Destiny 2: The Final Shape Reviews

Destiny 2: The Final Shape is another achievement amidst Bungie's countless triumphs. An ending delivering on its seemingly impossible promises with inventive and unique new additions that prove Bungie are far from done with Destiny. While that future remains somewhat uncertain, The Final Shape does offer certainty in its sheer quality and commitment to creating unforgettable player experiences.

New Guardians may have plenty of questions as to what’s going on, but if you’ve spent any time with the franchise in the past, this is worth coming back for - the Final Shape is the new gold standard for Destiny.

Destiny 2: The Final Shape is a fantastic conclusion to this ongoing story arc by offering an abundance of content, brand new enemies, and a respectable difficulty across the missions and especially the final raid, with the only real downside being the connectivity issues that come with any always-online game. There is still more to come in the two upcoming episodes as mentioned prior, but there is no reason why you can’t jump in now to experience The Final Shape as it is now. This expansion is obviously aimed at those who have been playing Destiny 2 throughout the years, but it also works well enough as a standalone expansion as well that players can jump in and enjoy with no prior Destiny knowledge or experience. Even so, those who have not been fans of the series in the past are not likely to change their mind with this expansion.

Bungie has been promising the world to us with Destiny 2: The Final Shape and has proven that competent and cohesive story writing is something that is no longer on the cards for Destiny 2. While the story is quite disappointing, there are at least steps in the right direction in a game design sense to make the game feel better to play.

Destiny is approaching its tenth year as a franchise. Way back in 2014 the original game launched in a not-so-great state, but became a huge part of my life. I’ve made lifelong friends from the journey, and even though it had it’s problems it was always a good time, thanks to the top-tier combat and build variety that it provided. Even today nothing quite matches the core shooting mechanics. Now Destiny 2: The Final Shape marks the conclusion of a decade-long saga.

The Final Shape is the best thing that has ever happened to Destiny 2. I can only imagine the Herculean work that went into the expansion, and I’m grateful for all the emotions I’ve received. There are a lot of great additions to talk about: Transcendence, new weapons, new enemies, new mechanics, the Pale Heart zone… To sum it up, Bungie completed the main story in such a way that makes one want to believe in it.

Bungie's conclusion to Destiny's first 10 years more than sticks the landing.

Bungie sticks the landing as it finally brings together the threads of its epic first saga.

Destiny 2: The Final Shape is the final expansion that tries to wrap up the nearly 10-year long story that Bungie has been crafting since the release of Destiny in 2014. In my review-in-progress, I said that “The Final Shape is a must-play for any Destiny fan and I highly recommend jumping back in,” but I wasn’t able to elaborate on some of the end-game activities and the new Episode: Echoes that started the week after launch. So here is our final comprehensive review of Destiny 2: The ...

Destiny 2 is a complicated topic. People who love the game – raiding, doing daily bounties, and min-maxing armour mods – are also its biggest haters. Bungie can hardly breathe without getting Nova Bombed by the community. So the challenge in releasing an expansion like The Final Shape, and tying up 10 years of history, is stouter than a Titan’s Bubble Shield.

The Final Shape concludes Destiny's first decade-long story better than I ever could have expected.

Destiny 2: The Final Shape delivers on its promise to give an emotional and exhilarating ending to a 10-year saga. There is still more to come as the story wraps up loose ends, but the direction this finale is heading is a truly great one.

Destiny 2: The Final Shape is the epic conclusion to a decade-old narrative told flawlessly. Despite its intricate systems, it strikes a perfect balance in its gameplay that never deters new players away while also appealing to its veteran fan base.

I came into The Final Shape expecting to be underwhelmed, and the launch reinforced that. However, as is the nature of live service games, it is possible to turn things around. I simply wished Bungie didn’t wait until the eleventh hour to wow us. Destiny 2 has long been a game where many players have seen the potential and subsequently frustrated by decisions to deliver the minimum viable product. The Final Shape is the epitome of Destiny in many ways, both good and bad, Light and Dark, but I’ll be damned if Bungie didn’t pull it off.

Destiny's first saga ends with one of the best expansions in the series' history.

Destiny 2: The Final Shape ties up a decade's worth of story, conflict, and relationships in the most engaging and emotionally satisfying way possible. Bungie's best-in-class narrative team has outdone itself, the combat and gunplay sit at the pinnacle of the FPS genre, and I've ultimately never played anything like it.

With a confident and satisfying campaign, a fascinatingly well-designed destination, and several standout endgame pursuits, Destiny 2: The Final Shape is an excellent offering for veteran and returning players of the FPS. Even with some classic endgame grinding repetitiveness, it's an incredibly well-executed expansion that nicely rounds off a decade-long journey, making it Destiny 2's best.

As the universe celebrates the prevention of its extinction, there is much debate about what awaits the future of Destiny and our Guardians. After all, the universe is a big place, and threats unknown or unresolved are bound to rear their heads sooner or later. There might be uncertainty in where the Guardians go from here, but there is also comfort in the certainty that this is not the end, but a new beginning – one where each Guardian makes their own fate.

It’s hard to keep something going for ten years, especially a Live Service game. The industry is littered with failed attempts at building ten-year plans. Despite Destiny’s many ups and downs and lack of consistent quality through the years, Destiny 2: The Final Shape completes Bungie’s ambitious ten-year plan and mostly sticks the landing. Its story is the most focused a Destiny tale has ever gotten, opting to focus on character interactions, linear level design and heartfelt payoffs. While this route meant a complete neglect of the series’ big bad, it did culminate in an epic finale to the Light and Darkness saga.

After 10 years of storytelling, the overarching saga that was introduced in the original launch of Destiny has finally concluded. With The Final Shape, Bungie ties a bow on the vast majority of its lingering plotlines and questions and sets the stage for a new direction in subsequent releases. Ahead of that, this concluding chapter is extremely satisfying, offering a rousing, heartfelt, and character-driven wrap-up that does right by what has come before. From narrative to gameplay, this is not the installment that welcomes newcomers. But for every hour (or thousands of hours) a player has invested in this adventure, the ending on offer is that much more potent.

Destiny 2: The Final Shape isn’t something that comes around very often. The market is dominated by live-service titles, but it’s rare for them to culminate into a moment — especially one that has been building for ten years.

When Destiny content is bad, it can be some of the worst out there. However, when it's good, there's nothing quite like it. The Final Shape delivers on all its promises and then some, providing an emotional catharsis for long-time fans while paving the road ahead for the future.

The Final Shape is Destiny 2 back to its best for its grand narrative finale. It's the ultimate space wizards with a machine gun fantasy combined with emotional story beats and characters you truly care for. Despite all the odds, Bungie has crafted the perfect endgame.

I liked to tell myself that I didn't believe in perfect 10/10 games. To me a perfect game is something everyone, unanimously, can say has no issues. No shortcomings. However, Destiny 2: The Final Shape is perfect. Everything that Bungie has done these past nine years has come together in a video game version of Avengers: Endgame. The stakes, the action, the quality of storytelling, and of course the emotion has all merged into the best expansion, no, game I have ever played. If you have ever in the last decade been interested in or cared about Destiny, The Final Shape is a must play. Period.

Destiny 2 The Final Shape is a masterpiece of a finale to the ten year story of the Light and Darkness saga. With a powerful, moving narrative, exceptional character payoffs, inspiring gameplay and gorgeous visuals and sound design, it triumphs as an unmatched expansion for the game.

10 years ago, we booted up the beta for Destiny on PS4. It was an exciting time, as the possibilities of multiplayer on console were rapidly expanding into the territory of live service, a term that didn’t hold quite the same implications as it does now. There were bold claims of half a billion dollar budgets and decade spanning plans, and to top it off, the ex-Halo devs actually had a tight first-person shooter on its hands. But now we’re on the other end of those promises with Destiny 2: The Final Shape, the concluding entry to the meandering Light and Darkness saga. And y’know what? The b*stards really did it.

The Final Shape is Destiny 2 firing on all cylinders, balancing a story of overwhelming odds with expertly paced combat and puzzles, all set in stunning environments. Much of the earlier complaints about the barrier to entry have been addressed, making for a seamless entry into the latest campaign.