A Destiny with a gacha system. Every long-time fan feels their hair stand on end at the thought, yet NetEase recently released such a game. MyMMO’s Destiny expert Christos Tsogos has taken a look at the game, and although he is reluctant to admit it, it is actually not bad.
With Destiny: Rising, the developers from NetEase have created a spin-off of the famous loot shooter from Bungie. This game is set in an alternate timeline that unfolds before the events of Destiny 1 & 2.
In the game, you take on the role of the wolf cub, but you can also choose and play well-known characters from the Destiny lore as protagonists. The problem is: to effectively access them, you need to pull them from the implemented gacha system with some luck. This is a gambling mechanic where you open boxes with random loot.
Apart from that, Destiny: Rising goes its own way and even brings back modes that fans of Destiny 1 & 2 thought were dead. I tested the game for several hours, and although I have a very strong aversion to gacha, I find NetEase’s work successful.
NetEase is doing something Bungie isn’t: listening
I have been watching the development of Destiny 2 since its release. What I’ve noticed over the years is that Bungie often insufficiently or not at all listens to the community when it comes to feedback. I think NetEase is taking advantage of this, as Destiny: Rising clearly shows that the Chinese developers value responding to the community’s wishes.
This is evident with the weapons. Many well-known firearms and exotics are available at launch. What impressed me the most is that NetEase provides variety with new weapon classes, such as the dual pistols, right at release.
The gameplay is fluid and coherent, which I didn’t expect at all. Each of the 12 available Guardians has unique abilities that differ significantly from each other. The shooting and especially the action-packed movements that create the brisk gameplay feeling in Destiny feel natural.
I’ve played several shooters on mobile, but Destiny: Rising feels better than most and is close to what I know from Destiny on console and PC.
Gacha is a scourge, but Destiny: Rising is somehow … fair
Another point is the gacha system. I’m not a fan of it and despise such features in games, but compared to other gacha games, Destiny: Rising is relatively fair. Many fans are already allergic to Bungie’s monetization in Destiny 2, and NetEase has probably noticed that as well.
Your chances of getting a Guardian in a loot box increase with each opening, and after 60 times, you are guaranteed to receive one. No chance
, but a guaranteed Guardian. Those who want to play purely as free-to-play also have the chance to achieve 200 free pulls through quests.
Last but not least: It’s simply fun. Every exhausted veteran from Destiny knows this. You log in, stand in front of the menu or the star map, and wonder what to do, only to close Destiny again.
Destiny: Rising feels fresh. A new story that can entertain, gameplay that feels coherent, and the soundtrack pulls me directly into the world. After a long day, I can easily imagine playing the game for 1-2 hours to unwind.
Of course, I won’t spend a dime in the shop; rather, Rising will be a fun distraction where the grind after a good 10 years of treadmill in Destiny 2 is secondary.
What I definitely recommend is an emulator if you want to play the game on PC. NetEase even offers one on its website. You can’t expect 4K graphics, but it is more comfortable to play the game on a large monitor or TV with a mouse and keyboard, without bending your fingers to execute moves or kills.
I really thought NetEase would come up with a flop, but I was positively surprised. Whether the developers will decide to officially port the game to PC and consoles in the future remains to be seen. If that happens, surely more fans could enjoy the game. Until then, you can find all the necessary information about the shooter here in our overview: Destiny: Rising is now here – The most important information in 3 minutes
