Scott Watson reviews Destiny: Rise of Iron…
I know to many that Destiny is very much a marmite game. You either love the grind or you don’t. What I don’t think can ever be argued is the quality of the gunplay the game provides through its environments, enemies and challenges. Rise of Iron may not bring anything new to the table, but it does feel like a tour de force of everything that has gone before in the game. The question is, does it provide enough to warrant returning to a game that has already burnt so many out?
The new add-on, which we wonder may well be the last before Destiny 2, introduces us to a new area outside the Cosmodrome; The Plaguelands. This area has been quarantined for centuries, thanks to a technological virus called SIVA that the fallen have attempted to unearth and control. In short, SIVA converts the fallen into Borg like hybrids called splicers in the hope they will ascend to become machine gods …and they would have gotten away with it too if it hadn’t been for those pesky Iron Lords saving the day.
Enter Lord Saladin, he of The Iron Banner, last surviving member of the Iron Lords and a shoo-in for Optimus Prime if Peter Cullen ever decides he doesn’t want to voice him anymore! The crux of the single player element of Rise of Iron is this over-arcing story of defeating the splicers and shutting down their operation. It’s not particularly long to be fair and anyone with a modicum of skill in Destiny will find it passed within a single night of playing. That being said, although it is short, it’s a very cohesive and enjoyable story of how the Iron Lords gave their lives to stave off the threat of SIVA and lock it away.
There’s some stunning looking locations Rise of Iron takes you to, be it your initial ascent to the new social space atop Felwinter Peak or the various areas throughout The Plaguelands. The artists at Bungie have once again outdone themselves with the look and feel of these areas. Having been playing it now for probably best part of around 10 hours, the game area feels around the same size, perhaps marginally smaller than the Dreadnought. It does feel more open, possible because The Plaguelands are on Earth so you’re seeing a lot of sky as opposed to tunnels and chambers.
With the storyline complete, you inevitably reach the endgame grind that Destiny has proven to be infamous for over the past few years. With the light level now lifted from 335 to a huge 385 there is a lot of work to be done and this is where the long game kicks in. You’ll find yourself patrolling the Plaguelands and unlocking new missions along the way, using three of coins when you’re taking on strikes, taking part in the crucible, taking part in the all new raid… If you’ve been playing Destiny for this long you know the drill right?
Alongside the main story, Rise of Iron also introduces us to the Archon’s Forge and a new Crucible game mode; supremacy alongside a new raid; Wrath of the Machine. The Archon’s Forge plays out like a greatest hits of the Court of Oryx and Prison of Elders, it’s a mix of boss battles and enemy waves and is an absolutely crazy slice of all that is good about Destiny. When you join a host of other guardians in the Forge it has never ceased to amaze me so far how teamwork amongst strangers plays out to take out the enemy, especially without any communication! The crucible mode, supremacy, is pretty much team deathmatch with a modifier of tags (engrams) being dropped on kill that go towards your team score. The final element of Rise of Iron, the Wrath of the Machine raid, I would love to say that I’ve managed to play. Sadly, at the moment I can only look on in envy at those with a large enough party to take on and beat it (something the top players in the game had already done within a few hours of its release).
Take all of these elements into account and I personally have to say that Rise of Iron ticks all my boxes and floats my boat big style. It’s thrilling getting to grips with a new area of the game, it’s great to get a bit more insight into Lord Saladin and the Iron Lords background, its high quality gunplay draws me back in again and again… hell, unlike some, I love the Destiny grind too.
Rise of Iron. For the Destiny lover in your life!
Rating: 9/10
Scott Watson
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https://youtu.be/b7Ozs5mj5ao?list=PL18yMRIfoszEaHYNDTy5C-cH9Oa2gN5ng
Originally published September 29, 2016. Updated April 16, 2018.
