With the expanded release of Death Stranding Director's Cut on PS5, Kojima Productions has rejuvenated its desolate post-apocalyptic delivery simulator. Beyond fresh next generation visual and performance enhancements, the studio has added a host of extra weapons, delivery tools, and activities that new and returning players can dive into. Having focused so heavily on constructing a complex human story during the game's initial PS4 and PC releases, these new features like the Buddy Bot add some much needed levity to the entire experience.
Spicing up the gameplay is only a fraction of the Death Stranding Director's Cut equation, though. Considering the heady sociopolitical narrative elements that Hideo Kojima became renowned for inserting into his Metal Gear Solid games, it's perhaps little surprise that the re-packaged release of the creator's latest adventure has been delivered with some similar story content. While the bulk of what's on offer is admittedly confined to one short and sweet chain of missions, the new story threads that Sam Porter Bridges finds himself pulling during this part of the game still manage to add welcome context to the bleak universe.
Death Stranding Warehouse
During the build up to the release of Death Stranding Director's Cut, a sizable portion of Sony's and Kojima Productions' marketing push centered around a series of Metal Gear inspired missions that have been added to the experience. Forming one concise storyline, players get the opportunity to dive into the content part way through the game's second episode. Courtesy of a call from Die-Hardman, Norman Reedus' Sam is informed of a serious mission that his unique set of skills is perfect for, which he can embark upon from the Distribution Centre West of Capital Knot City.
After this point, Death Stranding Director's Cut's added story content revolves exclusively around the new Ruined Factory building that's been added to the map, located a stone's throw away from the distribution centre. Upon accepting Die-Hardman's request, Sam is tasked with retrieving several sources of data over the course of three missions, with said data having fallen under the control of a group of marauding MULEs. Considering the open-world nature of the game, the enclosed and claustrophobic building that the player has to sneak and shoot their way through is unlike anything else in Death Stranding.
Interacting with Death Stranding Director's Cut's additional story missions also nets the player a couple of useful weapons and items, which can help make the opening hours of the game a lot easier. At the start of the first mission in the arc, Delivery Order No. 77, players are rewarded with the Maser, a short range taser-like gun. Completing that portion of the story also unlocks the new Support Skeleton, while the second mission's finale opens up the ability for BB's Pod to be customized. Finishing off the final order in the sequence, which is only accessible after the main story has been completed, adds a couple of new memos and a bonus song to the reward pile.
Fragile's Backstory
For a majority of the Director's Cut's new story content, details regarding Sam's mission and the nature of the facility he's tasked with exploring are left almost exclusively to the player's own imagination, aside from a few unhelpful notes. Only a few brief cutscenes play out throughout its short run time, which helps to create a sense of tension and mystery that's unlike anything else in the rest of the game. To make the atmosphere more pronounced, Sam occasionally runs into a holographic older woman amongst all of the medical and food supplies that have been ominously left behind, who's white aura bears a striking resemblance to a ghost.
After completing the final mission and a frantic fight against the last of the MULE forces, Sam finds himself at the centre of the ruined building, where it's revealed that the dilapidated structure was once a BB production facility. Here, the character gets extra insight into the older woman, named Coffin, who at one point attempted and failed to save the enslaved youngsters from BRIDGES and the Government's experiments - seemingly alongside the antagonistic Higgs. To further incorporate more of the main game's plot elements, from a handful of notes, pictures, and snippets of dialogue, it's heavily implied that Coffin was Fragile’s mother. The non-committal way in which these plot points are set up and left to hang in the air after the final cutscene suggests that the latter's backstory could theoretically become a narrative thread for a potential sequel down the road.
The New Construction Tools
Technically speaking at least, the new delivery items that have been added to the experience via the PS5's Death Stranding Director's Cut also have a tiny bit of story attached to them. Instead of being gifted the new goodies automatically, players are required to undertake specific missions on behalf of the game's various distribution centers and outposts. Even though what's on offer is meager at best in terms of narrative, and confined notes and delivery summary screens, the details help to add a little extra context to the new goodies while simultaneously building out the in-game universe.
For example, the mission to unlock the Buddy Bot sets players out on a quest to save a local courier who has become stranded whilst attempting to deliver the robot's final blueprints. Between the sizable length of the game's main campaign, and the fact that there's a chance that a Death Stranding 2 might one day see the light of day, it's perhaps understandable why Kojima Productions has decided to hold back for now on brand-new story content.
Death Stranding Director's Cut is out now on PS5.