We are back with the new and improved ‘Death Stranding: Director’s Cut’ created by the visionary game creator, Hideo Kojima. To say that Hideo Kojima’s games are unique is an understatement, I do not think even my imagination could grasp what goes on in his mind. ‘Metal Gear Solid’ is one of my favourite games from my youth and even back then Hideo’s games were groundbreaking.

As we have already written a full comprehensive review of the original Death Stranding which you can find here (https://www.mkaugaming.com/all-review-list/death-stranding-review/ ), this review will dive into what the Director’s cut has to offer.

This version of the title has many new additions to the game. The basic principle of the game is driven by a mysterious event called ‘Death Stranding’, which created a bridge between the living and the dead. Creating a collapse of civilization with creatures from the other side, bandits know as ‘Mules’ and a terrorist group seemingly wanting the end of the world. It is left to Sam to bring America hope.

Sam Porter Bridges is a simple delivery man but is thrust into the politics of the barely hanging on UCA or United Cities of America. Sam must travel across post-apocalyptic America and connect the few remaining cities, outposts, and bunkers to bring hope and much-needed packages to reform America.

The Director’s Cut brings a few extra missions and a larger area to explore. This extends the storyline to add to the amount of content. There are also new weapons and vehicles to help get around and take on enemies both foreign and domestic. That is just the start of the added extras. You can now visit a firing range to test out all the weapons and even take part in training missions that you can rank in against other players from around the world. The same goes for the new race track builder that you can now use to build and compete in trials which also can be ranked against other players.

Some other new extras include a buddy bot that can carry packages for you or carry you while carrying packages, it is not the safest mode of transport but fun. It is an awfully quirky inclusion, something you’d definitely expect from our friend, Kojima. Another feature thanks to the PS5, includes the haptic feedback that helps you feel every slip and rough patch; this does help keep control of Sam like an early warning system.

As well is the use of the adaptive triggers that give different feel depending on the weapon you are using and the difference in package weight to change the resistance in shifting to compensate and recover. At first, I was worried about the combat but now being able to dropkick people, it is super fun and one of my favorite aspects.

The updated visuals are very noticeable especially when you see the original and the director’s cut side by side. There are also two picture modes now, first is “Performance” which gives you scaled 4K with up to 60fps, or fidelity mode which provides both 4K and HDR support and focuses on visual performance. The graphics definitely make this game look more amazing than it already did. It also has a widescreen mode which of all of the new features is the least useful, but it is there regardless for your enjoyment.

Death Stranding: Director’s Cut is a pretty decent cut with many extras for the fans to enjoy. I am enjoying it a hell of a lot more than I thought I would. I have heard all the positive and a large amount of negative feedback for the original, however, I have grown to love this game with its bizarre and unique story to its phantom multiplayer activities. If you have not picked up this game yet the director’s cut is a must-play experience.

Written by: Adam Brasher