My opinion of Destiny can be defined by its detritus in the real world as much as anything that I write below. Any rating that I might give the game is meaningless next to the number of minutes that I sat in traffic, patiently going from store to store in hopes of nabbing a Ghost Edition. Somewhere, at one of the many Gamestops in town, there’s a forgotten deposit on a pre-order. I bought it with weary looking dollar bills and a fistful of change. I already had a bigger deposit on a pre-order elsewhere; this one was just to ensure that I had beta codes for both consoles when the time came.
This degree of loyalty and enthusiasm is usually reserved for established franchises–those series which have proven their merit through multiple sequels. With Destiny, it just took the Alpha to hook me. The Beta drew the line taut, and now I find myself being (willingly) reeled in towards an uncharacteristic launch-day purchase.
Destiny is Bungie’s latest brain-child, and it’s a clear descendant of the ever-monumental and influential Halo franchise. Describing it beyond that becomes burdensome. The core gameplay is undeniably a shooter; the world is filled with (rapidly respawning) enemies who have evolved from the Grunts and Invisible Sword-Wielding Elites of old. There are RPG elements layered on top of its FPS elements, which allow for customization of gear, stats, and abilities. There’s an instance feature which allows you to encounter other Guardians in the game’s PVE mode. There’s also PVP gameplay through a feature called the Crucible.
The more you attempt to dissect Destiny’s features, the more the walls between genres become blurred. It refuses to fit into one box or another. Instead, Destiny picks and chooses aspects from its parent genres, tossing their best features together and topping it off with shiny graphics and beautiful landscapes.
You see, I’ve never been keen on pure FPS experiences. I view myself as decidedly average at the genre; I play the games for the campaign, and I rarely spare a glimpse for their multiplayer. The same goes for MMORPGS. As much as I get enthusiastic at the idea of them, my interest wanes quickly after starting a new character. Despite these habits, I’ve made five Guardians over the course of Destiny‘s Alpha and Beta tests. I’ve hit the level cap with three of those characters. I even dabbled a few times in the Crucible (though once was admittedly a peace rally that involved dancing).
Destiny‘s greatest triumph, in other words, is that which makes it so difficult to describe: it’s not quite FPS enough for me to feel out of my depth. It’s not quite MMORPG enough for me to lose interest after hours of grinding and questing. Instead, it occupies some magical space between those two extremes–a space filled with moon wizards and warlocks.
Destiny owes much to its predecessor Halo. It plays very similarly in many respects, and a lot of the weapons and enemy behavior are lifted right from the realm of Master Chief. That said, it’s greatly matured these features and incorporated them with greater precision. Whereas Halo predominantly rewarded aggressive gameplay styles, Destiny more articulately rewards precision and skill. This is emphasized by the inclusion of “Precise Kill” statistics along with the usual K/D information upon the completion of each mission.
A variety of gameplay tactics are also supported by the core mechanics of the game. Upon starting, players have the option of choosing between three classes: Titans, Hunters, and Warlocks. Each has a set of associated abilities. Titans, as their name implies, are the burly and aggressive soldier types. The Hunter is the precision class, often toting sniper rifles and rewarding sharp shooters with its Golden Gun special. The Warlock, as the name implies, is the space magic class, recognizable for their Matrix-esque coats. Though I started off playing Hunter, I changed my preference to Titan on my third playthrough. Their special–in which you punch the ground and let forth a shockwave of death–made me feel like a consummate badass, and the class, overall, felt a little more robust and hearty than the agile Hunter.
The Beta only offered a taste of class customization, but what hints and features are present give me hope. Armor and equipment gains experience and can be leveled, unlocking new effects to give its wearer an additional edge in combat. Though the vanilla armor for the classes doesn’t allow for much distinction between players, the presence of armor paint shops, class items, insignias, ships, and sparrows at the Tower (the game’s social hub) suggests that players can tailor their Guardian to their tastes visually as well. Unlocking Vanguard and Crucible points (by completing bounties and select missions or competing in the Crucible, respectively) gives players access to an even wider range of items.
Solid though the gameplay may be, I found Destiny‘s depiction of Old Russia the most compelling. Superficially, the environment was the standard post-apocalyptic fare: snowy and rocky crags, dilapidated buildings, multitudes of warehouses. The game rewards the expeditious with more awe-inspiring finds. A cave system behind a waterfall might unearth rare loot, or adventurous Guardians might find formidable and mysterious foes taking refuge in the basements of buildings–areas that the missions themselves don’t yet venture into. My fireteam, at one point, became preoccupied with pushing through a small horde of higher-level enemies at the Forgotten Shore, just to see what secrets it held. Though many of the missions retread the same areas of Old Russia, I’m still utterly unconvinced that I unearthed only a small fraction of its secrets. I encountered a handful of Hallowed Enemies (think: nearly unbeatable boss enemies), but the internet is buzzing with the additional locations of hidden Ogres and their ilk. Riding along on your Sparrow, you’re just as likely to discover a scenic view as you are to discover a gold loot chest or neat boss fight. There were even easter eggs tucked away in the Tower’s nooks and crannies . These took the form of interactive beach and soccer balls, and a fan that functioned more like a trampoline. The Beta, naturally, is just the tip of the iceberg. The final product will likely have many more locations to explore with new secrets to discover.
From a design perspective, Destiny also gets a lot of things right. The menus are crisp, clean, and intuitive. Rather than columns of menus, most menus rely on a responsive cursor atop an attractive interface. Even the loading screens–which feature your fireteam’s ships careening through the atmosphere–have a beauty all their own. I rather liked the game’s primary aesthetic theme, which seemed based on geometric fractals. These designs are prominent in the diamonds and triangle patterns of class items, the class logos themselves, and the insignias that players can unlock or purchase for customization.
Though the Beta made for a tantalizing glimpse into the world of Destiny, there were still a few flaws–which is to be expected. It doesn’t manage to completely free itself from the fetters of its parent genres, for example. The Explore Missions can get repetitive, and they often fall back to the “Collect This Many Items” formula so prominent in MMORPGS. These missions often have players retreading the same turf, which can make even the most compelling and beautiful environments tiresome. Similarly, many FPS formulas are also glaringly obvious. A good number of the Beta missions culminated in fending off waves of enemies while Ghost–or some other arbitrary delay–strove to unlock laser grids in the background.
The classes themselves, though neat in concept, could also benefit from a bit of refinement. At present, class differences are limited to their special attacks, aesthetics, and jump mechanics–the latter of which, in particular, is a strange place to met out different abilities for class. Adding more character to help distinguish between classes would be a useful touch. This critique may be better applied to the character of the game itself, which has not yet caught its stride. The best and most memorable franchises are bursting at the seams with character and lore. Though there’s certainly some interesting history and culture to be witnessed in Destiny, it hasn’t quite arrived at the same atmospheric and lore-based gravitas as other monumental series.
Each of these concerns feels less like a condemning issue and more like new territory ripe for exploration. I imagine that additional expansions will add to the variety of gameplay and, perhaps, mark a significant departure from some genre archetypes. Similarly, I like to think that the full game itself and subsequent releases will draw back the curtain on Destiny‘s rich world and its inhabitants. Already, the game is staggeringly successful where it counts, considering its smooth gameplay, wealth of customization options, and possibilities for exploration. It’s difficult to say what additional features the final product will contain, but I already know that it’s my destiny to sink an inordinate amount of time into leveling up my Guardian.
Of course, my words can only do so much justice to something as immense and complicated as Destiny. For this reason, I opted to livestream my latest playthrough, from my first steps in a new Guardian’s shoes to the level cap. If you’d like to experience it for yourself, you can see the playthrough in its entirety below.
