Death Stranding: Directors Cut marks my third playthrough of the game, having played the original PS4 release and then the PC port of the original.
The directors cut adds in additional features and quirks that makes the replay a little more exiting but not anything that makes the game any easier or anything substantial to differentiate it from the initial release (besides the buddy bot).
That being said, Death Stranding still has such an interesting integration of storytelling and gameplay - the idea of being so alone but connected to other players through shared structures to make the ultimate ‘delivering from a-b’ mechanic much easier.
This reflects the story as a whole - a world divided by solitude due to the ‘Death Stranding’ and your goal to reconnect it all and earn the trust of the now separated ‘settlements’ (and just for good measure of reinforcing this being the story the main character - portrayed by Norman Reedus - has ‘Asphenphosmphobia’ - the fear of being touched)
While the game doesn’t have a whole lot of action and reflects closer to that of a ‘walking simulator’ there’s something so charming about it that I’m absolutely fine with the few encounters it does have with combat, infact, I’d have actually preferred it to have no combat at all just pure focus on the core heart of the story - this connectivity emboldened by isolation.
Also, just a last minute shout out to the performances by Léa seydoux, Margaret Qualley, Norman Reedus, Mads Mikkleson, Troy Baker and Tommie Earl Jenkins who were absolutely incredible.
The directors cut adds in additional features and quirks that makes the replay a little more exiting but not anything that makes the game any easier or anything substantial to differentiate it from the initial release (besides the buddy bot).
That being said, Death Stranding still has such an interesting integration of storytelling and gameplay - the idea of being so alone but connected to other players through shared structures to make the ultimate ‘delivering from a-b’ mechanic much easier.
This reflects the story as a whole - a world divided by solitude due to the ‘Death Stranding’ and your goal to reconnect it all and earn the trust of the now separated ‘settlements’ (and just for good measure of reinforcing this being the story the main character - portrayed by Norman Reedus - has ‘Asphenphosmphobia’ - the fear of being touched)
While the game doesn’t have a whole lot of action and reflects closer to that of a ‘walking simulator’ there’s something so charming about it that I’m absolutely fine with the few encounters it does have with combat, infact, I’d have actually preferred it to have no combat at all just pure focus on the core heart of the story - this connectivity emboldened by isolation.
Also, just a last minute shout out to the performances by Léa seydoux, Margaret Qualley, Norman Reedus, Mads Mikkleson, Troy Baker and Tommie Earl Jenkins who were absolutely incredible.