Destiny 2, Forsaken: Review

Image credit: Bungie.net

So, as most of you probably know, I’m a longtime fan of the Destiny franchise. But it’s no secret that after Destiny 2 launched, the series lost a lot of momentum. however, the Forsaken DLC seems to have revitalized the community, so I thought I’d give it a review. I will, of course, have to talk about some spoilers here, but it’s nothing that Bungie hasn’t used in their marketing campaign.

The first thing I want to talk about is the story, because it’s bar none the best campaign in the franchise’s history. As you probably know, Prince Uldren has murdered the beloved Cayde-6 (now voiced by Nolan North) with the help of the Scorn - a group of dangerous Fallen barons and their underlings. We therefore head into the reef and hunt down the Scorn in the Tangled Shore, ready for revenge. Bungie said that they wanted to give this DLC a wild-west type feel, and they have definitely succeeded. Destiny is now firmly planted in Space Western territory.

This is some of the best storytelling we’ve seen from Bungie in a long time. It was gritty and, at times, emotional. And whereas all the previous villains in Destiny have been bad guys through and through, Uldren is a surprisingly sympathetic character. By the time the campaign was done, I couldn’t help but feel genuinely sorry for him — and as I’ve said before, the mark of good storytelling is when your audience can empathize with your bad guy. This brings me to my next point — the story's moral ambiguity.

Moral ambiguity is not something we’ve had to deal with in the Destiny Universe before. We’ve always been the heroic Guardian, ready to sacrifice ourselves for a worthy cause that is bigger than us. Not this time. We’re not out in the Tangled Shore so we can save civilians or make the City safer. We want revenge. Our friend is dead, and it’s time to make the guy who killed him hurt like hell, and mow down anyone who gets in our way. As I said, this works very well with Uldren, but the Scorn are another story entirely.

As the story progresses, it’s clear that we’re supposed to feel sorry for the Scorn and Fallen that we kill. The Fallen have, of course, been the most relatable of the aliens in the Destiny Universe. They’re not purely evil beings, but they are willing to do whatever it takes to ensure that they survive. In their eyes, its us vs. them, and they chose “us.” However we actually fight alongside some of the Fallen in the Forsaken campaign, which shows that Bungie is redefining our relationship with them. But we never see the Scorn themselves do anything remotely redeeming, and that’s a problem when the game tries to make us feel guilty for killing them.

To remedy this problem, Bungie has added the grimoire back into the game (finally!). In it, they reveal some of the Scorn’s motivations, giving us their backstories to show us why they became the villains that they are. But the grimoire is extra lore that should, in my opinion, be just that: extra. It should supplement the story, not replace parts of it. The truth is, the Scorn are good characters that suffer from a criminally low amount of screen time. If we chased each of the Scorn barons over the course of several missions, then they might develop a sort of personality — something that we could relate to and understand. But as it is, they’re one and done. You find out where the Baron is hiding, go kill it, and move on to the next one. These aren’t villains, they’re bullet sponges.

When Ben “Yahtzee” Crosshaw reviewed Destiny 2 on his show, Zero Punctuation, he made an observation that really stuck with me. He pointed out that none of the characters in Destiny actually do anything other than talk to you while you work on whatever mission you happen to be playing. “These characters are defined by what they say, not what they do,” he said. It’s an observation that was true then, and it’s one that’s unfortunately true now. In the first mission, we catch a few glimpses of Cayde as he shoots his way through the Prison of Elders, only for him to depart for the next ten minutes. I don’t want to be have these people talking to me while I complete my missions, I want to be fighting alongside them. I wanted Petra Venj to be tracking down the Scorn alongside me. I wanted to fight my way into the Prison of Elders with Cayde covering my six. It’s not like Bungie lacks the capability to do this, it’s just that they choose not to. And Bungie’s much-hyped decision to finally give our Guardian their voice back is a bit of a let down, as they probably say eight words throughout the course of the entire campaign.

I know I’m coming off as a Debbie Downer here, but I do want to reiterate that this is the best story Destiny has ever come up with. It’s clear that they stepped outside their comfort zone here, and took risks that they would not otherwise have taken. The final boss, for example, feels more like something out of Doom than it does out of Destiny, and that’s a really good thing. It’s good writing — but it’s still not good enough.

Bungie also added in a new game mode — Gambit. And I have to say, it’s hands down the best part of this expansion. It’s nonstop action, and endless fun. You can either go in solo and crack skulls, or work with a fire team and strategize about the best time to send in blockers or Invade the other team. Sleeper Simulant, however, is particularly overpowered in this game mode, as it melts bosses, blockers, and Invading Guardians. But Bungie seems to be aware of the problem, and I think they’ll probably come out with a fix before too long.

The new strikes in Forsaken are an absolute blast. The bosses aren’t just bullet sponges, but have actual mechanics that you have to learn to deal with and counter. I was having a lot of fun running through them. And the Dreaming City — the other patrol location that Bungie added (and where the new raid will be) is probably the most beautiful location in the entire franchise. Random rolls have also returned, though I’m not sure they’re as random as they used to be. It seems like each individual weapon has a relatively small pool of perks, as opposed to the much larger pool of perks that was available for each type of weapon in Destiny 1. I assume that Bungie did this for balance reasons, but it flies in the face of Bungie’s promise that “random rolls” were coming back. It’s still better than they fixed rolls system that Destiny 2 launched with, and you’ll still get some “god rolls.’’ Just not as many as you’d hoped.

And oh yeah — exotics are exotic once more. After a whole week of playing, I managed to get a grand total of four exotics to drop (not counting the exotic quests), only one of which was a new weapon. And I loved it. Getting an exotic is now the exhilarating experience that it was in Destiny 1. The exotic quests are fun as well, but they do have a bit of a grindy feel. But hey, we asked for more grind, so I guess I can’t complain too much.

In conclusion, Forsaken is the best Destiny content in the Franchise’s history. Though the story suffers from problems, some new and some old, it’s the most coherent narrative they’ve ever put together. And unlike the previous expansions, it genuinely made me feel like Bungie has a vision for the story. They’re not just making it up on the fly anymore, but they have decided on a real direction. And with new activities and places to explore, the game is bigger and better than ever. So here’s my recommendation. If you’re a fan of Destiny, go buy Forsaken now. Log on and begin your hunt for Uldren. And if you’re a newcomer to the franchise, Destiny 2, Forsaken, is well worth your money.

4/5 stars.