As long as there is good, evil will also coexist. Although the Guardians are given life, they still live aware of the existence of death, and where the Light of the Traveler arrives, the darkness of the pyramids also comes. Few remember how their shadow had been present since the dawn of Destiny, but the onset of the threat heralded by the end of Shadows from the Deep had put us on the alert. The darkness had taken aim at the Traveler and was moving inexorably to his position. The Season of Arrivals was thus a prologue to what would happen shortly thereafter: the elimination from the solar system of some destinations - planets - and the now inevitable arrival of the pyramids in the Destiny 2 ecosystem. Beyond the Light is the crossroads of two narrative strands, which consequently translates into important changes to the gameplay and the narrative sector. A small step into the dark, the prologue to a new story that will lead the traveler to make a decision. The dawn of a new era, but the beginning of the end.
We wield darkness to protect the Light
- Eliksni they were a flourishing people and lived in total peace on the surface of Europe. The arrival of the Traveler on their planet also led to an era of prosperity for this species, attributable to theGolden Age for humans. It was precisely his departure that left Jupiter's moon in darkness. Although different backstories will later go on to explain the motivations behind this gesture in greater depth, the Eliksni population found themselves struggling to survive a total collapse of society. Eramis, a leader of the race, was among the most disappointed by the abandonment and so swore to take revenge against the Traveler.
Although from the premises we could have had doubts about the actual narrative effectiveness of the entry on the scene Fallen, after further delving into the events that led this race to hate the Traveler - the Great Machine, as they call it - our fears have dissolved into the dark. Beyond the Light offers a narrative sector of the highest quality, far superior to that of Ombre dal Profondo, enriched by a fabulous artistic direction and highly memorable characters. The player's certainties will thus be severely tested by the truths of Eramis, which they highlight the Traveler's weaknesses in a distressing challenge to maintain the balance between Light and Dark. Since we considered this entity on the edge of the divine, as a sort of omnipresent protection, now the user will ask himself questions about its real nature, what the consequences would be if he decided to leave the Earth and move away from the solar system.
The presence of new and previously seen faces can only enrich a profound narrative sector. The excellent characterization of the characters in fact makes use of charismatic figures with whom we can always empathize and, more importantly, to whom we can become attached. The return to the scene ofUnknown and Variks it is certainly an interesting choice, a small further detail of the connection of Oltre la Luce with The Forsaken. The exo, in fact, remains behind an aura of mystery in such a way as to leave the Guardian many questions about its origin. It's a pity that many of these are not often answered, as well as for many other narrative details related to Europe and the period prior to the Golden Age. We obviously refer to the Bray structures, in which the entire race of the exo was born: in this way very interesting news and equally surprising twists and turns regarding the birth of many of them come to the surface, which we do not mention so as not to spoil the surprise.
The figure of Eramis, however, is the one we appreciated the most. Indeed, we cannot deny you that at first there was very little interest in the leader of the Eliskni. However, after discovering her story, her ideals, principles and goals, we could only empathize with her and even share her fears. Let's be honest, Eramis has more than valid reasons to hate the Traveler, and it is precisely this that makes us interested in her. Just as the excellent Thanos did in Avengers: Infinity War, establishing in the user an ineluctable feeling of indecision, so Eramis makes the Guardian and his Ghost himself feel uncertain about the one who gave him the Light. However, the reasons for stopping it remain clear during every mission of the campaign, at every moment: the death of the Traveler could only throw humanity into a new period of decay and put the entire solar system at the mercy of darkness.
So it is questionable who is the real antagonist of this expansion. Sure, Eramis is the powerful final boss (although not the strongest) but that doesn't indicate that she is necessarily the enemy. As Variks also points out several times, the one who was once her friend is now consumed by a gift from the pyramids. The stasis plays a crucial role in the latest expansion and - as we had already discovered in our analysis - she is the real protagonist and antagonist of Beyond the Light. The temptation of darkness towards the Guardian is insistent to say the least, but the use of stasis becomes more and more evident a very important resource to fight the pyramids. The Unknown exo thus acts as an intermediary, as a mentor, teaching us to become the fine line between Light and Dark ourselves. She herself says that the balance between the two factions is the winning weapon to put an end to this centuries-old war. Moreover, the way in which the pyramids aspire to destroy the Traveler is precisely with chaos, the lack of stability between good and evil. The Guardian will not have to give in to temptations; will have to check them.
Stasis as an evolution of subclasses in Destiny 2
Stasis is the result of this balance: a being of light who wields darkness and makes it his deadliest weapon. From the very beginning, our expectations for the new sub-class were very high, but we were surprised to see that it is managed in a radically different way than the others. Stasis is the weapon of darkness and, as we said earlier, one must learn to control it. The presence of the Unknown has not only a narrative value, but also helps us to unlock numerous upgrades for melee, grenade, dodge and super skills. We are talking about companies that are activated in the endgame, of course, but which represent a good second half of the entire history of Beyond the Light.
A note of demerit, however, should be made precisely to very slow unlocking progress both of the same subclass and of the various perks which, moreover, are not even explained as we would have liked. New players may not immediately understand the differences between the solar, arc and vacuum subclasses versus the stasis subclass, and this is a major problem. Destiny 2 puts its own and does not always correctly illustrate all the main mechanics and dynamics of the game, and we ourselves did not immediately understand what the variants were. This then translates into a management of sizes that is not always correct, since users may find it difficult to complete certain objectives concerning the stasis. However, we would like to specify that this diversity in the progression of the character contributes a lot to giving a much more varied gameplay, as well as giving Bungie MMO veterans one more reason to catch up on all the news and discover something new.
Grab your goshawk and get ready to explore Europe
Stasis also leaves its mark on Jupiter's moon, Europe, giving the player a unique scenario but which still leaves a very strong and perennial feeling of familiarity. As paradoxical as it may seem, the similarities with our Moon are so many and all too evident: flat areas, huge and white expanses of rocks, as well as the remains of what was an ancient civilization. However, the long frozen plains of Europa leave more space for excellent exploration freedom with the goshawk, which had never received such an important role in previous destinations. We also loved the way we will have to adapt to the climatic conditions of the small planet: the movements will leave marks on the snow and icy storms will often move our aircraft in flight. In addition, they will drastically reduce the visibility of the Guardian, translating everything into a radical strategic advantage for the opponents, who will be able to shoot us from any angle. The Vex are a perfect example to show how important it will be to adapt to the climate of Europe: during the incessant storms, we will be able to track down the robotic race through their peculiar red and white weaknesses. Nothing to complain even for public events, which receive a simple refresh with a new type of activity and related enemies: the bipods of the fallen, strikingly similar to the Metal Gear TX-55.
However, what is really impressive is the work done on lighting and reflections. Exploring the snow-covered surface of the planet often offers breathtaking spectacles, it is true, but to leave us speechless are the futuristic salons and laboratories of the Bray exoscience and the plays of light that take place inside the large rooms and long corridors. Destiny 2 is already known for its striking and well-researched scenarios, but with Oltre la Luce the artistic direction touches very high peaks, mixing the mysterious with the gloomy, the desolate with the constant feeling of danger. We would like to point out frequent graphic imperfections, which evidently have leaked despite the postponement from September to November. Nothing that disturbs the experience, mind you, but minor details that those who have many hours on the title might notice at first glance.
Bungie's technical rejuvenation has resulted in lower weight of game files, as well as drastically reduced loading times. Finally we won't have to wait a long time to enter the Tower or simply to enter a Crucible or Gambit game. To achieve this, the development team had to make the decision to completely refine Destiny 2: the elimination of content that we all know by now has in fact already paid off, lightening the game a lot and giving more space to Europe. Additionally, the disappearance of Titan, Io, Mercury and Mars allowed Bungie to reintroduce the Cosmodrome, the very first explorable area of the original Destiny. We were sorry though see how little has been integrated into the Beyond the Light campaign. This will allow new players to discover a map that has made the history of the series, of course, but currently there is not much to do on it and we hope that in the future we will be given more reasons to visit this destination. Overall, we do not believe that the removal of these planets can have a strong impact on the game ecosystem: in our opinion this is a decidedly subjective opinion and we believe it is more than legitimate that some users may miss those places. To be objective, however, is how much this event has benefited Destiny 2, giving the development team the opportunity to focus on important destinations.
We also want to pay homage to the excellent soundtrack prepared for this expansion: Michael Salvatori has given shape to some incredible songs, which reminded us of memorable songs from the likes of Journey and The Man They Called Cayde. We therefore mention the main theme of Beyond the Light, which we will hardly leave in oblivion and which firmly resumes the canons that made us passionate about the Destiny 2 soundtrack. many songs are nothing more than altered versions of the main theme; not that they are not excellent anyway, let's be clear. Currently, unfortunately and fortunately, I Forsaken remains the most varied and original expansion in the presentation and accompaniment of the songs.
Evaluating Beyond the Light, as you will understand, is an acrimonious operation. Concluding such a long analysis with a single vote is nothing short of an understatement, especially since this expansion is much more than just a campaign. Finding flaws and flaws is difficult and requires careful examination of every single aspect of the game. We could for example cite a relatively short main story, but we would be immediately disappointed by the large amount of content arriving. To be really noteworthy is the continuous lack of courage, on the part of Bungie, to embrace a more defined storytelling and avoid forcing the player to become a reader - resuming the section of the legends between the triumphs - or more simply to give a voice to the Guardian who speaks only in very rare moments in history. More or less felt annoyances that users have been highlighting for a long time now, but the attention to detail by the team has been meticulous to say the least and even the rewards obtained from completing the enterprises manage to be interesting in the eyes of more types of players. However, many exotic companies are not yet available, which is one more reason why we therefore want to evaluate the expansion as it stands in its current state, taking into account all the news that will come in the future.
Beyond the Light is the beginning of the end, the prologue to a new path for Destiny 2 that isn't overshadowed by a sequel but rather by a decisive revolution of its enormous universe. The road taken is prosperous and the future is even more promising. However, there are still many doubts wandering in our minds: what new content will come with the next expansion? Will other destinations from the first Destiny also return? But above all, will the Guardians be able to maintain the balance between Light and Dark? We will see which direction the evolution of Destiny 2 will move.
