Death Stranding Director’s Cut, between joys and sorrows

Death Stranding Director’s Cut

As anticipated by Geoff Keighley and Hideo Kojima during the Summer Game Fest, Death Stranding Director’s Cut has finally received a complete presentation which, already in these hours, has ignited the debate a bit. Even we are a bit skeptical about the operation itself and what is shown, at least with regard to some specific elements. It is really the case to get straight on the subject!

Director's Cut = Remaster

In all honesty, when the Director's Cut of Death Stranding was announced during the Keighley event, we really thought it was a gimmick by the Japanese author (not that before this case there were no such operations, mind you). Now, after the announcement of Ghost of Tsushima for PS5 and the statements of Hermen Hulst, we are confident of the extreme involvement from Sony. Probably, aware of the fact that the backward compatibility of the new consoles would have nullified the need to focus on purely technical remasters, especially in cases where the game in question already has a very high rendering resolution, they have given life to this phenomenon which could prove to be very long-lived. Here we say it and here we don't deny it, get ready for The Last of Us and Bloodborne Director's Cut.

However, criticism aside, if managed with criteria and not with the sole desire to sell the same products again, this phenomenon could even prove to be benevolent. And it is perhaps the case of Death Stranding, which, net of some superficial additions, seems to have guessed the formula for distribution, not giving up a good amount of content.

Joys and sorrows

Let's start with the positive elements, judging by the comments that have appeared on the net in recent weeks, which are also quite important. If you own a copy of Death Stranding for PS4, digital or physical, for only $ 10 you will get all the new technical and content additions of the Director's Cut. This is a decidedly more correct and respectful approach towards those who have already bought a copy of the product. Indeed, even the entire cost of the PS5 version is not particularly exorbitant (€ 50 for the standard edition and € 60 for the deluxe, compared to € 80 for Ghost of Tsushima), especially considering that the PS4 version stands at 25/30 € on various digital and non-digital stores.

But let's move on to the substance, to the actual content.

First of all, thanks to the first information that appeared in the trailer, we learn that this is a non-trivial technical review, which will make Kojima's game a native app for PS5 with lots of support for 4K resolution and 60 FPS, freely selectable from the game settings. We also remember that Death Stranding had not received any patches for the new PlayStation flagship, so we are faced with a decidedly significant addition. Unfortunately, some insistent improvements made to the action sector of the production are less so. Death Stranding, all those who have had the opportunity to deepen it, know it: it is a fairly controversial product, devoted to non-violence and that does everything to not fully embrace the most common dynamics in today's video games. Actions such as aiming, shooting or hitting donkeys are the least impactful of the entire trip, and are so brazen, not veiled. In Death Stranding we are a courier who carries packages and crosses a decimated America, not a soldier or a hero. It is for these reasons that some of the actions seen inside the trailer seemed damnably out of place and irrelevant. We really do not explain the need to enhance the melee and combat dynamics, to the point of prompting us to reflect on the fact that it could have been Sony who wanted these additions, a somewhat strong choice capable of selling the product even to those who he had been particularly interested during the first release. What we are trying to tell you is that it didn't seem like choices dictated by the author, but by the market and by the major, in this case PlayStation. A clue that corroborates our thesis is precisely the style and the entire montage of the trailer, devoid of the flashes of the Japanese creative and full of spectacular sequences.

Kojima's footprint, however, fortunately appears in some clips, for example in the new races, in the new interesting gadgets and in the story missions. Had it not been for the insistent action sequences, it would have been an exceptional edition on paper and in perfect Hideo Kojima style, tracing what was done with Metal Gear Solid 2 Substance and Metal Gear Solid 3 Subsistence. Placed in this way, however, it is an edition made up of joys and sorrows. Hopefully, at the very least, we can independently ignore some of the new additions and focus on content relevant to the game and more Kojimians.

Dualsense and cooperation

Continuing with the important elements of this Director's Cut of Death Stranding, it is worth mentioning some additions omitted from the official trailer. First, the game will natively support PS5's Dualsense Controller, both in terms of adaptive vibration and triggers. Second, certainly less predictable, in this version it will be possible to cooperate with your friends for the rebirth of the United States of America, obviously always asynchronously. Basically, you can decide (suppose) which server to play on, and maybe give life to real clans of Porters scattered all over the globe. This addition will also be supported by online rankings.

As stated above, the introduction of even more pronounced online dynamics is truly remarkable because it enhances one of the most successful aspects of the original Death Stranding and will allow players to have more control over constructions and their maintenance.

Ultimately, therefore, Death Stranding Director's Cut is the best version of Hideo Kojima's game, the most complete and surprising. While we remain anxious to better investigate some aspects that are not exactly in focus, the invitation is to keep an eye on this production, especially in case you missed it in 2019.

Appointment for next September 24th. Tomorrow is in your hands!