Destinyâ ! Sort it Out !!
Oi Destiny! Sort it out. Like many of us, I suspect I spent much of last night with a holding message explaining why I couldn’t log in. I’m a big Destiny 2 fan, as you may have noticed with our habit of posting a little more often about Destiny. I had briefly been able to connect the night before, but it was intermittent with lagging.Â
âNow, days after the launch of Destiny’s final expansion, The Final Shape, I find myself not immersed in the anticipated sci-fi adventure. Instead, I’ve been staring at the “One Moment Please” screen for the past 15 minutes, repeatedly interrupted by the message “Destiny servers are not available.” This forces me back to the title screen, where I must hit Enter and wait again. At least the musical score provides some solace during these frustrating connectivity issues.
This problem speaks to a broader concern I’ve had with Destiny since its inception in 2013 – its reliance on a persistent online environment. Not only does it require an active internet connection, but it also necessitates the collaboration of multiple players to access the game’s most rewarding content. Furthermore, Bungie has decided to “vault” earlier portions of the Destiny narrative, effectively removing my ability to experience the full storyline from start to finish. If this were an offline, single-player experience, I would still have unfettered access to the complete saga.
The Final Shape has exacerbated this issue, as it returns players to a location not seen since the launch of Destiny 2 in 2017. My desire to revisit and reflect on the significance of this setting is thwarted by the inability to replay the narrative in its original context. I long for the opportunity to immerse myself in the evolving sci-fi aesthetic and overarching plot, unencumbered by technical limitations and the necessity of online connectivity.
I understand that Destiny’s narrative did not necessarily have a grand, pre-conceived plan from the outset. The lack of coherent storytelling in the earlier instalments made that abundantly clear. However, I would still relish the chance to experience this solar system-spanning adventure as a complete, self-contained experience rather than the fragmented and impermanent structure that currently exists.
Alas, I am denied such an opportunity. The original Destiny 2 campaign and subsequent expansions have been locked away, while other events have been designed as temporary, ephemeral experiences. I can appreciate the conceptual value of this approach, but I find myself struggling to reconcile it with my desire for concrete, replayable narratives that I can immerse myself in at my own pace.
The merits of multiplayer experiences are not lost on me, but as I continue to grapple with these frustrating connectivity issues, I yearn for the ability to explore Destiny’s rich world and intricate storylines as a solo, offline endeavour. Even Redfall, a recent release, has embraced this player-centric approach. I hope that Bungie will one day recognize the value of providing such an option for Destiny’s devoted fanbase. In the meantime I will keep trying…
