Death Stranding: Director's Cut - Review
Death Stranding follows Sam, a private contractor that… wait, no… that’s not right. Let me start over. Being a courier in an apocalyptic world is a tough job, especially when… wait... Nope... that sounds stupid. Ok...how about, Hideo Kojima stated that Death Stranding is about connection and… wait.. no…
What the hell is Death Stranding about!? That’s the question I still had after completing this Director’s Cut. And just to be clear, I’ve never played the previous iteration of the game itself. However, one things to be clear on, creator Hideo Kojima posted a tweet that made it seem like he’s not entirely happy with calling this a “Director’s Cut”:
The rough translation in twitter stated: “A director's cut in a movie is an additional edit to the one that was released unwillingly because the director did not have the editing right, or was shortened because the screening time had to be shortened. In the game, it's not the one that was scraped, but the one that was additionally made. Director's Plus? So, I don't like this name.”
Now that we have that cleared up, why don’t I tell you about what playing Death Stranding was like and the experience I found from its gameplay instead of trying to pretend I’m some pretentious gamer/director that comprehended Kojima’s interesting narrative. First off, for those who haven’t played Death Stranding (like myself), I feel that you either get it or you don’t. You either love the mysterious, unique and bizarre narrative, or you’ll hate it and not understand what’s going on. Additionally, you’ll go through a whole range of emotions while playing this game from feeling like an unstoppable explorer, to being frightened and scared, all the way to yelling and feeling frustrated. My take on it is that it’s part of the experience that Kojima wanted you to have. In an extremely simplistic (and only my POV) way of explaining what this game is about, follows Sam… a courier who gets roped into expanding the Chiral Network, somewhat of a futuristic communications technology, through an apocalyptic US.
Yup, it sounds that bizarre… if you know what Hideo Kojima’s narratives, characters and creativity is like, you’ll understand the weirdness. Throughout the game, you’re set to deliver packages… some to win over certain ports and distribution centers in joining the USC aka joining the Chiral Network, and some to assist and help progress the story (if you can call it that). Additionally, there’s a whole bunch of enemies you’ll come across as you traverse the land such as these scary spirits known as BTs, and a bunch of rogue land-pirates that are after your cargo named MULEs.
But enough about the vague and obscure ‘unique’ storyline. What Hideo Kojima excelled at with Death Stranding is creating a world that’s quite amazing. Especially with the fact that you have to traverse through different locations, each with their own unique weather events, not to mention when the contaminated rain known as time fall takes place, which deteriorates your packages you have with you… making you pick-up your speed, foregoing the exploration and just beeline for your next destination. Kojima has really perfected the stress of having piles of packages to be delivered through challenging terrain, while you walk through the mountains, hills and other rough terrain, the ground is felt through the difficulty depending on how much weight (packages) you have with you. Some people might go for high risk, high reward... while others may play it safe. Kojima has really given players the choice of how hard or easy they want to make it for themselves. However, one thing that’s equally felt to most players is knowing the struggle is real. So much that players will eventually realise and understand the ideology of community and helping one another by building a range of usable equipment through the land.
This could be from placing a ladder to climb a side of a mountain that you struggled with, or even placing climbing anchors to get down easier on the side of cliffs. Additionally, players can leave a ‘like” on your placements, which gives you a sense of satisfaction in knowing you’ve helped others travel to their destinations. There had been several times where I’ve walked through one of my favourite locations in the game… the snow-capped mountains, which feel amazing on the DualSense, only to find myself stuck or stressed due to the hazardous cliffs… and within feeling that frustration, finding an anchor or ladder that someone else had left as they would have endured the same pain I did. That being said, if you’re anything like me… the anchors, ladders, bridges and roads that I put towards isn’t necessarily for the ‘community’ of players, but more so for my selfish need to deliver my packages… however, discussing this with a close friend and fan of the game, he was one that would create all sorts of equipment and utilities purely for others, which is extremely honourable.
With that all said, it took me a while to understand and have that lightbulb moment of the game. My initial reaction to the game was a little bit of an eye-roll as it felt as though all it really is was the fact that you’re a courier traversing through difficult landscapes… however, there was something very odd that kept me going back. There was a sense of satisfaction I felt when delivering packages… almost the same satisfied feeling I got with constructing the island in Animal Crossing: New Horizons (I know, they’re completely different games), it is something I can’t accurately describe why I felt that way. Additionally, the mysteriousness of the narrative kept me wanting to know more, even though I kept saying out loud, “What the hell is going on!? What’s this random thing now???”
In terms of the visual design of the game if you’re familiar with Kojima’s work… you’d be familiar with the look and feel of this game. There are obvious similarities to his Metal Gear series through the game, which isn’t a bad thing by any means. Even some of the sound effects used sound very similar. However, one thing to note is the user interface of the menu… it definitely hasn’t gotten any better, and in order to get through to the desired setting or selection of a tool, it feels as though you had to jump through hoops. This could definitely be felt when you’ve completed a delivery and try to press R1 and/or X to try and skip the cutscenes and ratings given, as you’ve seen them for the millionth time.
One thing that was absolutely outstanding for me was the score and soundtrack to the game. There were plenty of times throughout where you’d just climb over a mountain only to feel relief in seeing your depot delivery centre in the distance… and as you make your way towards it, a soundtrack by Low Roar and Chvrches kicks in... making feel very cinematic. It’s definitely one thing that stood out to me, so much that I’ve started listening to the soundtrack on repeat.
Now, as stated in the very start of this article, I never played the original version of Death Stranding, so it’s difficult for me to make comparisons to the additions in this Director’s Cut. That being said, with the new additional items such as boots to reduce Sam from falling to cargo launchers isn’t something I noticed or would use. Similarly, to the first iteration of the game’s ‘ziplines’… sure they make your delivery easier, and it’s definitely pretty awesome to be able to shoot through the air from one spot to the other… but it wasn’t something I opted to use as I’d rather run through the difficult and tricky terrain. But just to reiterate, all the extra added weapons, items, combat abilities and buildable structures wasn’t one that I took much notice of due to not playing the first iteration of the game… making it somewhat ‘seamless’ and not as an afterthought(?). The two bigger notable additions that I was told of, was the firing range where you’re able to test new weapons, which I only used a few times before going straight to on-field experience instead, in my opinion wasn’t needed. The second was the ability to build a racetrack where you do some time-trials. Again, this wasn’t something I was too keen on or care for… but this feature definitely felt like an after-thought.
Death Stranding is definitely a very unique experience and has Hideo Kojima all over it. If you were a fan of his Metal Gear series, then you’ll enjoy it, and though traversing on all landscapes, running and fighting MULEs and BTs are quite difficult at times, there’s definitely a sense of satisfaction you get out of getting over the other side of it. Plus, the mysteriousness of the narrative reminded me of Bloodborne, where it felt you were placed in the middle of a story in which you’re unsure what’s going on...only letting time and progression reveal the pasts and future to tie everything together (even though it’s still difficult to explain). The game is definitely not for everyone which is understandable due to its vague story and understanding what Kojima has tried to create, however, it’s definitely something worth giving a shot at, especially due to the amazing world that was created, and the fantastic soundtrack that compliments it.
The Score
8.0
Review code provided by PlayStation
The Pros
+The world Kojima created in Death Stranding is amazing and wonderous
+Keeps you on your toes with a variety of land scenarios to traverse on
+Absolutely amazing soundtrack!
+Most additions in the Director’s Cut doesn’t feel like an afterthought
The Cons
-The game isn’t for everyone… you either get it or you don’t
-Terrible UI when going through the menu system... classic Kojima
-Unique narrative, which may deter some players
