After being rumored for a long time, there was little surprise to see Hideo Kojima finally announceDeath Stranding: Director’s Cutfor the PS5, alongside an interview with Geoff Keighley duringthe Summer Games Fest event. What will have come as a welcome shock to many onlookers was the obviousMetal Gear Solidvibes the announcement trailer invoked. After a very public falling out with Konami back in 2015, there’s been a begrudging acceptance ever since that Kojima would be unable to return to hisMetal Gearstealth espionage roots anytime soon.
Snippets of details revealed since the trailer’s debut make it even clearer that he’s indirectly throwing that notion out of the window withDeath Stranding: Director’s Cut. All signs so far point to Kojima embracing his roots, in more ways than one. Considering this latest game carries such a specific subtitle, it seems more than fitting that Norman Reedus' Sam Porter Bridges will be picking up a trick or two from the director’s most famous son, Solid Snake.
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Death Stranding’s Metal Gear Roots
Everything about theDeath Stranding: Director’s Cutreveal trailer screams that Kojima is openly embracinghisMetal Gearrootswith both hands. While the full details of the new expanded PS5 version are still scarce, by the looks of things, Sam Porter Bridges will find himself face-to-face with claustrophobic stealth gameplay sections. Subtle details like the orchestral swelling music, mysterious new PMCs, and even the boxy looking room within the one area shown so far, all evoke palpable memories of the earlyMetal Gear Solidgames.
Cinematic details like how the camera occasionally pulls in to frame at a top down angle, reinforces this even further and feels especially like it could have been taken from the stealth franchise’s Shadow Moses location. That’s all without even mentioning the humorous interaction Sam has with a box, a confusing yet iconic staple of Kojima’s previous work, which is about as blatant as a reference can possibly be.
While the original release ofDeath Strandingfeatured a handful ofMetal Gearnods already, Kojima managed to show clear restraint inDeath Stranding. For the most part, there were arguably as many references to non-Kojima projects likeHorizon Zero DawnthanMetal Gear. Between then and now, there appears to have been a change of heart from within the Kojima Productions team. Every aspect of thePS5’sDeath Stranding:Director’s Cutcontentso far appearing to not only be referential to, but potentially serving as a spiritual sequel to theMetal Geargames as well.
With rumors circulating regarding a potential Sony-funded, Bluepoint Games-helmedremake of the firstMetal Gear Solid,this overt change of course with Kojima might be a sign of that project’s existence. While admittedly still a big stretch, Kojima’s new boldness for embracing the past could be explained if he’s now aware that his publishing partner has Konami covered, so to speak. Having played such a central role in creating theMetal Gearfranchise, it’s admittedly more likely that the developer’s eagerness to return to his roots is purely coincidental.
The Director’s Cut’s Stealth Takedowns
In recent days, one additional detail has been uncovered by fans regardingDeath Stranding: Director’s Cut, which indicate that Kojima’sMetal Gearroots have managed to even infiltrate the game’s gameplay department as well. Thanks to arecent ESRB product description, it’s now known that in some stages, players will be able to perform stealth takedowns, such as strangling enemies from behind. Even though similar types of interactions were already present in the original game, this one new line of information within an otherwise unchanged product description, suggests that stealth gameplay will play a much more notable role within the expanded PS5 version.
That also has the added effect of further reinforcing theMetal Gear Solidhomages seen within the announcement trailer, as being more than just a tongue in cheek way to announce the project. It’s not hard to imagine that the game might end up playing similar to those games within these new areas, with players having to tip-toe their way through rooms of enemies whilst scavenging and managing scarce resources. With additional news promised within the next few weeks, perhaps at aSony summer State of Play-style event, fans shouldn’t have to wait too much longer to get further insight and a potential release date.
Death Strandingis available now on PS4 and PC, with theDirector’s Cutedition currently in development for PS5.
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