Death Stranding: Director's Cut Review

I don’t know why it took me so long to play Death Stranding: Director’s Cut. In hindsight, it feels tailor-made for me—a game that blends my love of cinema with my love of the outdoors, wrapping it all in an experience that’s as meditative as it is surreal. This is a game with an unflinching creative vision, one that makes no apologies for being different. It’s not for everyone, but that’s what makes it so special.

Story

From the start, the game asks for your patience and attention. Kojima doesn’t just want to tell a story—he wants to show it in the most cinematic way possible. The cutscenes are long, detailed, and unapologetically stylized, but they’re also bursting with personality.

And what a story it is. It’s wild, it’s weird, and it had me hooked from beginning to end. In a game where you spend most of your time alone, it still manages to weave an ensemble narrative, giving every major character their moment in the spotlight. Each one is deeply flawed, but also deeply human, and by the end I found myself caring about all of them—something that doesn’t happen often in games.

Kojima’s world is bleak and often hostile, but it’s also layered with themes of connection, loss, and resilience. Underneath all the sci-fi strangeness lies a story about people trying to rebuild trust in one another after disaster, which feels especially poignant today.

Gameplay

I take umbrage with the “walking simulator” label that gets thrown around. Death Stranding is about traversal, yes, but it’s traversal with intention. The game creates just enough friction to give meaning to every step, every tool, every upgrade. Balancing a heavy load of packages across rough terrain while battling wind, rivers, and your own stamina isn’t just gameplay—it’s the entire philosophy of the game.

Every piece of equipment matters. Every ladder or rope feels like a lifeline. The first time you gain access to a vehicle or unlock a vital piece of gear, it doesn’t feel like a minor upgrade—it feels like a revelation. Suddenly, the impossible becomes manageable, and that sense of progress is more rewarding than any number of headshots in a traditional action game.

That said, if you need constant combat to stay engaged, this probably isn’t for you. The challenge is in the planning, the preparation, and the execution of each delivery. There’s a strange joy in plotting a route, loading up your gear, and setting off into the unknown with nothing but your instincts and your patience to guide you.

The Elephant in the Room – Combat

Of course, the game isn’t without combat. While I’m firmly in the camp that Death Stranding is about tension and stealth rather than firefights, Kojima does force a handful of boss battles into the mix. For me, these were the weakest part of the experience. They’re flashy and cinematic, sure, but they clash with the slow-burn pacing that makes the rest of the game so effective.

The encounters aren’t bad in isolation—they’re just conventional, which feels almost jarring in a game that is otherwise anything but. Thankfully, they’re few and far between, and the weight of the story and atmosphere carried me through them without much complaint.

Sound

The sound in Death Stranding is nothing short of phenomenal. The soundtrack alone ranks among my favorites in any game. Low Roar’s melancholy tracks, along with other licensed songs, kick in at just the right moments—often as you crest a hill or approach a new destination—turning an ordinary delivery into a breathtakingly cinematic moment. My only gripe? You can’t just play tracks whenever you want, though in a way, the restraint makes their timing feel even more powerful.

Beyond the music, the sound design is flawless. You hear the patter of rain, the distant rumble of thunder, the metallic clink of a ladder settling into rock. Even the smallest details feel tactile and alive, grounding you in this strange, beautiful world. The voice acting is equally strong, with a star-studded cast giving weight to even the most bizarre dialogue. Troy Baker, in particular, steals scenes with his charismatic and unhinged performance as the antagonist.

Conclusion

Death Stranding: Director’s Cut is uncompromising in its vision. It’s tense, bordering on horror at times, and it requires patience in its opening hours. But if you stick with it, the game opens up into something unforgettable. It’s a rare piece of art in gaming that refuses to play by anyone else’s rules, and that’s exactly why it works.

You’ll either love it or bounce off it entirely—and that’s okay. But for me, this was a game worth every step, every stumble, and every strange, beautiful moment.