It's a strange thing, returning to the world of Death Stranding after more than a year away. Having done that classic thing of rinsing almost every last delivery out of it before finally strapping myself in for its rollercoaster ending back in 2020, there hasn't been much reason to return to my precious, daft BB Boys in the intervening months - not even its Cyberpunk 2077 crossover was enough to tempt me back. At long last, though, I have cause to load up the BB train again. Death Stranding Director's Cut arrives on Steam and the Epic Games Store today, bringing with it new story missions, new delivery buddies, new weapons and... a Mario Kart-style race track? Yep, that sounds like a classic Kojima upgrade pack, if you ask me. Not quite as revolutionary as Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence, mind, but it's roughly in the same kind of ballpark.
It's been great fun revisiting the lush mountains of Death Stranding's definitely not Icelandic version of post-apocalyptic America. If anything, the weirdest thing is seeing that same world I know and love on a fresh server, bereft of all the distracting neon signs, yelps of "Keep on keeping on!" and one-upmanship bridge-building that made up the bulk of the original's asymmetric online multiplayer component. It's actually quite refreshing to see these virgin, unspoiled landscapes again, although I imagine this won't last long once returning players flock back to their well-worn delivery routes. As for the new new stuff, is it worth making a return trip? As with all expando games, the answer will very much depend on if and how much you played the first one.