Destiny 2: The Edge Of Fate Draws On Metroidvanias To Bring You Back In

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In the uncertain times of Destiny 2’s long-running history, the upcoming expansion titled “The Edge of Fate” is set to release. This expansion marks the climax following Destiny’s first era, “The Final Shape,” and a series of bridge stories designed to wrap up lingering narrative threads. If you haven’t played Destiny 2 since The Final Shape, it’s understandable—after all, “final” is in the name. Developer Bungie appears to be walking a fine line with this new expansion. They aim for The Edge of Fate to reel back lapsed players, but also to inject fresh energy into Destiny 2 that will keep dedicated fans hooked for the near future.

At a Bungie-hosted sneak peek, I delved into The Edge of Fate, and after approximately 8 hours of playtime, I’m convinced the expansion’s major updates breathe fresh energy into the game. The campaign dares with its intricate environmental puzzles and innovative travel mechanics, while revamping Destiny 2’s core mechanics to make them more seamless and accessible. Whether this overhaul will rejuvenate Destiny 2 to its previous player base numbers or further solidify its position as a live-service titan remains to be seen, but it undeniably piqued my interest for more gameplay.

On the Brink of Destiny, the tale begins on Kepler, a distant outpost at the solar system’s edge. Post the climactic battle between the Traveler and the Witness as depicted in The Final Form, The Edge of Fate steers the narrative towards The Nine – cryptic entities older than the Traveler’s arrival in our solar system. Unlike previous expansions that revolved around Light and Dark powers, The Edge of Fate introduces abilities tied to dark matter, a versatile resource found abundantly on Kepler. This fresh storyline introduces novel civilizations, adversaries, and an intriguing human character named Lodi, who sports a beard and hipster glasses, with a mysterious past and questionable intentions.

In my spare time, I delved into Kepler and immersed myself in the initial phase of its development saga. Although some of the storyline hooks piqued my interest, what truly left me awestruck was the design of Kepler’s world. Unlike Destiny 2’s other destinations, this distant planetoid features yellow-orange fungal growths that coat various surfaces as decorative elements for red canyons and purple-green tunnels. Despite its alien appearance, human structures, vehicles, and artifacts are scattered around the world, lending an unsettling sense of familiarity to a seemingly strange place. One particularly striking moment in the expansion occurs at the start of the opening mission, where you stand on a vantage point overlooking a skybox dominated by a massive aircraft carrier.

In Kepler, the mysterious dark matter permeating its expanse grants you novel capabilities as you progress through the storyline. Unlike Destiny’s combat-focused subclasses and skills, the unique “Kepler abilities” can only be utilized within Kepler. These abilities are primarily designed to aid in navigation, uncovering hidden secrets, rather than solely focusing on battle. While platforming and light puzzle-solving have always been present in Destiny campaigns, The Edge of Fate emphasizes environmental puzzles more than previous expansions. This emphasis is a nod to Bungie’s rich history with Dungeons and Raids, as the new abilities are primarily for traversing or altering levels.

The initial power you acquire is named Matterspark, which converts your character into a compact, radiant energy ball. This new form allows you to attack enemies by emitting energy sparks, but its primary function is for traversal, enabling you to pass through narrow tunnels, air vents, and confined areas. Additionally, it empowers locations throughout the game world to be charged up, unlocking doors or chests. Another ability called Matterform offers a new method of movement, allowing you to alter specific environmental features such as metal sheets or movable walls into temporary bridges and ladders. In many missions I’ve encountered, a device known as the Relocator Cannon was utilized, an item that can be obtained at certain points to create portals for passing through otherwise impassable obstacles.

Bungie aims to make The Edge of Fate feel more like a metroidvania than a traditional first-person shooter, and the team has drawn inspiration from games like Metroid and Hollow Knight in designing the expansion’s campaign. In my playtime with the game, I discovered that these new abilities introduced fresh mechanics into otherwise familiar Destiny 2 gameplay. Exploring for secrets and figuring out how to navigate through new areas is enjoyable, and being able to revisit old areas with upgraded abilities to uncover previously inaccessible treasures adds a layer of fun incentive to retrace your steps and thoroughly explore this new planet.

In my gaming adventures through Kepler, I often found myself navigating environmental puzzles reminiscent of those common in shooters. These challenges can be exhilaratingly tough or downright aggravating – a fine line indeed! There were numerous occasions when locating the precise hidden spots to move my Matterspark ball proved quite elusive, leading to stretches of fruitless searching that seemed to double the already brief mission duration. Being an early build tester, I understand Bungie is aware of some particularly puzzling moments regarding Matterspark traversal; hopefully, they’ll be addressed by launch. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that the new abilities will offer a refreshing change of pace, but it seems Bungie is taking calculated risks to redefine Destiny’s gameplay formula.

Alongside the fresh rollout of Kepler’s campaign, Bungie is simultaneously making major enhancements to the fundamental Destiny 2 gameplay. Although there are many changes, two particularly noticeable and significant ones include a revamp of the game interface, which they’ve dubbed the Portal, and the introduction of a firing range.

In Destiny 2, even seemingly small changes can have a significant impact due to the game’s intricate nature. The new Portal system marks a substantial shift from Destiny’s past, as Bungie is focusing less on the traditional map layout and moving towards a more straightforward menu-based approach for choosing and customizing activities.

The developer aims to simplify Destiny’s somewhat confusing reward system and the intricate map that has previously hidden activities in hard-to-reach areas. Instead, they are introducing a system designed to provide immediate information about the available activities, their difficulty levels, the rewards you can earn upon completion, and any special events or modifiers associated with them.

The Portal in Destiny 2 is designed to cater to various player types by arranging activities according to your preferred playstyle. As a solo player who often feels limited or deterred by certain activities in Destiny 2, I appreciate the introduction of “Solo Ops” among its main activity categories. This section offers missions specifically tailored for quick gaming sessions and clearly indicates that going solo won’t result in reduced rewards or slower progression. Other activity categories include Fireteam Ops, which focus on Strikes and missions designed for the traditional three-player Destiny experience; Pinnacle Ops, featuring tougher missions offering high-quality loot as rewards; and Crucible Ops, dedicated to player versus player gameplay.

One significant enhancement of the Portal is the addition of a wider variety of modifiers and settings that let you tailor a mission’s challenge to your preferences. This stands in stark contrast to Destiny’s previous versions where missions typically had only a few difficulty levels with limited control over gameplay. Now, you can pick from numerous buffs and debuffs, reminiscent of Halo’s Skull collectibles that unlocked adjustable game options. These modifications impact scoring multipliers, which in turn influence the amount of rewards you can garner during a mission. Not only does this feature cater to advanced players by creating demanding challenges, but it also enables you to modify settings so that missions become easier to finish more quickly.

The Portal significantly enhanced the gaming experience within Destiny 2’s gameplay cycle for me. Though I’ve generally appreciated the destination map, the enhancements in clarity and customization offered by the Portal make the game more engaging and appealing to a wide range of players. In fact, during my trial period, I found myself repeatedly playing quick missions due to my curiosity about how various modifier combinations would impact my performance, enemy difficulty, and rewards. The thrill of testing my abilities and being in control of the challenges was fueled by my ability to tailor the experience to my liking.

In Destiny 2, the new feature introduced to its main gameplay, the incorporation of a shooting range, caters to both novice and seasoned gamers. The game’s equipment and stat system is intricate, featuring built-in weapon and armor perks, customizable mods, and upgrade mechanics. This complexity has led to advanced play becoming more about crafting builds, or assembling the ideal mix of gear and mods for specific tasks. However, compared to setting up a loadout in games like Call of Duty, this process can be quite complex. It’s often challenging to understand how armor and weapon perks interconnect or how minor stat adjustments influence gameplay. Despite having invested numerous hours into Destiny 2, I still consider myself a beginner when it comes to build-crafting due to the difficulty in comparing gear combinations efficiently.

In an effort to foster deeper player interaction with weapon builds, Bungie has introduced the Shooting Range within the Tower. This area allows players to safely test various weapons, equipment, and mods without risk, helping them determine the best approach for specific battles or mission types. Adjustable settings include the choice of enemy types, whether a champion appears, and whether enemies initiate combat with you. Additionally, there’s a large scoreboard that displays your damage per second output on target. Essentially, you can modify the shooting range environment by hitting buttons to change its setup.

This setup is a stats enthusiast’s paradise, offering not just fun but also a deep method of mastering Destiny’s intricate mechanics. In a short while at the firing range, I was surprisingly grasping gear complexities that I had previously avoided. I managed to delve into understanding the perks of the newly introduced Exotic weapons and learned how to pair specific mods to boost my combat efficiency substantially.

In The Edge of Fate update, Bungie is making numerous improvements such as streamlining armor and power mechanics which I find enhance my gaming experience. Yet, it remains uncertain if these changes will attract lapsed Destiny players who stopped playing at various points in the game’s history or draw in newcomers unfamiliar with the game. Destiny can be overwhelming due to its complexity, even though The Edge of Fate aims to introduce a more inviting phase, there is still a significant amount of story and mechanical depth amassed over the years. Bungie needs to strike a balance between inviting returning players while preserving continuity for dedicated ones, all the while offering fresh rewards to pursue.

Without a clear-cut fresh start like a new sequel, I’m beginning to feel that this challenge isn’t becoming any less difficult, and I’m unsure if Kepler, the Portal, and the Shooting Range will completely address it. However, I remain hopeful about the changes Bungie is making with the expansion, particularly those that revamp the core game. It’s likely you’ll find me wasting a lot of time tweaking weapon mods at the shooting range when The Edge of Fate releases on July 19.

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2025-06-03 19:40