First Look: Bungie’s Destiny

The company behind Halo takes a bold first step into a 10-year future that could change the way we look at first-person shooters forever.

“It’s a scary place…but, if it’s not scary, it’s not gonna be good.”

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Sunday morning, Bungie finally lifted the lid off its much-anticipated Destiny project, one that was accidentally revealed last November in the midst of a lawsuit against Activision.  Leaked artwork and details already had us intrigued, but this new video, which we’ve linked below for your viewing pleasure, actually revealed more of the story, and the interactive world that the team behind the Halo franchise were cooking up.  

This isn’t just another sci-fi tale of the week – this is a tale that’s going to span across various game releases, over the next ten years.  The dev’s banking a lot on it, as is its publishing partner at Activision, but it looks like it’s ready to pay off, judging by the snippets we’ve seen thus far.

The first-person shooter series, with its first chapter reportedly set to arrive later this year, features an entirely different universe from the one Master Chief roamed around in.  The human race has been almost completely wiped out by a cataclysmic event, one prompted by unforeseen enemies that wanted to stamp them out.  But somehow, the remaining survivors are spared by a strange sphere known as the Traveler, who sits dormant just above the Earth’s surface, as if it’s still portraying its role as a guardian.

But that isn’t stopping enemy species from knocking on the gates of the fortress where the remaining humans are being kept.  Various types of warriors are chomping at the bit to wipe them out, possibly trying to see what kind of power the Traveler carries.  As a soldier who is part of the surviving brigade, you are given the task to take on these enemies and do some exploration for answers.  Succeed and you’ll become the stuff of legend.  Fail, and the human race is nothing more than a memory.

Only bits and pieces of the gameplay have been revealed thus far for Destiny, but you can kind of see a familiar vibe that first came up in the Halo franchise.  It definitely looks like a first-person shooter at heart, one with high-tech weaponry that the human survivors are able to scrounge up in their fight with these newfound menaces.  It also looks like you’ll do a bit of traveling through portals, visiting new worlds and taking on alien races in the hopes of seeking out answers.

We do know that Bungie’s Destiny will have a heavy reliance on teamwork, as the game will have a structure similar to that of most online first-person shooters.  An Internet connection will be required in order to play through most of the story, and you’ll be able to team up with friends to wipe out alien threats or complete missions – it’s nice to know you don’t have to go it alone if you don’t want to.  Best of all, Activision won’t be charging a fee, though it is likely some extra DLC missions could be offered as a supplementary package.  (That isn’t confirmed yet, though.)

With a galaxy spread across seven pillars (yes, there’s that Bungie fascination with the number seven again), the game will give you miles and miles to roam, with new events being planned for every game day that will keep players coming back for more.  Some will be more action-packed than others, but it appears that the focus will be on bringing players together as a team, while also increasing your stats to make your gear better, including weapons and armor.

Other parts of the game should keep the adventure going, such as epic space battles that are being planned (we’re not sure how focal a point these will be in Destiny, but, judging by how well Halo Reach’s worked, we’re curious) and new alien races that are just waiting to conquer you – or try, anyway.  Bungie’s got a lot of planning ahead for this series, and the first release should help open the door to what could be expected.  E3 is bound to be very interesting, if Activision shows more of the game at that point.

One thing’s for sure – the artwork is fantastic thus far.  Bungie is creating some stunning game worlds, whether it’s a torn-apart factory on the surface of Mars or an aquatic-like garden planet with red and green foliage spread across miles of terrain.  And this is bound to be just in the first game – we can only imagine what the developer has planned once the next generation rolls around, with Sony and Microsoft’s system reveals not too far off.

We’ve only scratched the surface on this ambitious project, and Bungie does have a lot to live up to – even the studio isn’t sure just how it’ll pan out in terms of sales – but it could be the beginning of something big.  And not just Halo all over again.

We’ll have more gameplay analysis and in-depth previews in the months ahead, including how multiplayer works and what to expect from the new daily adventures.  In the meantime, watch the video below, and imagine the possibilities.


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Prima Games Staff
The staff at Prima Games.