Impressions of Death Stranding: Director’s Cut on iPhone 15 Pro Max:
• The game is available on iPhone 15 Pro, iPad (M1 and above), and macOS (M1 and above);
• the game runs at a resolution of 720p and 30FPS on the iPhone, with no adjustability. The frame rate noticeably drops and the quality of the image is rather compromised;
• to start, you need to download 14GB, and after the first mission and several cutscenes, you will be stopped to download another 35GB. Interestingly, the game does not fully save progress at this point, and if you quit, you’ll have to get back to this place and leave the phone without minimizing the game;
• a fairly complex control system involves many buttons. Playing with an on-screen layout is possible, but even for simple tasks, such as balance while walking, you need to cover a large part of the screen with three fingers. So, you can’t do without a PlayStation or Xbox gamepad;
• cutscenes still look fabulous and look great on a small screen. The plot starring Norman Reedus hasn’t changed either. This is a port of the full updated console version;
• the gameplay itself can hardly be called comfortable anymore. Frame drops are irritating, and the pace of the narrative is not particularly adapted for short runs. Perhaps the ability to quickly save should’ve been included, instead of constantly rolling back to the checkpoint;
• after a little more than an hour the phone noticeably heated up and lost about 20% of its charge.
Death Stranding: Director’s Cut on iPhone may seem unnecessary, but clearly demonstrates Apple’s desire to carve out a place in the gaming industry. Yes, with serious limitations, but an once exclusive console mammoth is now accessible on a smartphone. It’s definitely not the best way to play such big games, but there’s hope that things will only get better from here.
Death Stranding: Director’s Cut is now available in the App Store for 1790₽ with full Russian localization.
