The end of a decade-long saga is here, and to say Bungie was under pressure is a bit of an understatement. Following the poor reception of Lightfall and the disastrous week in which roughly eight percent of staff was suddenly laid off in addition to the revelation leadership was actively hamstringing the looter shooter, the community’s morale was at an all-time low. The developer desperately needed a win. So, after a few weeks in, has The Final Shape righted the Destiny 2 ship?
Destiny 2: The Final Shape (PC [Reviewed], PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S)
Developer: Bungie
Publisher: Bungie
Released: June 4, 2024
MSRP: $49.99
Destiny 2‘s largest issue has been the way its narrative is handled. Between expansions that are feast or famine, the drip-fed Seasonal model, and burying 90% of it in lore entries with unlock requirements, Destiny 2‘s story is the best and worst part about it. For new players or those not invested in reading third-party sites like Ishtar Collective, the odds are low for understanding just what’s going on.
The Final Shape unfortunately continues this trend. The campaign had the opportunity to bring together all of the disparate pieces and give players a unifying experience. Instead, we’re isolated inside the Pale Heart of the Traveler as Cayde-6 and Crow come to terms, Ikora does a whole lot of nothing, and Zavala’s Season of the Haunted schtick is back. Cinematics are sparse, there’s only one instance of more than two in-game characters being on screen together, and a heaping pile of sketched cutscenes doing much of the work.
The first few days were a nightmare for servers, with many players missing entire sections of the story, leading to a disjointed experience, and reaching the end of the campaign didn’t reveal anything beyond a comic-book explanation of how to defeat the Witness.
It would be several days, a raid race, and a final mission before the story concluded. In the interim, the best parts of the story were relegated to what came after the campaign: unintentional filler. We’d been waiting a decade for this conclusion and Bungie couldn’t help milking it further.
Once six players had cleared the arbitrary hurdle for the rest of us, we were able to finally take on the Witness (for real this time) in the 12-player matchmade Excision mission. Going into it, I was angry, disappointed, and all manner of dour. In the end, I was full of tears, overjoyed, and free.
In a single mission, Excision, Bungie gave me what I had subconsciously been craving for over a year: closure. The developer didn’t do anything mind-blowing in terms of originality, but instead played its hand in the best possible way. By putting the last few pieces of the Light and Dark Saga puzzle in place, the studio gave players an impactful, emotional, and unforgettable conclusion. With my ship back in orbit, I had become Anton Ego.
In stark contrast to how Destiny 2‘s story has been handled over the years, the gameplay has always been nothing short of spectacular. Had that not been the case, I doubt Destiny 2 would have survived its droughts. Rather than rest on its laurels, the developer rose to the challenge of creating the most engaging gameplay in memory.
During the developer ViDocs, the Prismatic subclass looked interesting but smacked of a gimmick. However, after spending time with it and unlocking additional Prismatic Fragments, I’m not sure how I’d ever go back to a base Light or Dark subclass. This is a power fantasy I’ve not experienced since the 3.0 subclass reworks. It makes me feel like the fabled Guardian I’m meant to be. Finding synergy between varying subclass abilities takes build-crafting to another level and is sure to shake up prior content, breathing new life into things like dungeon and raid rotators.
Speaking of which, The Final Shape integrates mechanics to a level usually reserved for content like dungeons and raids into nearly everything. It’s no longer a matter of putting enough bullets into an enemy or dealing with the occasional Champion. Moments like finding glyphs and passing debuffs between fireteam members are now commonplace, and put a greater emphasis on communication between Guardians. It can be a big ask for the socially anxious among us, but as someone working through it as well, I promise you that it’s worth the effort.
Ignoring the Taken and Scorn (because they’re largely reskins and zombie Fallen), we finally have a new enemy faction with the Dread. Ranging from annoying to terrifying, these disciples of the Witness occupy a unique role in the forces of Darkness thanks to their ability to command Strand and Stasis. It turns out that being caught in a Tangle isn’t all that fun. Still, I’ll take that over the flying Grim who are fond of giving me tinnitus and bobbing around like a Castlevania Medusa. We’ve been begging for a new faction for years, and the wait was worth it.
Finally, the Pale Heart of the Traveler is unique in that it’s a new destination, but one that is solely occupied by you. That’s right, every inch of Nostalgia Lane is devoid of other players, outside of a matchmade activity. It’s peculiar, as it makes the area lonely, but makes the space feel more personal. There’s plenty of variety in the environment and I’m quite fond of the area around the new hub. This environment seamlessly transitions from beautiful and serene to dark and twisted, beautifully mirroring our journey.
I came into The Final Shape expecting to be underwhelmed, and the launch reinforced that. However, as is the nature of live service games, it is possible to turn things around. I simply wished Bungie didn’t wait until the eleventh hour to wow us. Destiny 2 has long been a game where many players have seen the potential and subsequently frustrated by decisions to deliver the minimum viable product. The Final Shape is the epitome of Destiny in many ways, both good and bad, Light and Dark, but I’ll be damned if Bungie didn’t pull it off.
