Destiny was first released for Xbox and PlayStation in 2014, marking the first release from Bungie after its success with Halo. It again displayed the studio’s savvy in creating mythological, science-fiction worlds. Since then, Destiny has continued to grow into a juggernaut of a franchise that is divisive in its game direction at times, but nothing if not well-known in the looter-shooter and FPS genres. Unlike some larger free-to-play games, Bungie has never licensed any official companion games or stories outside of their utilitarian companion application, but all that has changed with the release of Destiny: Rising.
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Destiny: Rising is the newest mobile game from Chinese developers NetEase, created in collaboration with the Destiny 2 team over at Bungie. It’s a mobile-focused gacha game with FPS (or third-person, if you’re into that) gameplay, featuring many of the characters Destiny fans will recognize alongside some new faces as well. Though the IP is Bungie’s alone, Destiny: Rising‘s development has been handled by NetEase almost entirely, launching to over 10 million pre-orders this week.
Upon its arrival, Destiny: Rising is just like launching the main Destiny game. It pulls in the sounds, sights, and mechanics that Destiny players know and love while opening up with an introduction that welcomes new players into Destiny‘s expansive and engaging world. The experience on both mobile and PC is impressively done; Destiny: Rising is one of the best mobile FPS games on the market, and when combined with that iconic Destiny flavor, it becomes a game that should not be skipped despite some of its downsides.
Rating: 4/5
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Large variety of side activities, mini-games, etc. | Drains mobile battery fairly fast. |
| Excellent combat and controls. | Story is somewhat slow, low stakes. |
| Setting is true to Destiny canon, visually and thematically. | Punishing gacha rates and few characters from which to pull. |
| Impressively detailed environments and graphics. |
Rising Is Closer to Destiny Lite, But Not Detrimentally So
Anyone loading into Destiny: Rising for the first time will have the same question: How does it stack up to Destiny 2? Destiny 2 is an iconic game with sprawling, complex storylines and characters that have taken years of storytelling to build, meaning Destiny: Rising has its work cut out for it. The answer to this question is a bit complex, but is essentially this: it’s no Destiny, but it does its own thing well.
As an FPS, Destiny: Rising‘s gameplay is a bit lighter by necessity of both platform and control style. Mobile-first games have limitations that PC games don’t, meaning some of the complexity of D2‘s combat had to be pared down for the sake of comprehensibility and ease of play. This leaves combat encounters feeling clunky when compared to D2, but still in a state that’s wildly impressive for a mobile shooter.
Unavoidably, players will be comparing D2 and Destiny: Rising, and it’s no surprise that the mobile version of the game will fall short. However, it’s by no means true that Destiny: Rising is failing in these regards. Despite the limitations imposed by a weaker platform and lower processing capabilities, Destiny: Rising offers a well-crafted world and an incredible mobile FPS experience.
Destiny: Rising Offers a Buffet of Gameplay Options With an Unfortunately Slow Story
Figuring out how to onboard new Lightbearers into the Destiny world has long been a struggle for the franchise, and it seems that Destiny: Rising has chosen to ease players into the story rather than following Destiny 2‘s method of tossing them into the deep end and hoping they swim. Rather than being resurrected in the middle of a world-ending conflict, Destiny: Rising gently lowers the player into a story with relatively low stakes. While this is a boon for players unfamiliar with the franchise’s world, it’s hardly engaging for Destiny veterans.
Thankfully, the breadth of gameplay options on offer makes up for the slower-paced introduction somewhat. Pulling on threads of story, character, and setting from across the Destiny universe, Destiny: Rising features a huge number of different activities including a roguelike option, a PvPvE arena, strikes, main story quest missions, and more. Though the story begins slowly, it’s likely that this is in part to accommodate the introduction of such an expansive game. It avoids overloading players with too much information too quickly by acknowledging how much there is to learn; once players have learned the game’s systems, the story can really begin.
Mobile Shooters Take Note, Destiny: Rising Does it Best
Outside of comparisons to Destiny 2, Destiny: Rising blows other mobile shooters out of the water. It’s got incredibly detailed graphics that display beautifully on mobile and still impressively well on PC, and NetEase even offers direct PC support for players who just can’t manage their small phone screen. Alongside controller support, NetEase offers direct emulation support for those players who prefer to play on PC, linking an Android device emulator with Destiny: Rising pre-loaded to it on the game’s official website.
The emulator, MuMuPlayer, can consistently run Rising at high framerates, offering a smooth and clean combat and exploration experience that will impress any FPS player. Considering it’s a game optimized for mobile, Rising‘s graphics are wonderful and retain much of D2‘s iconic designs and motifs throughout. The combination of new environments with consistent design themes pulled straight from D2 offers an authentic Destiny experience—visually, Destiny: Rising is a true Destiny game.
For players who are interested in Destiny‘s world and story but either don’t have a console or PC to play it on or don’t have the storage space to install it, Destiny: Rising is a fine alternative. With a more limited loot system and simpler loadout options, Rising offers a lighter Destiny experience without skimping out on any classic elements of Destiny. Set in a volatile but richly engaging part of Destiny’s history, Destiny: Rising delivers on everything it set out to be, with the potential to become something more.
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