Game remasters can be fickle creatures; it’s hard to know what exactly one will consist of. Many are expected to be virtually identical to their original versions, albeit with a prettier coat of paint or a better framerate, but some video game remasters go the extra mile by adding all sorts of features and modes to offer a fresh, yet familiar experience to players. Fortunately, the upcoming Death Stranding: Director’s Cut seems to fit into the latter category.
Death Stranding: Director’s Cut’s State of Play trailer previously offered a broad first look at some of the features fans can expect in the strand-type game’s remaster. One month ahead of the game’s release, Kojima Productions premiered a gameplay trailer at Gamescom Opening Night Live 2021 that further detailed what this PS5 re-release will be bringing to the table.
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Combat Challenges in Death Stranding: Director’s Cut
Something that was apparent from Director's Cut's presence at the most recent State of Play was its renewed focus on combat. Sam has a few new weapons and melee techniques to unload on enemies this time around, and Gamescom showed off a new risk-free environment for him to test them out in.
Players can now take on various simulated combat challenges that range from simply eliminating enemies within a time limit to cargo recovery. As the trailer showcased these challenges, Sam was also shown handling a brand new weapon, the Mazer Gun, which is essentially a beefed-up taser gun. Fans of Metal Gear are sure to see the resemblance between Director's Cut's combat trials and Metal Gear's various VR missions; both modes task players with a myriad of challenges involving a variety of weapons in a simulated setting.
Replayable Boss Battles
Some of Death Stranding’s boss fights are quite memorable, but revisiting them isn’t possible as the game exists currently. Thankfully, Director’s Cut is confirmed to remedy that by allowing players to replay specific fights by simply perusing Sam’s collection of figurines in his room.
Not only can players go for a second round with the likes of Troy Baker's Higgs and Mads Mikkelsen's Cliff, but porters can also take on each other in time trials to see who can defeat each boss the quickest. As with any game featuring time trials, it’ll be interesting to see what tactics hardcore players adopt to top the leaderboards.
More Details on Death Stranding's New Gadgets
New delivery tools were previously promised for Death Stranding’s PS5 re-release, and Gamescom offered more insight into how they work. The cargo catapult was seen in action, and it was demonstrated that any cargo flung out of it will be equipped with a parachute, affording safe landings for fragile cargo. Furthermore, the beloved Buddy Bot also made an appearance, and this time its auto-pilot function was showcased; it seemingly operates similarly to Assassin's Creed: Valhalla's auto-travel function. Sam can ride from point A to B on the metaphorical shoulders of Buddy Bot while players sit back and enjoy Death Stranding's post-apocalyptic views.
More details were also given on jump ramps, which allow Sam to not just clear large gaps, but also perform all sorts of tricks while in midair. But an entirely new addition announced at Gamescom was a thruster pack that Sam can now use to slow his descent while falling. Given how easy it is to lose one’s footing when scaling some of Death Stranding's higher points, this new tech should help players avoid a few tragic trips to the seam, or worse, upsetting BB.
Additional Story Content
Details were fairly light on what Death Stranding’s additional story missions would entail from a narrative standpoint, but gameplay-wise, it looks like a new Metal Gear Solid game. Tight, narrow corridors, stealth takedowns, and heavily-armed guards all invoke elements of Hideo Kojima’s stealth-action series.
One new story cutscene worth noting depicted Sam having a brief encounter with an enormous whale. Considering what’s known about the world of Death Stranding, this is fairly notable due to the game’s open world being significantly lacking in wildlife. It’s unclear if this is a sign that more animals could be introduced, but less ambiguous is what the whale is referencing. Like how Director’s Cut’s reveal was very overtly inspired by Metal Gear, the whale is almost certainly a cheeky callback to Moby Dick Studio — the fake studio teased to be developing The Phantom Pain before it was revealed to be Metal Gear Solid 5. However, Kojima fans shouldn't look too much into this. as it’s likely just another example of Kojima prodding the past for a laugh.
Death Stranding: Director’s Cut will launch on September 24, 2021 for PS5.
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