myreviews2024

The Rollercoaster Journey of Destiny 2

Destiny 2 has always been a game of extremes. But here’s the thing: for all its missteps, I can’t stay mad at it. Destiny 2, like its guardians, keeps rising from the ashes.

At launch, Destiny 2 was a paradox. It nailed the cinematic beats of its single-player campaign—there’s still a chill that runs down my spine when I think about Ghaul’s monologue and the desperation of reclaiming the Light. But when the credits rolled and you were left staring at the Tower, the cracks became impossible to ignore. There wasn’t enough to do. The loot pool was shallow, and the endgame uninspired. For a game meant to last years, its opening gambit felt incomplete. Yet, here we are, years later, talking about a game that has somehow clawed its way back to relevance with sheer grit and creativity.

Bungie’s Gamble: A Living, Breathing Universe

Risking and prioritizing the evolution of Destiny 2 as a living game was a controversial decision for Bungie, especially when they knew it would anger players.  Losing Titan, Io, and the Red War campaign was especially tough to bear. Destiny 2 has enhanced flexibility since it was evolutionarily forced to define, redefine, and reinvent the game as it pivots to only limited content.

Playing the Halo games was a different experience. Bungie’s narrative was centered only on Master Chief, with the multiplayer component existing independently. In Destiny, the game’s narrative and mechanics are seamlessly intertwined. Your Guardian does not only watch; you actively participate as the main character in a massive space saga. 

Why Destiny 2 Hits Differently Than Other Looters

We need to consider Destiny 2's Groundhog Day experience offered to fans of PS5 shooting games: shoot, loot, repeat. But Bungie's gifts are most apparent in the halo of glory around the shot, each gun offering a unique experience to the shooter. Every hand cannon, arc grenade, and void grenade falls within the rhythmic pulse of a symphony, and every moment, every passage, every experience designed by Bungie’s FPS cadre was divine.

The Borderlands series offers a fair comparison, and for the most part, its special brand of lighthearted humor and chaos offers distraction from the loot mechanic. Destiny, because of its robust mythology, stands apart: the progression gained from each weapon and the story told offers a unique progression. The guns are lore, and each marked a moment in Destiny's gun lore. The Gjallarhorn was mere lore to the rocket launcher, and each is a piece of Destiny's gun lore. Destiny's raid symphony does not stop there. The coordination to take down a raid boss like Riven or Nezarec compares to the symphony of chaos that is pure, unadulterated bliss.

PvP can be really difficult. Destiny 2’s Crucible can be deeply toxic, while also being a hotbed of balancing issues and matchmaking problems. It’s still home to some of the most thrilling, white-knuckle gameplay I have ever had. There’s a lot of love and hate in PvP, but the high it gives is worth it.

The Emotional Weight of Destiny 2.

It’s not the gameplay that keeps me coming back to Destiny 2. It’s the moments that hit you in the feels. To call Cayde-6’s death in the Forsaken expansion a plot twist is an understatement. The stakes feel personal, and the grind is often worth it for the payoff.

For instance, during the dusk hours in EDZ, the experience of watching the sun set while the game’s haunting score plays and the sunsets are almost meditative. Moments like these in Destiny 2 are truly and uniquely pleasurable.

The Road Ahead: A Universe Worth Fighting For

The Darkness and Light saga is coming to a close, which means the time is right to place the greatest expansions in the game.

I have been gaming these days. I enjoyed the storytelling and thrill of the combat in Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth. I recalled the pleasure of experimentation and player autonomy with Baldur’s Gate 3. I admire Sand Land, about which I've written previously. And still, I go back to Destiny 2. It isn’t perfect. It never will be. But with the gaming scene increasingly filled with safe sequels, Destiny 2 feels like a brave gamble—one worth waiting in line for.