Destiny is a series that has been riddled with missteps, beginning with its botched initial release in 2014, and succeeded by its 2017 sequel that alienated die-hard fans by favouring a more casual audience. Last year, developer Bungie split with publisher-turned-overlord Activision, and have slowly taken steps to make the game better ever since.
With a high degree of customisation in class, armour and weaponry, there are hundreds of potential loadouts to assemble - and unleashing them on hordes of aliens has never been more fun.
Beyond Light introduces Europa, a moon of Jupiter, as its primary destination. Europa’s gorgeous frozen landscapes and dynamic weather systems instantly impress, and plenty of secrets await beneath the ice. On this moon, a new enemy presents itself to players, as well as a new power to utilize.
For the last six years, Destiny has offered players the powers of the ‘light’ to wield. With its newest iteration, players can journey to the dark-side and wield Stasis, darkness-infused ice magic that is both visually stunning and extremely fun to play with. The ability to freeze, slow and shatter enemies brings a completely new dynamic to combat and can only be a good thing for the game going forward.
Additionally, Destiny 2’s gameplay, at its core, finds itself at a very favourable position in Beyond Light. With a high degree of customisation in class, armour and weaponry, there are hundreds of potential loadouts to assemble - and unleashing them on hordes of aliens has never been more fun. The complex armour-mod system should not act as a complete deterrent to new players, however, as the game offers something for every level of experience.
The departure from Activision now seems a double-edged sword, with Bungie’s creative freedom vastly opened - but their budget, and maneuverability to produce content, reduced.
Despite making promising strides, Destiny 2 is left with a fairly concerning short-coming. Content, though high in quality, remains fairly sparse, with only so many activities to complete before players are left chasing their tails. For the casual player, this is no problem at all, as the game can be played at a more relaxed pace. To those who play every week, however, it is likely that content will run out sooner than later.
The departure from Activision now seems a double-edged sword, with Bungie’s creative freedom vastly opened - but their budget, and maneuverability to produce content, reduced. When contrasted with 2018’s Forsaken, Beyond Light seems a little less full - less missions, less weapons, less armour. What has been provided is excellent, but will it be enough to keep people playing week-in, week-out? That remains to be seen, but perhaps Bungie may have a trick or two up their sleeves.
For its modest £35 price tag, Beyond Light is a worthwhile experience for those who have enjoyed the better of Destiny’s earlier expansions, such as The Taken King or Forsaken. The quality of the game is near an all-time high, so if you can deal with inevitable content droughts here and there, the experience will surely satisfy.
[Featured Image: IGDB]