For Destiny 2, Bungie wishes for reddit posts where players complain about “too much damn story.”
In the latest “IGN First” video on Destiny 2, Senior Narrative Lead Jason Harris and Cinematic Lead Matthew Ward discuss the story of Destiny 2 and the significance of Destiny 2 becoming a world without light.
Destiny 2 Tells a Story of Loss
The story of Destiny 2 is not only about Ghaul, who represents the new, great danger, but also about questions of existence. What makes a Guardian? What does it mean to be chosen by the Traveler? What is a Guardian who has been stripped of light?
Much revolves around “loss”. You lose your home, you lose the light, you lose the Traveler, you even lose the Vanguard leaders who always stood reliably in the Tower. Zavala, Ikora, and Cayde-6 are scattered across different worlds in Destiny 2, dealing with their losses in various ways. They also struggle with the questions: What does it mean to be a Guardian? What is a Guardian who has had all their power taken away?
The gameplay premiere of Destiny 2 in May didn’t start without reason with an “epic trailer” focusing on Zavala, who grapples with the question of what makes a Guardian.
Matthew Ward explains that since day one of Destiny, it was no longer about the Traveler. All the DLCs had nothing to do with the Traveler. In Destiny 2, however, it is again about this huge sphere floating above the Last City. Ultimately, the Traveler plays an extremely important role in the Destiny universe. Now they want to refocus on it.
Destiny Has a Lot of Story
Jason Harris emphasizes that the developers have invested a lot of time in creating worlds for Destiny 2. He cannot emphasize enough that they are now ready to tell stories in these worlds. “Big, sprawling, cinematic stories.”
They have learned a lot from the community in Destiny. They have listened to the people and played with them. This has helped them determine which stories they want to tell and which characters are especially liked. With Destiny 2, they are implementing much of that feedback.
In Destiny 1, the confusing and disjointed story was one of the biggest criticisms. Those who wanted to learn more about the world had to struggle through vast amounts of text on an external website.
In Destiny 2, however, players will experience story elements in many ways directly in the game. “The story is everywhere,” Harris says. The stories are told not only with the main story surrounding the war against Ghaul. Everywhere in the world, you will find side missions that reveal more about the worlds and the characters living in them.
At the end of the video, Ward jokes: “I hope people complain about how much story we have. I would love to read that reddit thread ‘Too much damn story’.”
Interesting:
