Destiny has been polarizing since its release in September 2014. It was met with praise and with gamers who threw their controllers down in disgust. This role-playing game/first-person shooter from Bungie has been hailed for being a quality shooter and multiplayer game, but also criticized for imperfectly integrating RPG elements and having a weak story. While two DLCs have been added to expand gameplay and smooth over certain faulty mechanics, the upcoming DLC aims to finally address the game’s story potential.
Destiny: The Taken King will introduce more traditional storytelling elements to flesh out the sci-fi journey of a post-Golden Age galaxy. Nolan North will voice The Ghost after Bungie’s well-publicized split with Peter Dinklage. North will be re-recording all of the character’s existing lines, as well as new lines that further develop the Guardian’s helper. Cutscenes will occur more naturally, rather than being left as information-dumps for the beginning or end of missions. Smaller events and sidequests will also serve to further the narrative.
Characters and equipment will provide additional ways to learn more about the universe that the game takes place in, even if it’s a little more indirectly. None of this revolutionary, but the mere implementation of common aspects of video game storytelling is a step up for Destiny, which has been hampered by a lack of depth to its tale. As usual, players who put in the time will be rewarded with more information about the game – it will just happen more organically than it does with the current method, which relies almost entirely on searching for Grimoire cards. In many ways, Bungie is simply opting for what works, instead of trying to change the system.
Destiny: The Taken King is scheduled for release on September 15, 2015, and will provide the first real chance to help the game’s fantastic premise to develop into a strong story.
