Author Archives: Mark Medina

In March of 2020, Animal Crossing: New Horizons was the biggest game in the world because it came at a time when gamers just needed a place to exist when they couldn’t do so in the outside world. Two years later, Disney Dreamlight Valley aims to capture that same magic, but instead of animal-like villagers joining your island, it’s populated with some of the most beloved and iconic Disney characters of all time. And although Disney Dreamlight Valley’s life-simulation aspect isn’t quite up there with the likes of Animal Crossing and Stardew Valley based on my playtime thus far, its magic does have a hold of me, and it’s proven that it is indeed fun to do the impossible.

When I first booted up Disney Dreamlight Valley, I never expected to be reminded so much of Kingdom Hearts (more on that later) – yet here we are. Starting with the story, your ambiguous character is dropped onto a mysterious island with very little clue as to what is going on. You’re instantly met with Merlin, of Sword in the Stone fame, but unfortunately even he isn’t much help. See, everyone in the Disney kingdom is infected with something called “The Forgetting” which essentially means they’ve, well, forgotten everything. While some may be disappointed that these characters may not be privy to the backstory we’ve all grown up with, I do feel it’s the best way to include familiar characters while also having them be enough of a blank slate for the player to build a bond with all their own.

Death Stranding Director’s Cut comes with a slew of updates and new content, including but not limited to new weapons, a new vehicle, new ways to deliver cargo, and even a brand new story mission. Unlike the recently released Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut, which came with one big piece of new content and several quality of life updates, Death Stranding is instead opting for a ton of smaller tweaks and additions, which can make it a bit more confusing when trying to identify exactly what it is you’re getting with this upgrade. But don’t worry, we have you covered. We’ve combed through as much as we could, and picked out what we think are the 13 biggest additions and changes to the Death Stranding Director’s Cut.

1. New Graphics Options

Before we get into the bigger things, let’s go through some of the graphical updates. The game now features two graphic options, a quality mode that runs at a native 4K resolution and targets 60fps, or a performance mode that features a scaled 4K resolution with a more stable framerate – though it’s still not locked at 60fps. Also, both of these modes can be played in an ultra-widescreen mode on PC, or an “ultra-widescreen simulator” mode that letterboxes everything on PS5.

2. Monster energy is GONE!

Sam’s favorite drink, Monster Energy, seems to be no more. Monster Energy could survive the apocalyptic Death Stranding, but it couldn’t survive a console jump. We assume this is the result of some sort of simple licensing deal expiring, but regardless, all mentions of Monster Energy are gone and are now replaced with the more on-brand “Bridges Energy”.

3. DualSense Support

You can’t have a PlayStation 5 game without some really cool DualSense features, and Death Stranding Director’s Cut has plenty. First off, the adaptive triggers work exactly how you would expect – weapons all fire with different sensations, and the heavier Sam’s cargo load is, the harder it is to pull down the trigger. When running on different terrain, the controllers vibrating haptic feedback responds appropriately. For example, running on smooth concrete will feel a lot different than sloshing around in the snow. And finally, BB’s coos and cries will be heard through the controller’s speaker, alongside other various sounds like flowing water when crossing a river.

4. New Combat Abilities

Combat has also seen a bit of an improvement. Sam now has equippable gloves to pummel your opponents with – they can also help climb faster. He’s also a bit more agile now and can dropkick and knee kick foes as he runs towards them. Also, Mules have taken a liking to using turrets. Of course, once you take that turret enemy down, it’s free for you to use to rain hell down on your combatants.

5. New Equippable Items

A few new items have been added for fabrication. The first is the Maser Gun, which fires a continuous electrical charge that immobilizes Mules and vehicles. Because it’s electricity-based, it’s even more effective when in water. Unfortunately, since it’s not blood-based, it has zero effect on BTs. Another new item is a brand new equipable exoskeleton called the Support Skeleton. This is meant to be the most all-around skeleton option to somewhat replace the all-terrain, power, and speed skeletons that are available. It’s fast, it can carry a lot, and it’s good on rough terrain. It’s more of a jack of all trades, master of none type of deal. Also, unlike any other exoskeleton in the game, it’s solar-powered, so it can charge in sunny or even cloudy weather, leaving you way less likely to be stranded without power.

6. Firing Range

A Firing Range has been added to the terminals, allowing you to check out all the weapons in the game and even test your skill with them. All of the weapons are on a table and you can equip whichever one you’d like to try and shoot at the provided targets. Or, you can jump into one of the many drills available and see how long it takes to get through one of the various pre-made scenarios. There’s also Ranked Drills which allow you to compete with other players for the best results.

7. The Roadster

An all-new vehicle has arrived, in the form of the Roadster. The roadster is meant for smooth highways, or the race track, but you can use it to make deliveries, too, but it’s not super great in rocky terrain or water, and even though you can load cargo onto it, unless the client demands you make your deliveries in style, I’d stick with the truck and keep the Roadster on the race track.

8. Race Track

You can now build a fully-functioning Race Track by the Timefall Farm that allows Sam to test his driving skills by racing against the clock in a reverse trike, truck, or the previously mentioned roadster. The race track gives you access to a few different courses as well as mirrored versions of each, and just like in the training ground there are ranked races that allow you to submit times to compare yourself to other players.

9. New Buildable Structures

Death Stranding Director’s Cut now has a few new buildable structures to help Sam on his deliveries. First is a Cargo Catapult that can be loaded up with a bunch of cargo and shot through the air towards your destination – don’t worry, it’s fitted with a parachute so as to not damage your precious cargo. The range on it isn’t incredible, but it should help when getting over some small mountains or wide rivers. Another is a Jump Ramp that allows vehicles to shoot over a small distance. When on a reverse trike, you can even have Sam do some cool moves, which are great for photo mode. And finally, Sam can build a Chiral Bridge to help get over tighter areas that the larger bridges can’t fit. Chiral bridges are also fitted with a special network ID that prevents Mules from using them. Watch out though, Chiral Bridges will disappear if it rains or snows.

10. Ruined Factory

The Ruined Factory, seen in the reveal trailer for Death Stranding Director’s Cut is a set of new missions that sees Sam delving into an underground facility littered with old-world interiors, and of course, Mules. I don’t want to spoil anything about what takes place down here, but I can confidently say that it’s worth a look.

11. Buddy Bots

Delivery bots have been in Death Stranding since the beginning, but they’ve only technically existed in cutscenes where you could send them on autonomous deliveries while you prioritize other things. Now, you can actually build a Buddy Bot to travel alongside you. The Buddy Bot has two functions: It can hold a bunch of cargo for Sam and follow him around, or, if Sam is able to hold everything in his backpack and suit, he can ride the bot to his destination. You won’t be getting many S ranks riding the bot as it’s pretty slow, but it’s a nice feature to have if you basically want the game to play itself and just be along for the ride. Watch out though, the bot can only travel within the Chiral network, and he doesn’t do so great when attacked by Mules or BTs.

12. New Cosmetics and Backpack Customizations

Death Stranding has always had an emphasis on customization, so it only makes sense that we’ve gotten even more control to make Sam look exactly how we want. We can change BB’s color scheme, your suit now has an array of colors to choose from, and best of all, Sam’s backpack has gotten quite a few upgrades. Not only can you change the color, but you can now add patches and stabilizers to the back, allowing Sam to keep his balance better, and even glide from high distances with upgraded stabilizers.

13. You can replay Cliff memories and Boss Battles

In the base version of Death Stranding, once you beat the game, you could replay Cliff’s Nightmares of War. In the Director’s Cut, you’re now also allowed to replay any of the big boss battles, known here as Nightmare Battles. And, just like the racing or firing range, there are also ranked versions that allow you to submit high scores against other players, judging both time taken to finish the encounter and damage taken.

So those are the biggest changes to expect when booting up the Death Stranding Director’s Cut. There are even smaller tweaks such as being able to ride zip lines with a carrier attached and new routing tutorials at the beginning. Will you be suiting up for the Death Stranding Director’s Cut? If so, which of these new features has you the most excited? Make sure to sound off in the comments!