Games worth discovering

Death Stranding is still better on PlayStation, but the iOS version isn’t a total loss

4K View2024-02-01

When I first heard that legendary game developer Hideo Kojima was creating a postapocalyptic open-world game starring The Walking Dead’s Norman Reedus, I was through the roof with excitement. And yet, when that game finally launched in 2019, with a pandemic looming right around the corner, it somehow slipped my radar. Who could’ve guessed that just over four years later, a full, triple-A console game like Death Stranding would be as easily accessible on my iPhone 15 Pro as Pokémon Go.

To be clear, Death Stranding on iOS in no way matches how I imagine it would feel to play on the console. There were times I wanted to fling my phone across the room. But even though it took me a while to get used to the controls, Death Stranding Directors Cut for iOS is definitely worth playing on iPhone 15 Pro if that’s your only way to experience it.

The amazing graphics that made Death Stranding such a hit on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC are adequately utilized on the iPhone 15 port. This is one of the best-looking games I currently have on my phone, and when you throw in the amazing soundtrack, I felt just as invested in the story and world of Death Stranding as I have in any game I’ve played on console recently.

That’s not to say everything is perfect when it comes to Death Stranding’s performance. I ran into numerous instances where the frame rate would slow down, especially when I encountered BTs—basically evil, human-eating monsters. And like with the iOS versions of Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil Village, I could only play Death Stranding on my iPhone 15 for about an hour before my phone felt like it was about to explode because it was so hot.

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It may look incredible, but Death Stranding never feels like it was designed to be played on an iPhone. Even after selecting the “large text” option, I had to squint at the screen to make out subtitles and hints. Touch screen controls appeared on the screen, which made things way too cluttered, especially when I was trying to plot points on the map to get from one delivery location to the next.

Speaking of touch screen controls, getting used to them was a practice in futility. Beyond feeling way too complicated for a mobile game, my button presses often didn’t register immediately or at all, which I can’t imagine is an issue when playing with a proper controller.. If you’re determined to play Death Stranding on the go, I strongly recommend investing in good controller for your phone.

I’m not trying to be overly critical of Death Stranding. I’ve played seven hours so far, but I have a lot more to explore, seeing as the game reportedly takes most players around forty hours. This may not be the perfect way to experience it, but I’m still enjoying exploring this game’s vast open world. The novelty of playing a triple-A game on my phone made me want to show off to my friends. And that $19.99 price tag is probably the cheapest I could ask for. Just don’t waste your time with those touch screen controls.