Destiny 2: The Final Shape
It’s been two weeks since the release of Bungie’s most recent Destiny 2 expansion, Final Shape and it’s time to discuss. I’m of the mind that one should get the whole picture before giving a review on a piece of art, so that is precisely what I did.
This expansion was a damn delight. I had high expectations for this one. I wanted Bungie to right all the wrongs of Lightfall and the year of content that came after and they did not disappoint.
Here’s the part where I say don’t go any farther if you haven't completed the Final Shape Campaign and the Wild Card mission in their entirety.
There be spoilers ahead my friends!
First thing’s first, the creative director of Destiny, Joe Blackburn didn’t hold back on this one. He gave players everything they wanted and more. I have nothing but respect for the entire team of people who made this game and expansion what it is.
Okay, let’s address story. The story beat I was most nervous about was Cayde. I had doubts when Bungie released the first look and Cayde was chillin’ with Ikora in the Traveler. I had predictions about why or how he was there, but they were all wrong. I didn’t expect Crow to be the reason, and as a writer myself and a fan of the game, I was overjoyed at this turn in the story. Cayde was handled immensely well from start to finish. It was fan service in the best way possible. Also, allowing Nathan Fillion to close the book on the character his iconic voice acting helped create was a much-needed catharsis for everyone.
The story arc in Final Shape was interesting, well-paced, and immersive. I found myself leaning into my television during certain scenes and even teared up a few times during the campaign. The sheer volume of storytelling in this expansion is staggering. I’m still finding things I need to investigate and pieces of dialogue I missed or that changed from the first time I participated in any given activity.
My favorite parts were small things like finally meeting Luzaku, a Hive Lightbearer found in the Blooming Deep Lost Sector. Or meeting Micah-10 best known from the Europa penguin statue lore. For me, these unexpected moments/characters were what made this expansion something special.
I would be remiss if I didn’t spend a couple of paragraphs on the voice actors of this expansion. Everyone did a wonderful job portraying the characters we all love. Nolan North’s emotional performance showed players a new side of our Little Light that I honestly wasn’t ready for. As mentioned above, Nathan Fillion was perfect. Brandon O’Neill portrayed Crow/Uldren with a confidence that had players feeling the self-worth Crow developed in the years after Glint found him.
Zavala. Okay, as much as I love Keith David, I thought his portrayal of Zavala fell short but only in the more emotional pieces of dialogue throughout Final Shape. I found myself missing the late Lance Reddick’s irreplaceable voice work more than I thought. That being said, Keith David was a worthy pick for the continuation of Zavala’s story and future character development.
All in all, this expansion is on par with Witch Queen. It contains all the things we as players and fans of the franchise need from an end-of-an-era drop like this.
Stay tuned for more of my insights on The Final Shape as next time I will discuss the art of the Pale Heart.
