Death Stranding: Director's Cut

 PC
Metascore
85

Generally favorable reviews - based on 10 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 10
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 10
  3. Negative: 0 out of 10
  1. GameGrin
    Mar 29, 2022
    50
    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.
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  1. 3DJuegos
    Apr 11, 2022
    Death Stranding: Director's Cut is a solid PC port with great performance and chock full of new content. Is it worth returning to Hideo Kojima's most personal game on PC? It depends on how willing you are to replay this huge, unique, open world adventure. [Recommended]

Awards & Rankings

27
#27 Best PC Game of 2022
75
#75 Most Discussed PC Game of 2022

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
7.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 147 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 112 out of 147
  2. Mixed: 12 out of 147
  3. Negative: 23 out of 147
  1. iPauld
    Apr 1, 2022
    10
    One of my favourite games of all time now with extra content on PC,loving it!
    running it on an RTX 3050 at all max settings with DLSS On and    One of my favourite games of all time now with extra content on PC,loving it!
    running it on an RTX 3050 at all max settings with DLSS On and it looks truly beautiful!
    highly recommend this
    sidenote:if you have a PS5 DualSense controller the game now has haptic feedback and adaptive triggers which enhance the gaming experience greatly!    … Full Review »
  2. Young_Fawn
    Jun 21, 2023
    9
    A True Masterpiece

    Death Stranding is, in my opinion, one of the greatest games ever made and I wish I'd given it the respect it deserves    A True Masterpiece

    Death Stranding is, in my opinion, one of the greatest games ever made and I wish I'd given it the respect it deserves sooner.

    When Death Stranding was announced, I think I was in the same boat as a lot of people who had been following Hideo Kojima since more or less childhood. I was probably expecting something closer to MGS than anything else.
    When the game came out I was bitterly disappointed and did in fact jump on the bandwagon and very much used the idiotic "Walking Simulator" argument to speak badly about the game, this was when it came out in late 2019.

    I decided to give the game another go when the Director's Cut came out and decided to push the "MGS" mentality to the side and play the game for what it is and I was not disappointed.
    The world Kojima has made, despite being apocalyptic, does feel very lived in, going from place to place, delivering cargo that people -need- is rather rewarding. Old man needs strong painkillers, I've got you. Cosplayer needs a new sewing kit? I'm on my way, Chief, just hang on.

    The mechanics in the game are very interesting, with the multiplayer aspect also seamlessly transitioning into your every day gameplay is phenomenal. The community really comes together to build highways, shelters, private rooms and zip-lines all the way through; if everyone contributes, everyone has an easier time.

    I believe a lot of people had an issue with the amount of Cargo sometimes you need to carry from A to B and whilst, yes, this is an issue early on the game, before you get vehicles in abundance and floating carriers; once you're past that stage cargo becomes significantly easier to manage. Although I do think there is an argument to be had that it shouldn't take 6-8 hours to get to the point where it's no longer as harsh of an issue.

    The set pieces and the world itself is beautiful, from flats, to rocky mountains to snowy mountains, to swamps to grasslands, the world feels very real in terms of biomes and each one comes with its own set challenges to overcome and the pace of the game means that you're never really stuck in one biome for -too- long to the point where it begins to get tedious.

    The story isn't exactly the easiest to follow but it's not the hardest to follow either. For example, for those who have played Kojima games before, it's easier to follow than MGS2 Sons of Liberty but harder to follow than the likes of MGS3 Snake Eater. As long as you're paying attention and read through a few logs and emails, you should be fine. And what a story it is, very well crafted, very philosophical and overall just an enjoyable experience.

    Now the game is not without it's flaws. Despite me personally enjoying the gameplay loop of taking packages from A to B, I can understand why some people might find this tedious and unrewarding. There is also a point in the game, which I won't declare where, but one character starts banging on about lore to do with the Death Stranding from millions of years ago and in my opinion, the scene went on for -far- too long. I'm sure we're all familiar with the tedious cut-scenes which could have ended around 1/2 of the way through and the same goal would be accomplished. Sometimes I feel some of the lore that's spoken to you through dialogue would be quicker to read in a Log due to how it's delivered.

    There are also certain parts of the game where the game just tells you. "Figure out how to achieve goal." Type missions. Although this isn't necessarily a bad thing, you do find yourself doubting if the course of action you're taking, or about to take, is the right one and you don't want to waste your time. Especially if it involves potentially trekking back miles and miles only to find out that you were wrong and need to double back -again-.

    The upgrades and items you get for combat and travelling are in abundance, although I feel like it's fair to say you'll only use a handful of them and you'll tend to not want to try out certain ones because all it's going to do is take up more cargo space, I think they could've cut the fabricated items in half and still it would've been fine.

    The OST is one of the best soundtracks you'll find in any game, it really adds to the atmosphere of the game when you're just travelling from A to B and makes you feel a little less lonely and makes the journey a tad less tedious and more enjoyable, sometimes I even found myself not delivering until the song finished.

    Overall, Death Stranding is a masterpiece of a game, I can gladly hold my head high and say I was wrong about this game when it came out and after taking around 35 hours or so to complete it, I wish I could forget it and do it all again. The game is a 9/10 for me and everyone who appreciates games as an art form should definitely play this at some point to completion.

    As for you, Sam Porter, I hope to see you again in future games; and if not, thanks, it's been one hell of a journey.    … Full Review »
  3. Flyk3
    Aug 27, 2023
    10
    For me, an absolute masterpiece. 3 years after I played through the main game, the Directors Cut takes me back and it feels like coming home.
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