![]() ![]() This is in many ways the same great game released in 2019, filled with incredible visuals, a though provoking story and gorgeous landscapes. Should you wish to play this game as it was released, the opportunity is there, as these new additions are admittedly non invasive. Going against the spirit of the original release isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but I feel a little blindsided, like I was punished for being an early adopter. Playing Death Stranding: Director’s Cut left me utilising these new features for easier deliveries and deeper combat, but the changes don’t feel incredibly necessary, or dependant on a next generation console. Talking to my friends about Death Stranding took us down a path of incredibly vast and diverse stories, even if the gameplay never really allowed for such ventures. Each delivery might have increased the repetitive nature of a subjectively mundane gameplay loop which encouraged a sense of motivation and determination, pitting you in difficult and treacherous situations, which made each delivery and encounter feel earned and memorable in our own unique ways. I thoroughly enjoyed the original experience, but most of the gameplay, albeit a slow burn, felt intentional and deliberate. This revamped bundle feels meaningful and well implemented, even if seems to directly contradict Death Stranding’s original intention. ![]() Thankfully, the main experience is as stable and memorable as you may have found it, with numerous additions seemingly easing new players into its slow draw, and helping some retrying fans cruise through with a little added smoothness. This is why a Director’s Cut of Death Stranding feels odd to me. If anyone on this Earth has free reign over their own creation, it’s Hideo Kojima. He is to be congratulated for sculpting a gorgeous, nuanced and detailed genre-melding experience that has stood the test of time. Kojima’s vision of a disconnected world and a need for understanding feels even more prescient now than it did at launch. With hindsight and considering the ways the world has changed since its release, your feelings on Death Stranding may be different now. “He casts us in the shoes of Sam Porter Bridges ( The Walking Dead‘s Norman Reedus) only to have us deliver packages across the US?” As discussed in David’s 2019 Death Stranding Review, we know who Kojima is. “Just who does Hideo Kojima think he is?” cried the haters. It was then met with either an overwhelming sense of confusion and, in some circles, accusations of pretentiousness, or raw delight and respect for what Kojima was trying to do. It’s no secret that Death Stranding landed amid huge anticipation and excitement. Leave it to Hideo Kojima to release Death Stranding Director’s Cut, the expanded version of a game over which he had complete creative control. ![]()
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