Metal Gearfans weren’t sure what to make ofDeath Strandingwhen it was first revealed. Hideo Kojima’s latest project was mostly conveyed through a series of enigmatic trailers. It took years until the public finally gained an understanding of what the game was: a highly experimental hiking simulator where players delivered packages across a haunted United States of America. It was a bizarre concept, and not everyone was able to enjoy the final product. However, Kojima’s gamble paid off, andthis new “strand-type game"ended up becoming a successful endeavor.
Now, Sony is celebrating that success by releasing an upgraded version of the game calledDeath Stranding: Director’s Cut.Director’s Cutis meant to enhance everything aboutDeath Stranding, from the core exploration to the base game’s somewhat divisive combat. A whole host of new tools, features, and content are being added, as well as technical upgrades offered by the PS5’s superior hardware. For those who already lovedDeath Stranding, and even for a subset of those who didn’t, it looks likeDeath Stranding: Director’s Cutwill be a slam dunk when it comes out. Hopefully, the new missions will be able to provide players with the engaging content that they’re looking for.
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Improved Combat
Combat encounters inDeath Strandingare frequent and simple affairs, but the new missions offered by theDirector’s Cuthave the chance to fix this. Not only will there be new training rooms to help players practice their skills, but it looks like there may also be a new set of human enemies with more structured spawn points in bespoke environments. While there were some enemy camps and dedicated combat sequences in the base game, it appears that theDirector’s Cutwill have much more involved combat rooms, if the player is not able to avoid them.
Better Stealth
Death Strandingis deliberately light on combat due to its setting mechanics of death ruining the landscape. The most common enemies will simply attempt to disable Sam and steal his packages, and players will need to go far out of their way to actually kill their foes. However, stealth is a part of that affair, and it looks like it will be a little more involved in theDirector’s Cut. Now, players will have to navigate indoor environments as well as silently hide on open terrain. There’s no expectation thatDeath Stranding’s stealth will matchMetal Gear Solid’s, but some expansion will do it well.
More Horror
The world ofDeath Strandingis a strange one indeed, where the dead haunt the living, rain can end lives, and the simple and natural event of a human’s death has become a destructive event. This all goes without mentioningthe particularly monstrous BTsthat occasionally confront the player and the wildly varying circumstances of the main cast. TheDirector’s Cut’strailer has already shown thatDeath Stranding’s weird marine life imagery and spikes in supernatural activity are still around, so hopefully, these things will continue to serve as the game’s climactic points of interest.
Smoother Deliveries
It can’t really be aDeath Strandingmission without some hiking involved. With all of thenew tools available inDeath Stranding: Director’s Cut, it would be great to see them put to use in new delivery missions. The satisfaction of using the new traversal options, even if it’s just taking a load off Sam’s feet by having him rest on Buddy Bot, should be front-and-center here. If nothing else, a balls-to-the-wall setpiece involving taking the motorcycle off a ramp would be much appreciated.
More Character Development
The story may be the most important part ofDeath Stranding. It helps motivate the player in their journey across America, andmany ofDeath Stranding’s charactersare a joy to be around. However, it feels like more can be done with those present. Deadman in particular shows up constantly, but it feels like his relevance to the plot peters out. More screen time for Die-Hardman and Lockne would be good too. Whatever the new story content is, especially if it includes brand new characters, it can hopefully surpass what the originalDeath Strandinghas already done.
