Death Stranding: Director's Cut

Death Stranding Director's Cut is a phenomenal experience that, five years on, is still as incredible, mechanically, narratively and graphically, as ever. A top-notch cast do their best with what is an admittedly bonkers story (bonkers in all the best Kojima ways, you understand), whilst this incredibly haunting world, this emotional tale and its incredible characters, absolutely hook you in for one of the most memorable journeys of the past few console cycles. It's so good to see this masterpiece finally arrive on Xbox.

Death Stranding Director’s Cut is a game with a ton going on. It’s an easy recommendation for anyone looking for a creative and enjoyable experience. The only question for those who played the original version is whether or not they enjoyed their first trip through Kojima’s brilliant creation. If you did, or if this is your first time playing Death Stranding, you are absolutely going to love every second of the Death Stranding Director’s Cut.

Death Stranding is a rare game that has no middle ground. It delivers a unique experience that encourages planning and patience but places high action on only rare situations. And the Director's Cut gives more than ever before.

This is a game that needs very little introduction. In 2019, Hideo Kojima returned with Death Stranding on PlayStation 4, and that name alone made the game an important one. As it so happened, the game was unlike anything else released at the time, mostly eschewing violent conflict in favour of a quest to bring people together. While we won't be going through all the basics here — read our review for the PS4 game for the skinny on story and gameplay — Death Stranding Director's Cut proves that, two years later, Kojima's vision remains wholly unique.

Death Stranding Director's Cut continues to impress with its fearless commitment to fetch quests on top of fetch quests, and again, it's not going to change your mind if you didn't already buy into what it was selling back in 2019. But if you did, the Director's Cut enhances and enriches that original experience, and you'll be happy you jumped back into this one.

When Death Stranding first arrived nearly two years ago, it launched at a time when I had recently lost my father to MS. For more than a week, I holed myself indoors and let the task of reconnecting and rebuilding bridges be my own coping mechanism. Because of this, I held Death Stranding in a special place in my heart but never had the heart to finish. I’d come back from time to time to check on the highway I was slowly piecing back together or transport the odd amount of cargo here and there. After some time, I left Sam and B.B. alone for more than a year and a half until it was time to come...

Some of Death Stranding Director's Cut's new additions are a little disappointing, but the experience's core mechanics remain intact. Though it is an inessential purchase, those who enjoyed the original game and want to dive in again will find plenty to like here.

Death Stranding: Director's Cut is an awesome game and it can be played, but there will be a lot of issues later in the game on Steam Deck.

I wish more could have been done on the story front, but Death Stranding Director's Cut is still a solid experience on PS5.

Death Stranding: Director's Cut provides the best Strand experience without changing too much. This version offers new content and features making an overall good experience even better.

An absolutely enjoyable experience gameplay-wise, but a definitely skippable story; you're better off playing Death Stranding like a walking simulator and completing each area as you're introduced to it, rather than rushing to an unfulfilling story conclusion.

As protagonist Sam Porter Bridges makes his way from the east coast to the west, he delivers all manner of supplies to people who have been living underground in order to avoid the Beached Things (BTs) that are invading from the other side of death. With a Bridge Baby in a pod attached to his suit -used to detect the near-invisible BTs - Sam interacts with a large cast of characters to unlock the secrets of the Death Stranding during his journey. In the midst of the ongoing global pandemic, Death Stranding Director's Cut weaves a meaningful tale sympathetic to the hardships of seclusion, and o...