There is rarely a time when you’re tasked to explore a giant empty room, defend a mundane locale from wave after wave of enemy, or walk for extended periods of time without some degree of platforming. The gunplay remains as solid as before (if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it), and Bungie wisely leans on Destiny’s more mobile encounters as inspiration for most of the brief campaign. My Smite of Merain with Firefly was up to the task, dutifully plugging skulls and igniting blooms of fire as I had always remembered it being capable of. At Level 40, and 315 Light (okay, I didn’t exactly throw myself into the update this Spring), I was able to dive into the new missions and go toe-to-toe with tenacious Fallen and relentless Hive. These first four descriptions come to mind when playing through the brisk and lively story missions that become immediately available upon loading into the game. Thank you!īreathless, polished, theatrical – a little short. I may change my opinions given more time to explore the expansion. I’ve played the expansion for about 6 hours. The Rise of Iron is a confident addition to the Destiny universe, that will please longtime fans while offering newcomers an entertaining sojourn into a world that is increasingly friendly for the casual Guardian.ĭisclaimer: this is an early review. Destiny, for all its tumultuous history, has withstood the test of time and garnered a dedicated fanbase, as likely to admonish it for its successes as excoriate it for its shortcomings. With the Rise of Iron, Bungie has convinced me that a studio does not have to reinvent the wheel when the bones of the IP are rock-solid. There has to be a paradigm shift – but there must also be a respect for the base product. These days, an expansion can no longer settle for simply adhering to its definition beyond building on top of the world already in existence, an expansion must revitalize and reinvigorate games that have grown stale. Because of this negative undercurrent, skepticism and expectations skyrocket in equal measure at the announce of a new release. Shifty pre-order schemes leading to half-finished games, and conspiracy theories of cut content repackaged as fresh DLC abound when a big-name studio pumps out its latest iteration of a popular title.

With the proliferation of DLC-based drip models in AAA releases, gamers often have to wait months – or even years – before they feel they’ve gotten their money’s worth. In gaming, the word “expansion” comes with a certain set of expectations.

Rise of iron release date