Review: Destiny 2 Shadowkeep (PlayStation 4)

Destiny 2 shadowkeep

Pros:

  • Darker tone.
  • Finishing moves-now when enemies are low health you can do special finishing moves.
  • The opening war set-piece to set up the story.
  • New hub area set on the Moon.
  • Patrol missions on the moon have changed. Tortured souls now give them to you. You can hear them screaming and shouting.
  • Default power level bump to 750 light.
  • Vex Offensive mode-face off against waves of Vex and take down the boss.
  • New Exotic quest for the Xenophage.
  • Ornaments for gear giving more customisation options.
  • Season pass-free and premium tier for loot/glimmer etc.
  • New Strike called Scarlet Keep.
  • Nightmare Hunts-new Co-op based events with difficulty levels. You find them in the lost sectors on the planets.
  • Weekly challenges.
  • Armour 2.0 update which buffs/nerfs armor stats and adds new passives to items.
  • Lore-loads more of it and it gets doled out to you quicker and easier than before.
  • Seasons-for the season pass you have an EXP bar like you did originally, do missions/kills etc and fill the bar to level up the season pass.
  • Triumphs-acts like an extensive checklist of things to do and find in the world of Destiny 2. You get an overall triumph score with each entry rewarding you with a score.
  • New max light level.
  • New PvP map-Fragment.
  • Two returning PvP maps- Widow Court and Twilight Gap.
  • PvP mode-momentum control.
  • A lot more satisfying experience thanks to pop ups with EXP, lore, badges, triumphs, etc.
  • The story missions are a lot more fleshed out with some of them having many levels to them.
  • Better storytelling.
  • Craft new gear.

Destiny 2 shadowkeep

Cons:

  • Initial bombardment of pop-ups and information.
  • The story can drag out simple tasks by getting you to go back and forth.
  • Hard to focus on one task.
  • Not all tasks/missions are well explained with you needed to go outside the game for information.
  • Long load times.

Destiny 2 shadowkeep

  • 9/10
    Graphics - 9/10
  • 9/10
    Sound - 9/10
  • 8/10
    Accessibility - 8/10
  • 8/10
    Length - 8/10
  • 9/10
    Fun Factor - 9/10
8.6/10

Summary

Every Destiny update/DLC drop, gamers hope this is the one to do a Taken King and revolutionize the game and overhaul it whilst still maintaining its core shooting model. Shadowkeep is finally the answer we have all been waiting for. It ushers in the best storytelling to date adding more darkness and drama to the world. The story instantly grabs you and has mixed up the mission styles so that it actually feels connected and worthwhile. Instead of new areas, we get the Moon with a spring clean and new parts opened up and changed. The initial Moon location is now your hub, Mission markers are screaming souls and its overall a darker scarier place. Your light level gets a much-needed boost so your light level will not be the thing to hold you back (handy for me as I missed Forsaken) all aspects of the game have been tidied up and streamlined. Yes, it still has random drops etc but missions and tasks clearly show rewards, you have never had more choice in both single-player a d online PvP. Destiny 2 is living its best life and with Iron Banner just launching you have even more to do. The season pass is well implemented and I just love all the feedback and pop-ups to keep you engaged and get the feeling that the game respects your time. Destiny 2 shadowkeep is worth your time and if you are looking at coming back or trying it for the first time, you cannot go wrong with Shadowkeep.

Jim Smale

Gaming since the Atari 2600, I enjoy the weirdness in games counting Densha De Go and RC De Go as my favourite titles of all time. I prefer gaming of old where buying games from a shop was a thing, Being social in person was a thing. Join me as I attempt to adapt to this new digital age!