Death Stranding Director’s Cut Is Worth Another Trek Across America

Although it would be very easy for me to join a Death Stranding director’s cut, I’m not sure how much. There was only one thing that would make it more Death Stranding.Or me to be bought onHideo Kujima’s most recent vanity project is worth revisiting. Fortunately, the Director’s Cut has exactly that. The original is my favorite, so this gives me the perfect excuse to rewatch it. It’s a must-have. Maybe not for what you believe. 

Death Stranding Director’s Cutting is positioned as an extended version of 2019’s game, the definitive Kojima’s vision. After 26 hours – and much, much more still to go – my knee-jerk impression is that the Director’s Cut moniker is marketing spiel more than anything. There are still some creative and fun additions to enhance the experience.

For new players, all the bells and whistles you’ve come to expect from PlayStation re-releases are present in Director’s Cut – performance/resolution modes, unbelievably fast load times, 60 frames per second, and all that good stuff. It’s also interesting to note that new missions, deliveries and other content have been seamlessly integrated into the game. 

Replaying and revisiting players will likely get the most out of these enhancements purely based on previous gaming experience. Some of these additions, to be honest, are quite good. Cross-overs with Valve’s Half Life Alyx were my favorite. This allows you grab any item in the world and not have to actually walk to it, as well as the Gravity Glove. The Maser Gun, which quickly incapacitates human enemies with a bolt of electricity, is also a great touch – though the game’s wonky aiming makes the weapon better for stealth than combat. Although the new track is a great diversion from the main route, the poor controls can make it frustrating as you crash into walls all the time. You can perform insane stunts on the Jump Ramp, which is for motorcycles. New songs are included in new porter missions and they all work well. And as an aside, the way the game – both Director’s Cut and the original release – implements licensed music into its mission structure is so good; I wish all games were as clever in their use of music as Death Stranding. 

By saving a PlayStation 4 game, you have instant access to many of the latest content in Director’s Cut. If you are like me, and would like to restart Death Stranding’s campaign, the new content is spread throughout the entire game. At 26 hours into my playthrough, there’s still a lot, if not a majority I haven’t found – I cannot wait for the Cargo Catapult in Chapter 5. This method is smart and allows for new aspects to be added to the game. I find it more enjoyable to just stumble upon the information than to go through the checklist. When I come across something that wasn’t in the base game – sometimes after hours and hours of old content – it makes the game feel fresh and new, even if it’s not. 

While the Director’s Cut offers the most immersive way to learn Death Stranding, I recommend that you still purchase the main game if it is more appealing. Each approach has its merits. I haven’t personally found anything in Director’s Cut that radically changes the core Death Stranding experience in such a way that it’d be impossible to play anything but – especially if you want to save a little money by buying the original release. 

This doesn’t really get at the essence of why Death Stranding should be played.

An uplifting, holistic experience

The more time I spend with Director’s Cut, the less interested I am in running down a list of new or old mechanics – which sits at odds with my assignment: write a simple impressions piece on the game’s new content. Although the Gravity Glove looks great and the track is entertaining enough, it is not the reason I would recommend Death Stranding Direct’s cut. The Director’s Cut reinforces my belief that Death Stranding should be played if it isn’t already. This game should be played in any form. 

What makes Death Stranding great, and why I think it’s one of the best games of the last generation, has less to do with any individual aspect and more to do with the entire package. Death Stranding, a Sony-published, triple-A video game is confusing. Not in the sense that its lore is confusing – it’s not; it’s remarkably straightforward within its fiction. Instead, Death Stranding is simultaneously a masterclass in holistic game design – make no mistake, the game is Literally about walking from here to there – combined with one of the thematically messiest stories I’ve ever experienced. Kojima’s opinions about any subject are wildly varied, which leads to many contradictory ideas. But in all respects, Death Stranding’s earnestness seeps out of every pixel. 

Playing Death Stranding, you get the sense that Kojima put it all on the table – his ideas about the video game industry, climate change, and for whatever reason, westward expansion and the dream of an America that maybe never existed. The majority of the game, which is in its purest form, a walking simulator where you balance and maintain your stamina is an intriguing gameplay choice that was ostensibly intended to offend some players. In 2021, the world is being rocked by a catastrophic event that takes everyone out of contact with each other. While I suspect Kojima made the mistake, this gives Death Stranding more gravitas. 

Death Stranding is a wonderful game. It’s my favorite game of all time, even Nier Automata. I think about Death Stranding often and remember how much I loved it. I also love the YouTube videos that show it in action. This is partly due to core gameplay. Delivering packages and walking from one point to the next is an enjoyable, relaxing experience. Planning my route, building my cargo and then setting off across the great reaches of nowhereness is what I love. That nothingness is my favorite part of the game. It’s not something I like as Death Stranding when it does finally get into action. 

It is refreshing to see the game go against the grain. Many games attempt to cater to players’ every need and desire, but Death Stranding demands that you meet your needs on your own terms. It is difficult to master the game. It takes patience and dedication to master the game. It’s not about clicking on bad guys’ foreheads and watching the blood, sparks and energy go all around. It’s a lonely world. Your only companion is you. 

Death Stranding is a complete piece that stands alone as a work of art. There are, truly, not many other games like this from a narrative and mechanical standpoint – and that includes Kojima’s other work. Amazing is the story’s meticulous attention to detail, and how it constructs its universe. Even if it doesn’t always stick the landing – Kojima has a habit of thinking his concepts are harder to grasp than they actually are, leading to a lot of over-explanation – the commitment to world-building in a way that’s believable if you’re willing to buy into its fiction creates something unlike much else in video games. Death Stranding has an almost literary quality in the way it takes time to detail every aspect of its long story. Although Kojima’s Metal Gear series was able to do the same narratively, those games aren’t as precise in their game design. P.T. is perhaps the closest thing to Death Stranding. It’s the “playable preview” of Kojima’s Silent Hill reboot. This was similar inscrutable at points. 

Death Stranding is not new. Death Stranding’s existence as a Sony First-Party Release, costing millions, coupled with an aggressive marketing campaign for celebrities that not many games could afford is among the most amazing things in video game history. But, I am so happy it is there. 

Death Stranding is a game you must play if you haven’t already. It doesn’t matter if you have the original version or the Director’s Cut. The game is definitely worth playing. The game is not perfect. Read more Game Informer Review for a second opinion However, Death Stranding is not available. And there may never be again; I struggle to think Sony or any other publisher will ever let Kojima be this free a second time – at least not with this kind of budget. This is what Death Stranding is worth seeing. You can also enjoy cargo catapults, race tracks and Gravity Gloves.