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Death Stranding PC Preview: Falling over has never looked as good

Death Stranding is about to make the leap from console to PC, and Stevivor was kindly provided code by 505 Games and Kojima Productions to check it out.

The early access preview opportunity is very on-brand, demanding that I refrain from writing about Death Stranding‘s story past episode 5. I’ll happily do that, at the same time pointing out I’ve fully reviewed the game on PS4 alongside a post on how many episodes the game actually has. In short, the information’s already there if you want it.

What I am able to do is write about how the PC version, compared to PS4, looks (AMAZING, though I can’t show you any of my own capture) and feels (the same; you trip over rocks and fall over a lot). I can also share some new, as-is screenshots complete with appropriate legal lines, though sadly Kojima Productions pulled the plug on early access b-roll so static visuals it is.

Because I can’t show you the game in motion (beyond the new pre-order trailer we were also provided, below), what I’ll have to try to do instead is describe how it looks so good and why. Death Stranding has leaned into DLSS (Deep Learning Super Sampling) 2.0, NVIDIA RTX tech that leverages AI to boost frame rates and super sample images. I’m not going to claim I fully understand how it all works, but I do know this: Sam Porter Bridges has never looked better, nor has the harsh world he’s tasked to trek back and forth across. Again and again. And again.

On Very High settings with DLSS turned on (both for performance and quality on my very new, RTX 2070 rig) every single visual popped. Sam looks photo realistic standing in front of a bathroom mirror or sitting down to take a poop. Green grass is a vibrant contrast to the black mountains that beckon in the distance. Cans of Monster Energy drink look exactly like the real thing, just begging you to reach through your computer monitor and slam them down your throat. A new photo mode means you’ll be able to take high-quality snaps of ads for Norman Reedus’ Ride whenever you’d like.

You’ve read my review; you know what I think about both the game and Kojima’s overall vision. While there’s no denying that Death Stranding looks fabulous, I don’t have a lot of positives to offer up when it comes to gameplay. The addition of more hats (!) and a Half-Life and Portal crossover may sweeten the pot for some, but not for me. If you enjoy Kojima’s work and haven’t played Death Stranding on PS4, this should be right up your alley. If you’re simply after a PC game that looks great, leverages DLSS 2.0 and is a delight to play, might I recommend Control instead?

Death Stranding is available now on PS4 and heads to Windows PC on 14 July.


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About the author

Steve Wright

Steve's the owner of this very site and an active games journalist nearing twenty (TWENTY!?!) years. He's a Canadian-Australian gay gaming geek, ice hockey player and fan. Husband to Matt and cat dad to Wally and Quinn.