Like Ghost of Tsushima, Death Stranding now has a “Director’s Cut” edition on PlayStation 5. Featuring enhanced visuals and additional content, the $59.99 Death Stranding: Director’s Cut is the definitive version of Hideo Kojima’s trippy action-adventure game. If you’re new to the game, you’ll benefit the most from this cut, as it contains new content that’s naturally interwoven into the base game. If you’re a fan of the base game, you may find the new missions sparse, but this cut also includes many gameplay enhancements that improve the overall Death Stranding experience. Still, as a singular piece, Death Stranding: Director’s Cut is another PlayStation 5 game that belongs in your library.
An Enhanced Apocalypse
Death Stranding takes place in a post-apocalyptic America where couriers keep society going by delivering needed supplies to those who don’t want to risk leaving their homes. The setting is not a commentary on what the world has experienced over the past year and a half. After all, Death Stranding released four months before the global lockdowns. This is a testament to Kojima’s knack for predicting future events (he predicted the proliferation of fake news and meme culture in 2001’s Metal Gear Solid 2). In this way, Death Stranding’s core story of restoring America (and the world) to its former glory is resonant…not to mention eerily prescient.
For the gameplay basics, check out our Death Stranding review. Here, we’ll dive into what you’ll find in the Director’s Cut.
PlayStation 5 Features
Death Stranding: Director’s Cut on PlayStation 5 includes haptic feedback, adaptive triggers, and 3D audio, and they make the game world feel more immersive. Although the haptic feedback implementation isn’t quite as impressive as how it’s used in Astro’s Playroom, it generates different gamepad vibrations (rumble) depending on the surfaces you walk. You’ll now get some resistance from the trigger buttons when firing weapons. Though not overt as Call of Duty’s weapons, Death Stranding’s assault rifles and shotguns have different resistance levels. In addition, the 3D audio helps you better distinguish enemy’s locations. It will be harder for BTs or MULEs (the game’s primary enemies) to get the drop on you.
Death Stranding was already a visual powerhouse on PS4 and PC. The PS5 version, with its 4K textures, looks stunning, but it isn’t much of a visual bump from what’s already available in the vanilla game. It’s difficult to make an already amazing-looking game appear better, after all.
Like the PS4 Pro edition, Director’s Cut has two visual options: Performance and Fidelity, and both feature HDR support. Performance mode is a vestigial remnant from the PS4 Pro. Like Ghost of Tsushima: Director’s Cut on PS5, Death Stranding: Director’s Cut runs at 60 frames per second in both modes, so there’s no need to ever set the game to Performance. Fidelity mode looks and runs phenomenally on a 4K TV, so you’ll want to stick with that. A letterboxed widescreen mode enables a 21:9 aspect ratio similar to the game’s cutscenes, providing a more cinematic experience.
The New Director’s Cut Content
Stealthily completing missions keeps you alive during the game’s early portions, but you’ll eventually receive high-powered weapons to take down human and inhuman foes. The new firing range is not only a great way of testing those weapons, but it’s also perfect for keeping your firing skills sharp. If you’ve played Metal Gear Solid’s VR missions, then the firing range will be familiar.
There are dozens of missions, with each focusing on using specific weapons (such as the new Maser Gun) or completing tasks under certain parameters. For example, some missions only let you use a single weapon, while others forbid you from using any firearms. The firing range only pits you against virtual enemies, so you don’t have to worry about dying. The missions are short and sweet, urging you to “play just one more.”
What better way to unwind from a depressing post-apocalypse than by engaging in some good old-fashioned racing? The Fragile Circuit features 12 tracks that are reminiscent of the in-game highways you build throughout the course of the game. Instead of flesh and blood people, you’ll race against holographic opponents driving holographic vehicles. You’ll drive variants of the Reverse Trike and delivery truck. The new Roadster is specifically made for racing, and is one of the best vehicles to use. The race track doesn’t make much sense narratively, but it’s a nice distraction from the main game. It’s also a competent racer in and of itself. Vehicles handle nicely, and have their own pros and cons. It’s a weird, welcome addition.
The Factory is a new narrative mission that functions like all missions in that you acquire it from a base (in this case, the North Distribution Center). Composed of three smaller missions, The Factory gives you more insight into one of the game’s central characters. The mission doesn’t affect the larger plot, but it ties up a lingering plot thread. We won’t spoil things here, but one sub-mission tasks you with facing numerous, new MULE variants. The Factory is Death Stranding’s most overt homage to Metal Gear. Fans of that series will appreciate the mission, despite its brevity.
Getting around the broken landscape isn’t as cumbersome as before. The new support skeleton is a well-rounded exoskeleton that increases movement speed and lets you carry heavier loads. Previous active skeletons favored either speed or strength. You’ll still want to use the specialized skeleton types for certain missions, but the support skeleton is good to have in reserve.
With the new cargo catapult, you can now shoot cargo over long distances. A holographic cursor indicates the cargo’s flight path and landing zone. After you shoot the cargo, you can then pilot it remotely—ensuring it lands exactly where you want it to. A new jetpack that you install on your backpack is a fantastic addition that makes descending from high places easier and safer. Overall, the new traversal mechanics are a welcome addition.
Flawed Save Transferring
Ghost of Tsushima: Director’s Cut and some cross-generation PS4/PS5 games let you easily transfer saves between systems. Death Stranding: Director’s Cut isn’t one of them. To transfer your PS4 save data in Director’s Cut, you must boot the PS4 game and upload its save to PlayStation’s cloud network. Only then can you download your save to the PS5 game and pick up where you left off. Of course, this also means you’ll have to delete the PS4 game, unless you want both versions eating up precious SSD space.
A Cut Above
Death Stranding: Director’s Cut is a fine upgrade for PS5. It looks and runs phenomenally, and the additional content and traversal features are naturally integrated into the game. Plus, if you already own the PS4 original, can upgrade to the Director’s Cut for just $10; it’s a no-brainer purchase if you own a PS5. Death Stranding’s off-kilter story and delivery-focused gameplay aren’t for everyone, but if you’re looking for a unique, AAA experience, don’t pass it up.
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