible Timefall could play a larger role in the overall story ofDeath Stranding 2. Perhaps Sam’s overexposure to the phenomenon during the events of the first game caused him to age more quickly than he would have otherwise.
Sam’s Aging Could Be the Result of His Status as a Repatriate
Much likeMetal Gear’s Snake, Sam’s existence in the world ofDeath Strandingis not natural. He was one of the original Bridge Babies who died after his father, Cliff, attempted to rescue him from Bridges' experiments. Sam was broughtback to life on the beach by Amelie, making him a repatriate: someone who is able to avoid death by navigating their way back from the beach. With the ability to defy death, the cost of this repatriation may be accelerated aging. This would explain Sam’s age discrepancy while also adding to the lore of repatriation and the beach, two ofDeath Stranding’s most mysterious inclusions.
Sam also suffers from DOOMS, a condition associated with a connection to the world of the dead. Although not a direct result of being a repatriate, his rapid aging coming from DOOMS could be another viable explanation. It is possible that the stress inflicted by the nightmares DOOMS creates could have caused him to look older than he actually is, much like the ways in which high levels of stress in the real-world can result in a similar appearance. Whatever the cause may be, it is certain to be an important part ofDeath Stranding 2.
