Play it again, Sam
At this point, the only thing that can tear me away from playing moreDeath Strandingis a barrage of “install this update, ya dummy!” prompts. That’s all the respite my PS4 is gonna get right now.
The latestDeath Strandingupdate, which brings the game to version 1.05, is a succinct one–it includes “various performance improvements.” It’s hard to take that at face value, but it’s the lone note.
I can’t say I’ve had many (or really any?) notable performance issues, but then again, I’m playing on a PlayStation 4 Pro, and after 16 hours, I’mstillchipping away at Chapter 3 even though it’s become clear that Sam should move on to bigger and better things. Oh well. There’s no rush. I can already tell it’s going to take me the rest of the year to finish this game, and I happily accept that slow-burn fate.
I’m having a ball clearing out MULE camps, topping up Auto-Pavers, and making sure my compatriots have access to Generators, especially in nasty, far-off places. Speaking of: more people should use the “Request Upgrade” feature on the map screen. Help me help you. I’ll even smash that like button.
Seeing the on-screen message “a path you laid down was used by someone else” pop up at regular intervals is the video game equivalent of those scalp-massager tools. I can’t get enough.
As for futureDeath Strandingupdates, I’d expect to see further optimizations and adjustments, at least in the short term. That’s been the trend since launch, but I hope some surprises await us.
