Destiny 2: Lightfall Reviews
Destiny 2 has been out for quite some time now and there is talk of a new title. You will be treated to a solid single player story only if you do play from the beginning however, there is so much meat on the bone of this old cow that I do think the convoluted menu systems and quests may scare away the casual gamer and overwhelm those who genuinely want to get into it. Let's see what happens down the track, but for now, I personally think that Lightfall is a run of the Mill expansion that does not do the legacy of Destiny any favours.
Is it a justified chapter in Destiny 2’s plotline? Possibly not, but it does give us a nice bridge toward The Final Shape, to which I feel is Bungie’s final goodbye to what has been an excellent online shooter for a near decade. Destiny 2 Lightfall isn’t the best expansion, but is indeed an expansion to experience if you’re deep into the series and are looking forward to its curtain call.
Lightfall is more of a bridge that takes us closer to the end than a decisive expansion. Even so, Bungie's mastery is evident in the impressive aesthetics of Neomuna and in a campaign of very high level of quality.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
After The Witch Queen, Lightfall is a step back for Destiny 2, both story-wise and in terms of its gameplay mechanics.
Review in Italian | Read full review
A couple exciting additions like Strand don't stop Destiny 2: Lightfall from feeling like a disappointing step backwards.
As a fan of Destiny 2, I am enjoying Lightfall. It definitely had a bumpy start, especially if you’re a big story buff, but almost everything after the campaign has been solid. I wouldn’t say anything blew me away, but nothing has been horrible either. They stuck to the tried and true formula that has worked for them for quite a while now, and while I hoped for a bigger spectacle around some characters, Neptune itself, or even the raid, I am wanting to play more and do more.
Destiny 2: Lightfall is far from Destiny's worst expansion, but just as far from its best. For every step forward, there's another step back, and what you get out of it ultimately comes down to what you prioritize. It simply isn't as well rounded as The Witch Queen, but still offers many excellent gameplay additions and quality-of-life improvements that elevate the whole experience.
Lightfall was the most anticipated expansion in years for the Destiny 2 community. Bungie's publicity team knew how to sell the expansion very well. Unfortunately, those who expected quality at least equal to the Witch Queen were disappointed. The nice additions to the game's mechanics and gameplay bring a bittersweet taste to the start of Year 6 of Destiny 2. If the creative team for levels, powers and equipment is following a brilliant path, the same cannot be said for the writers.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Destiny 2: Lightfall is certainly not the worst content of the Bungie shooter, but at the same time it marks a qualitative drop compared to last year's splendid expansion.
Review in Italian | Read full review
I may have found the campaign uninspired and its legendary difficulty a slog characterized by bullet-spongey foes. But an expansion to a game this big is more than just its opening story. Lightfall sets up some strong possibilities – narratively and in the gameplay sphere – for a rewarding year of adventure ahead. Despite some frustrations, Destiny 2 continues to make strides in catering to a diverse player base characterized by disparate desires. Lightfall is hit and miss, but any stumbles shouldn’t be enough to derail players’ enthusiasm for continued adventure or the excitement of seeing the epic conclude over the next year.
In the midst of that disappointment, Lightfall manages to pull through by being some of the most fun you can have with Destiny 2 in the places that have always actually mattered with this franchise.
Destiny 2 is still one of the best feeling games to play, but compared to the inventive, personal story told in The Witch Queen, Lightfall is dull and totally inconsequential. What a disappointment.
While it can feel more like a proof of concept for some new mechanics than a vital piece of the experience, Lightfall is another reason to come back to Destiny 2, which proves it's still a top-tier shooter more than half a decade into its life.
Despite the plotholes, I have really enjoyed the expansion and the introduction of Strand. The new dynamic in gameplay means raiding simply won’t be the same. I know I couldn’t now be restricted to simply Arc, Solar and Void. Bungie learnt from their mistakes in introducing Stasis and the rollout of Strand has been far superior.
More than any other Destiny expansion since Bungie split from Activision, you can feel the developers pulling the reins a bit on Lightfall. All the right elements are in play, and the way that Destiny feels so sleek and streamlined compared to not just other live service games but its own cumbersome past remains impressive. But first impressions are everything, and Lightfall pays so much attention to the gleaming horizon that it trips over its feet trying to get there.
Bungie's latest expansion elevates Destiny 2's power fantasy to a new high and carves a more clear and concise path to its endgame than ever before. Despite a campaign that lets down fans of a narrative nearly a decade in the making, it still reigns as one of the best looter shooters out there.
Strand is fabulous, some of the campaign missions are truly masterful, and the game remains genuinely fun, but these can’t offset Destiny 2: Lightfall’s shortcomings. Destiny 2: Lightfall is just another filler expansion on the pathway to the final showdown.
Destiny 2: Lightfall picks up a year after the events of The Witch Queen and seasons in between. It is an action-packed expansion that does not reach the epic story of The Witch Queen. It has some positive changes that the community has been begging for for years almost. Still, some of those changes are time consuming and don't quite show up. But the biggest flaw is and remains a well-developed story that leaves you with more questions than answers. Hopefully this will change in the coming seasons.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
Lightfall is a step down in quality from the excellent Witch Queen, even though it is still a very entertaining expansion. The Strand system is one of the most interesting gameplay mechanics Bungie have added to the game with incredibly satisfying grappling and explosive power moves, but they overcomplicate things just slightly in later missions and lather it with a wafer-thin story that’s definitely holding back its big moments for the next year.