Death Stranding: Director’s Cut review – still unique

If you are going on your first expedition to the Death Coast craters, then this review is not for you. Instead, you will read the 2019 original, of which I still stand behind every word. At the time, the game also received the most awards for game of the year from both journalists and player polls. In addition, last year, thanks to excellent PC conversion, millions of players won the best PC game of 2020 in the Golden Joystick poll, and PC Gamer magazine recently ranked it #6 in the top 100 PC games of all time. In other words, if you haven’t played Death Stranding yet, you should give it a try. But how does the game, in its improved and expanded version, work for us who return to it?

• Platform: PS5
• Publication date: 23 Sept. 2020
• Producer: Kojima Productions (Japan)
• Genre: running game
• Czech location: yes, subtitles
• Multiplayer: Not
• Data to download: 69 GB
• Game time: 60+ hours
• Availability: 18+
• Sales version: box and digital
• Price: 1299 CZK (Xzone)

Still unbeatable gameplay

Death Stranding is a game you just have to be in the mood for, even if you’re a fan. It requires a certain mood, among other things, you can not play hastily. But if you give her another chance, she will reliably bring you back to your knees – none of her magic has lost its power, on the contrary: two years with the coronavirus pandemic and global social distancing have brought many moments and thoughts to the game. even stronger now that we’ve all experienced them. For example, passages in which grateful people thank couriers for delivering supplies or food to them despite the dangers. But apart from the story, I found that I was definitely missing the unique gameplay that the DualSense driver took to an even higher level.

Most of you have probably experienced the adrenaline rush when in a stealth action game you carefully crawl between enemies and follow their every look and move to stay hidden in the shadows. The Floating Creatures encounters in Death Stranding are the same, but taken to the next level due to the fact that you can’t see much of the crawling through enemy territory and you have to navigate by sound and light. Your shoulder detector, enemies and the consequences of finding you. I really don’t understand how anyone can call such an intense game “walking simulator” when you gradually unlock a varied arsenal of weapons from grenades to rifles to rocket launchers and the enemies also come in different forms including giant bosses. The tension is further heightened by the fact that most of the time you are carrying cargo that you were not supposed to damage or steal – in addition to monsters, there are also “pirates” and terrorists.

How could such an intense game be called a “walking simulator”?

And transporting fragile or super-heavy loads is a great adrenaline rush in itself – the first few packages are still fun, but once you’ve dragged a heavily loaded cart over sheer cliffs, you’ll try to smuggle another living person on your back through enemy territory or fight a wild one by the river , trying to trip over his feet and carry his load downstream – this will put a dullard on an experienced player. Then, when one of those quiet transitions happens, where you already see the target city or bunker in front of you and, in the tones of brilliantly chosen songs, you overcome the last parts of the landscape in front of the target tape, this is a welcome relief. and an impressive reflection on your journey and its importance in maintaining contact between disparate communities of people. I also enjoy getting ready for my next trip by digging through my pack and harness, rearranging tools and ammo for the trip, and drawing signs and junctions of the chosen route on the map.

DualSense suits her

Of course, it’s much more enjoyable to play the game at a smoother 60fps (the PS4 version only handled 30fps), and the photorealistic landscapes and characters take on an even more tangible and natural charge. By far the biggest change is once again the DualSense driver which, with its combination of tactile sensations, adaptive triggers and audio, will take you into the world of Death Stranding like never before. Your BB baby will yawn or cry right in your arms, shaking the controller will put him to sleep or calm him down after an accident or a fight. The most fundamental use is that thanks to the precisely timed and perfectly soft tactile vibrations, you can literally feel your character’s every step over rough terrain. Only then will you realize how accurate the animation and physics technology of the game is. Not only is it a great experience, but it’s also a very useful gameplay tool – you’ll travel with honor or fall before you see the consequences. You will also feel more resistance from a heavier load in your own hands as you try to balance it out with adaptive triggers.

You will travel or fall before you see the consequences.

So a return to the world of Death Stranding makes a lot of sense as it greatly expands the game experience with new technologies. Of course, there’s a lot of new content to keep in mind, although the vast majority of it is “just” new toys and tools. Unfortunately, if you were hoping for a major addition to the promised new missions, I have to disappoint you on this front – this is one of the side locations that you will repeatedly look at in additional side missions. The gameplay is reminiscent of Metal Gear Solid 5 and nicely complements the narrative/world of the game, but that’s not essential. I can’t shake the impression that this is the biggest missed opportunity of the Director’s Cut release, because as a big fan of the story, characters, and world of the original game, I was certainly looking forward to the opening. new places and new contexts.

On the other hand, the new tools – especially the electric rifle and support skeleton at the start of the game – drastically make the gameplay more enjoyable in the early game, where you don’t otherwise have many aids. Equally useful is the brand new shooting range, where you can train weapons and enemies in the style of popular VR missions, like in Metal Gear Solid. Personally, I didn’t like the racing very much (they run in a closed circle on a deserted part of the map, offer several cars and you can race against the “shadow” of the previous best times of you or friends – but the driving model is not so much), but other aids, such as a catapult, cargo robot, improved bridges and jumps, perfectly fit into the game and enriched the already diverse arsenal for your expeditions, as well as “gravity gloves” from Half-Life. On the contrary, promotional nipples for the Monster energy drink or advertising for the TV show Norman Reedus have disappeared. Of course, asynchronous multiplayer remains an important component of the game, especially if your friends are also playing the game and you know their names from constructions or supplies you meet along the way.