DEATH STRANDING DIRECTOR’S CUT (PC)

Death Stranding is an action adventure game. The title was developed by the employees of Kojima Productions and was published by Sony Interactive Entertainment. The lead designer and screenwriter is the father of the Metal Gear series, Hideo Kojima, for whom it was the first game developed after leaving Konami, where he spent over three decades of his career in the industry. The main character of Death Stranding was played by Norman Reedus, known for his role as Daryl Dixon in The Walking Dead series. The actor previously collaborated with Kojima on the canceled horror film Silent Hills.

Gameplay unlike any others
Death Stranding is a third-person perspective action game, where the player controls their character in an open world environment. The protagonist, Sam, is a delivery man, transporting various cargo across the post-apocalyptic landscapes of the USA, earning money and reputation for his job as a delivery man.

Delivering transports is an essential part of gameplay mechanics. The player has to consider several factors before making a run to his destination. For example, the weight and packaging of the cargo might influence Sam’s navigation of the area. After a successful run, Sam’s performance is evaluated and points awarded for the completion of the task can be spent on upgrading statistics, like the amount of weight the character can carry or the stability of the cargo.  

By delivering cargo to various cities on the map, Sam expands the Chiral Network, which provides the means of contact across vast territories. Expanding the Chiral Network gives the player access to maps and blueprints, with which they can create useful structures, like bridges and generators. The Network is also the basis for the online functionality featured in DS.  The Network allows players to interact with each other within the game world.

Fight. Die. Repeat.
Death Stranding features intriguing fighting mechanics. The main enemies of the game are bandits of the MULE group and BTs – “beached things”, creatures visible only to some. These creatures cause the bodies of their victims to explode, creating “Voidouts”. Sam is a person known as “Repatriate”: upon death, he can return to life by swimming from the Beach – a place on the edge of life and death.

The combat mechanics in DS are similar to those in other TPP games. The player has an arsenal of different types of weapons at their disposal, from handguns to a rocket launcher. A special weapon called Anti-BT gun can also be used. This non-lethal handgun draws blood from special packs and uses it as ammunition to paralyze the beached things. If Sam doesn’t have any blood packs left, the gun will draw blood from his body. The player can also use grenades and melee weapons.

Story of a savior
Death Stranding world was shaken by a series of explosions that brought about a series of supernatural phenomena known as "Death Stranding". Among the anomalies created in this way, we can distinguish rain with unusual properties. Everything that gets wet by the so-called Temporal fallout (Timefall) is displaced in time. This means an extreme acceleration of the aging process in all living organisms, including even plants. Another important element is the presence of beings invisible to the naked eye, known as Beached Things (BT). They pose a real threat to all inhabitants of the planet. To detect them, special equipment is required, a shoulder-mounted scanner called "odradek", which indicates their exact location. Phenomena caused humanity to split into small, scattered groups. The main character of Death Stranding is Sam Porter. It belongs to an organization called Bridges, which specializes in transporting goods between cities.

Reception
Death Stranding was received favorably by the critics. Reviewers praised the story of the game, the performances of actors portraying the characters – with special mentions of Reedus, Mikkelsen and Lea Seydoux, as well as the unsettling soundtrack of the game. Writing of the mechanics, critics noted the innovative mechanics and gameplay features, which separated DS from other games currently available on the market.  All in all, Hideo Kojima’s opus was considered a worthy piece in his artistic portfolio.

Key features

• Enter the world of Hideo Kojima’s new great production! Death Stranding brings to the table everything you’d expect from the creator of the Metal Gear Series
• Explore the wastelands of post-apocalyptic America! The game’s open-world environment allows free exploration of the desolate ruins of the United States
• Join Sam Porter on his mission to save the world! Sam, a deliveryman, is tasked with making supply runs that would see the broken colonies reconnected
• Discover the truth behind the Beach! The place on the edge of life, from which only a few have ever returned
• Fight monstrous BTs and thieving bandits! Use the arsenal of weapons to fend off anyone trying to stop you on your mission
• Make supply runs to gain experience and reputation! Deliver cargo to improve your statistics and level up the protagonist
• Communicate with other players! Build constructions and leave messages and supplies for other gamers