Destiny: Rise of Iron Reviews
In its third year, Destiny is showing signs of exhaustion, as it retreads old ground and struggles to find inspiration.
Latest expansion doesn't move the game on, but has lots to like for returning fans
Rise of Iron has its moments.
As the last full expansion for Destiny before Destiny 2, and a follow-up to The Taken King, Rise of Iron had big shoes to fill. It’s a shame then that it doesn’t.
Those that are already in love with Destiny will no doubt forgive Rise of Iron’s shortcomings and dig into the content, but for those on the sidelines, or are waiting for the right opportunity to fall in love with Destiny, Rise of Iron is a skippable experience that can be overlooked until the inevitable full-on sequel
It's Destiny Year One's last hurrah. It's good but that new game proper is needed quickly.
Unless you absolutely cannot function without more Destiny, my suggestion is that you skip Destiny: Rise of Iron entirely and hold out hope that Destiny 2 finally brings the franchise to greatness.
Rise of Iron feels like Bungie is just filling time till they can get Destiny 2 into our hands. The uninspired campaign, the “more of the same” Plaguelands, and a slapped on addition of Archon’s Forge don’t set this expansion apart in any way or make it very noteworthy. Spend the time though and you’ll find that there is some fun to be had solo or with friends.
Rise of Iron, rather than reminding me of days of glory, has instead reminded me of all the ways in which Destiny’s incoherence has undermined its ambition.
It lacks for the two things Destiny has never been short on from day one: personality and imagination.
Destiny still has the same problems it’s always suffered from.
After significant in-roads over the past year, Destiny feels like its regressed with Rise of Iron. This would have been a great time for exceptional story missions and replayable content that wasn't completely frustrating. For its price, Rise of Iron should have offered a lot more and taken more risks.
Destiny is a gorgeous game overall, and Rise of Iron’s frozen warrior aesthetic showcases this excellently. Felwinter Peak and the Plaguelands bring a sense of unforgiving chill, and the equipment that’s arrived with this expansion puts some medieval style in to the sci-fi world without feeling tacked on. Music, meanwhile, carries a similarly epic scope as powerful chorus arrangements and copious use of brass instruments make you feel like a true knight going to war.
Destiny's uneven final expansion fails to build on The Taken King's advancements.
Rise of Iron is an arrival, a remix, and a remembrance. It puts a sloppy bow on the Destiny we’ve been playing for two years, introducing a final chapter that will stretch until Bungie wipes the board clean and starts fresh with Destiny 2. It’s fun, in a funereal sort of way.
The latest in the series is proof that ‘Destiny’ will never end
Rise of Iron seems to hold an indelible bit of content on initial playthrough, and I’m excited to see how it holds up under pressure of full release and repeated scrutiny.
Bungie has tied a neat little bow on a game that started as a clumsy experiment and grew into a handsome online experience.
Destiny hasn’t earned the nostalgia in Rise Of Iron