Worth: $12.50
FilmInk rates movies out of $20 — the score indicates the amount we believe a ticket to the movie to be worth
Intro:
The whole caper feels like an unfortunate callback to the bad old days of vanilla Destiny and Destiny 2 …
Since Destiny launched in 2014, and its sequel Destiny 2 in 2017, regular players of the multiplayer sci-fi looter shooter have been on a wild ride. An alarmingly uneven rollercoaster experience with vertiginous highs and deep, depressing lows. In terms of recent expansions, 2022’s The Witch Queen was definitely a high. Featuring a great story, engaging activities and solid loot, it reminded many people of why they played this damn addictive game in the first place. The latest expansion, Lightfall, on the other hand, is less of a stellar addition to the series and, while it’s possible that it will be improved as time goes on (such is the nature of live service games), its current state is a little less than ideal.
Destiny 2: Lightfall opens with an absolute pearler of a cut scene. The Witness, wielder of the Dark and the devious mongrel who has been influencing events from afar, has finally arrived in our solar system and ol’ mate is ready to cut sick. With a massed fleet of triangular ships, the bug-eyed, smoke-headed nasty starts having an all-out brawl with the Traveller, who he seems able to fight off with a mere flick of his finger! Just when you, the Guardian, get ready to head into battle… you’re sent off on a seemingly tangential side quest in the Neptunian city of Neomuna, which is populated by a bunch of cyberpunk architecture, various familiar enemies and one of the most annoying NPCs in Destiny history (which is saying something).
So, instead of facing the iconic big bad, you’re relegated to an often-baffling narrative involving a big near-empty new area, yet another run-in with chonky boi Calus, and a brand new subclass, Strand. You’re also, erm, treated to a profoundly tepid story campaign that fails to do much of anything other than spin narrative wheels, try to sell you on Strand and steadfastly refuse to explain what The Veil is. The whole caper feels like an unfortunate callback to the bad old days of vanilla Destiny and Destiny 2, which is presumably not the desired result for the game’s penultimate major content drop.
Lightfall’s overall experience isn’t bad, mind you. Strand is intriguing (if not particularly well balanced at time of writing), the new activities are familiar but fun, and playing through the campaign on Legendary difficulty is challenging but amusing. It just… all feels a bit flat. The Witness ends up being a cameo in his own story, and having another crack at Calus isn’t blowing anyone’s skirt up. The Raid is apparently a solid one (hilariously called “The Root of Nightmares” [chuckles in Australian]) but that’s not quite enough to save the entire package.
Lightfall in general, suffers from a pervasive sense that the whole thing’s just a bit… inessential. The big world-ending threat has been put on pause and presumably will stay that way until next year’s concluding expansion, The Final Shape. If you’re still keen to shoot stuff you’ve shot a thousand times before with a few mates, then, you know, you’ll probably have a decent time. After all, this is still the best shooting in town. If, however, you were expecting a new chapter of the same quality as Witch Queen, you’ll likely find enjoyment of Lightfall as elusive as the ability to explain just what the hell The Veil actually is.
