remember when bungee jumping used to do halo game? They are great, aren’t they? Some of the tightest and smartest shooters around – they revolutionized the way the genre opened up corridors and popularized the mechanics of using your enemy’s weapons. Whether you’re playing the Master Chief in the main trilogy or some brave young upstart in ODST or Reach, these games are filled with some of the most iconic moments in FPS history. Bungie is using this Legacy for its lighthouse expansion destiny 2.
Last year, at the launch event for Destiny 2: The Witch Queen, I said that Bungie knocked it out of the park with one of the best FPS campaigns I’ve played in years. The story is tight, the missions are fast-paced and engaging, and the mechanics incorporated into the game are fun and exhilarating. The developers seemed capable of blocking Lightning for two years in a row, and then, because of the latest event, Lightfall, they did it again. In fact, I think it could be better.
I’m a big believer in destiny. In my opinion, aside from the content treadmill that comes with the game’s seasonal content, it’s one of the most impressive shooters ever made. once. Yes, that’s a big statement, but you can’t argue with the design and feel of most weapons. Pulling the trigger on just about any gun feels great, and using your powers to put enemies to bed never gets old. Summon space magic from above to melt the boss’ health bar while filling it with hot plasma? This is the kind of bombast that makes for sci-fi dreams.
But it’s all foundational stuff—the unchanging baseline on which fate operates. Mechanically and systematically, this is a very good game. It was in these new content drops and story expansions that my perennial on-and-off relationship with Bungie took off. And I think that with Lightfall, the developers have delved into its past to inspire its future — what a treat.
I’ll try to avoid spoilers. In the first chapter alone, there are echoes of some of Halo’s greatest moments. But in turn, kind of. At one point, during the climax of the chapter, you’re tasked with sneaking into a giant ship and messing with its power supply. I chose to play the game on “Legendary” difficulty, a nod to ol’Halo’s Legendary mode, which offers an intense challenge–but with great rewards. It’s not quite the “All Skulls On” challenge you might remember from your 360 days, but damn if it doesn’t come close.
so. You start the mission, and you’re tasked with navigating through a series of narrow corridors that lead to nice, manageable meeting rooms. This mission in particular loves to put you at a disadvantage; fighting on stairs, with angry Cabal insurgents in every direction, and turrets surprisingly hidden in corners, there’s little chance for cover as you’re forced to push forward into the gunfire. It’s tough, but fair — for you and your teammates to play the game right: rotate weapons, deploy class abilities, yell when you drop buffs or shields. It’s kind of like a raid job.
Halfway through the mission, you need to clear a room, then pour power sources into unstable objects to start a chain reaction. No problem: clear the additions, carve a path, and you’ll make it through without any problem. But then a boss appears: a new enemy type, a sprinter who likes to get close with a scythe. Kinda reminiscent of Brutes and their gravity hammers in the Halo joint in the back, but maybe that’s just me. He’ll take you around Benny Hill as you dodge his slashes and dives, but eventually you’ll put him to bed. The mission is over, right? No.
Next up is the actual boss arena: the centerpiece of a gorgeous room filled with loot. The slam dunk you were taught before? Do it two more times, but this time in the Boss Arena. Take a deep breath and you get it. It took me and my fireteam longer than I’d like to admit to figure out how to accomplish objectives and manage enemies at the same time – ultimately opting for cheeky flanking maneuvers around the edge of the room, as the numbers seemed infinitely tenacious The dogs of war chased from corner to corner. Taking as many shots as we could, and surviving as many times as we could, we finally made it. This is Halo-class encounter design; every enemy position, every mechanical interaction, every tiny cog in a machine is carefully planned and artfully implemented. This is peak FPS design and we smashed it.
Successful missions will see you (noisily and explosively) wreak havoc on the ship before you’re given an easy, final task: escape. You summon your sparrow, hoof through the challenge of enemies, tanks, obstacles, and—wait a minute… isn’t this the final level of Halo 3? yes you know. It’s laid out almost exactly the same. Unless you’re not in a warthog jumping over a flood, you’re in a different sparrow, chasing it from Cabal and Fallen. Neat. The soundtrack plays, missile salvos rain down around you, and you make it. Chapter 1, done.
Later in the campaign, you’ll even plop into a tank and be taken out into the world to blow everything up and — again — the soaring and rumbling soundtrack will encourage you to keep going. The resemblance to Halo is unavoidable, and certainly intentional. I’ve only played Light of Destiny 2 for about nine hours, but it’s already captured my imagination and gripped my mind—and I can’t wait to see what other surprises Bungie has in store.
Destiny 2 Light Now available on PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S and PC.
