UNVEILING THE EPOCH: THE DECADE-LONG ODYSSEY OF DESTINY

THE DAWN OF A REMARKABLE QUEST

It is not every day that a game accrues this much lived experience to itself, but Destiny has achieved it. Over the past 10 years, Destiny transformed into a saga that is no longer merely a video game. It is part story, part gameplay, but a whole that is larger than the parts that make it up. As the Light and Darkness saga enters its final act, it is worthwhile to look back and consider what has brought Destiny to this point, from its early steps under Activision to Bungie’s bold strides in the middle, and into its future under the comforting embrace of Sony.

A RIVETING CHAPTER UNFOLDS

A TAPESTRY WEAVED WITH MEMORIES

Our kaleidoscopic ride through the Destiny universe is a montage of emotions, triumph and tragedy I began my journey as a Destiny Guardian: wary yet eager; nostalgic yet brimming with anticipation. I never anticipated that Destiny would in many ways mirror my life – meeting my wife, becoming a parent, navigating death – all the while still wearing my Guardian’s armour. This blurring of reality and gameplay speaks to the intimacy of our relationship with the game. It is no wonder then, that the end of the Light and Darkness saga, in addition to the conclusion of a story, feels like the end of a chapter in our lives.

BRIDGING REALMS: THE FINAL SHAPE EXPERIENCE

My time with The Final Shape was a rush of anticipation, excitement and nostalgia. Playing through story missions, exploring Prismatic, trying out new subclasses and exotics, and being occasionally crushed by PVP, all delicately reminded me of the ways that Destiny feels like it’s playing on a higher difficulty than my own experience with it. To live through this last story brought up questions and made me feel ways I don’t normally feel about video games. The story – about loss and grief – exists in a space beyond story. It lays out a world you thought you knew, but where everything is strangely different. It is a journey through memories that might be tainted by time and perspective.

THE GUARDIAN'S PATH: CHALLENGES AND TRIUMPHS

Though not every puzzle in The Final Shape immediately grabbed me – some halting the flow of gameplay – the addition of powerful new mechanics and the attention to quality of life details like Fragment drops showed that Bungie cared about polishing the Guardian’s Journey. The Pale Heart Patrol itself, with all its innovation, distills down the experience of what Destiny continues to evolve into. These features not only reward players of Destiny with enhanced personal experiences of play but they also show another layer of potential for this universe.

ENVISIONING THE ARSENAL OF TOMORROW

I thought about balance of power and balance of finesse as I tried out the latest guns and armour, the new exotic class item and the Prismatic subclass super that change this year’s gameplay. The new exotics will have to be tested over time as the metagame settles, but weapons such as the shuriken-like Still Hunt sniper or the crazy-fast gameplay with new supers shows that Destiny is still committed to variety and player satisfaction.

CRAFTING THE LEGACY: ANTICIPATION AND HOPES

THE ESSENCE OF OUR ODYSSEY

Destiny’s evolution from a new IP to the all-encompassing world of a blockbuster epic is a genuine fairytale, spanning generations of hardware and leadership, and remains a shining example of how to use storytelling and community to innovate in the sandbox of gameplay. Like us, it has grown and changed as the years went on, our eyes opened to the joys and dangers, our hearts steadied and our blade sharpened by the passage of time.

THE HEART OF DESTINY

Yes, it’s a game, but first and foremost Destiny is a story about us. A shared series of adventures attended by a common purpose, obstacles and victories, an arena of dreams and forged friendships, a legacy of adventure rooted in ritual and born of memory. Standing at the gates of the grey-ruined Arcology that is the culmination of The Final Shape, it is perhaps necessary to look back and recall when we embarked upon this path. For the extent to which these stories have brought us together in creative community, for how they’ve played a part in our own personal and social lives, or how they guided us through the rough waters of life’s vicissitudes; for what legends they’ve become; for the journeys that Destiny and its Guardians embarked upon over a decade ago is itself an epic tale to be celebrated, and one that shows us that being a part of a story can inspire, sustain and change us all.

Ultimately, Destiny is a story about my adventurers woven from the threads of tens of millions of Guardians’ adventures. It is testament to a game’s enduring power to attract players and retain them, so long as it continues to grow. We creep an inch forward into the light, the final chapter of this 10-years-in-the-making epic having ended, to be replaced by a sequel and something new, one hopes good, from Bungie. We wait with bated breaths and pulses all a-flutter, certain now that we shall be crossing the endless crucible of time, still connected by this universe of light. Here’s to the next trek, and may it be as grand as the ones we’ve already shared.