‘Death Stranding’ Director’s Cut Brings New Content and Enhancements to PS5

Few games in recent years have been as fascinatingly divisive as 2019’s Death Stranding. Developed by video game auteur Hideo Kojima, the game was intended to invent a new genre, however it was more of an alternate take on traditional open world gaming. Infamous for its slow pace and protracted opening, Death Stranding is actually quite a good game once it gets going, boasting an emotionally resonant, if occasionally obtuse, story as well as an innovative online system in which players’ game worlds are linked together and people can collaboratively build out the overall game world and assist in each others’ progress through the main story, which involves delivering packages across vast distances and through many varied hazards.

While nobody asked for it, Kojima and Sony are releasing a “director’s cut” of the game for PS5, which will feature several graphical and performance enhancements in addition to several gameplay changes and new content. The combat, which was subject of much criticism, has been built out with a deeper melee system, new weapons, and new hazards. The combat in the base game focused mostly on defeating bandits and BTs, the supernatural entities haunting the world, either direct confrontation violence or stealth. Boss battles become much more prevalent in the endgame as well, and it will be interesting to see if the new combat enhancements move players away from stealth to a more guns-blazing approach and how they affect the experience overall.

The new edition will also see that addition of new gadgets to ease movement across the terrain, which is the main gameplay challenge, as well as move packages across greater distances. The base game used these long, slow delivery sequences to create a solitary and contemplative mood that emphasized the games themes and the connectivity with other players online, so one wonders if the new elements will affect this negatively or positively. There are also going to be new story missions that further explore the fascinating game world and its collection of oddball characters as well as new gameplay modes and distractions such as a competitive racing mode.

While this is being hailed as the “definitive version” of the game, a great deal of the new content seems tacked-on, at least form early trailers and news reports. Kojima is known as something of a perfectionist, so it is odd to see him revise the game nearly two years later and bring it back to market. It remains to be seen whether this represents his true vision for the game, or he just changed his mind about things post release. In any event, Kojima’s work is never boring and always brings interesting and strange ideas to the table. The director’s cut is due to be released September 24, 2021 for Playstation 5. Owners of the PS4 version will be able to upgrade their existing version and port over their saves for $10.

In the meantime, if you want to know more about the game, check out our deep dive on the Under the Wheels Podcast, where we take an in-depth look into the good, the great, and the not-so-great about Death Stranding.