Death Stranding Director's Cut is introducing a handful of new gameplay elements that seem like they will fix (or at least shore up) various parts of the game. Hideo Kojima's first title after leaving Konami and the development of the Metal Gear Solid games, Death Stranding has been an anomaly ever since it was first announced. Released in 2019, Death Stranding left critics and players divided about whether the game delivered an overall positive experience.
Death Stranding was sometimes criticized for its constant delivery missions, making the game feel like a large-scale walking simulator that was bogged down by a confusing narrative. Others saw the game's world lacking in activities outside of the delivery missions, as well as lacking the stealth-action associated with Kojima's previous games. Issues like this caused some to abandon the game after a few hours, and others to avoid playing it altogether, though the game certainly found its fans as well.
A Death Stranding Director's Cut was announced during Summer Game Fest in June, which would take advantage of the PS5 with updated features and deliver new content to the base game. Kojima Productions has eagerly shown off what the new version of the game will include since the announcement, with trailers released during a Sony State of Play stream in July and most recently at Gamescom 2021. The new additions to the game look poised to address the criticisms leveraged towards the game, making it a more accessible and entertaining experience.
Death Stranding Director's Cut Looks To Add More Fun To Gameplay & Story
Death Stranding Director's Cut seems to be addressing the occasional monotony of delivery missions by providing a variety of new ways to get Sam's cargo to its destination. An upgraded Buddy Bot that follows Sam across the terrain seems to be a helpful new element, decreasing the frustration around Death Stranding's constant cargo weight management by allowing them to shift some cargo to the walking robot to free up Sam's movement. The jetpack-esque Evolved Stabilizers looks to allow players to forego planning out a treacherous descent from high peaks and instead just jump freely, which should speed up the process of delivery significantly in certain circumstances. The addition of the Cargo Catapult also gives players another option to get their cargo to the final destination quicker by firing the delivery long distances across the map.
Another way that Death Stranding Director's Cut seems to differentiate from the original by adding more action-oriented delivery missions for players to engage in. A mixture of stealth gameplay reminiscent of Kojima's Metal Gear Solid franchise and shootouts between Sam and the MULEs are shown in the new trailer, which definitely has the potential of adding some excitement to a game many see as a "walking simulator." These new missions will also bring new story beats into the narrative, giving players more opportunities to learn more about the mysterious world Kojima and his team have built.
From the footage shown at Gamescom, Death Stranding Director's Cut also seems focused on providing some generally fun distractions while playing the game. The inclusion of Combat Drills in the new Firing Range and a variety of Race Tracks should add a level of competitiveness to the social elements of Death Stranding that isn't in the original version of the game. Allowing players to revisit the game's intense boss battles at will and jump bikes across ravines while performing tricks are also small additions that should add some excitement to the proceedings as well. While Death's Stranding Director's Cut will likely remain a divisive title, the new content being added could sway many to give the game another shot - or to try it for the first time.