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Destiny was released on September 9, 2014, and it is the first game in the Destiny franchise. It was developed by Bungie and published by Activision, acting as Bungie's first release since departing from Microsoft and the Halo franchise. The title brought the shared world looter-shooter subgenre to popular culture.
Bungie took advantage of their history with Halo to give Destiny its solid first-person shooter backbone. This was combined with elements of role-playing games and massively multiplayer online games to create a fresh style of gameplay. Add the rich lore and worldbuilding elements as Bungie did, and the result is a title truly unique for its time. One which paved ground for others to follow.
Contents
Premise and World
The world of Destiny takes elements from many influences, particularly science fiction and fantasy. Its story begins in a post-apocalypse during the 28th century, in a world where humanity had colonized the solar system. But not before a strange entity known as the Traveler arrived, eventually terraforming many of the planets and moons of the solar system.[1] Humankind was thrust into a new Golden Age, however, it would not last. The Darkness, an ancient enemy of the Traveler, would find its way to Sol.[1] And when it did, it inflicted upon humanity an event now known as The Collapse.[1] This would render the Traveler dormant, and humanity nearly extinct. However, as it fell into its slumber, the Traveler released the Ghosts.[2] Small robotic consciousnesses that had the power to resurrect the dead, and bestow upon them the power of the Light.[2] In the time since the collapse, many alien races had taken hold of parts of the solar system.[2] These races would include the desperate Fallen, the vicious Hive, the mysterious Vex, and the warmongering Cabal. Eventually, with this new power granted by the Traveler through its Ghosts, humanity and its Guardians would regroup and rebuild. Forming the Last Safe City on Earth, nested securely underneath the Traveler, from which they could begin to reclaim their lost system.[2]
Characters
| Major Characters | Major Antagonists | Minor Characters & Antagonists |
|---|---|---|
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|
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Plot
Destiny's narrative follows the story of a newly resurrected Guardian, the character of the player.[1] Upon being revived in the Cosmodrome on Earth, the Guardian is brought to the Tower in the Last City and thrust into life as a Guardian of humanity.[2] The Guardian is found to be particularly powerful and brave, as they face the Fallen, discover and survive the Hive on Earth, pursue the Vex on Venus, and confront the Cabal on Mars.[3][4][5][6] Eventually making their way to the mysterious Black Garden, by the guidance of the Exo Stranger, and the assistance from the Awoken Queen of the Reef.[5][7] Where they, alone with their Ghost, defeat the Heart of the Black Garden.[8] Preventing it from continuing to feed off of the Traveler's Light, allowing the Traveler to begin to heal itself.
Launch Editions
| Edition | Price | Contents |
|---|---|---|
| Standard Edition | $59.99 USD |
|
| Digital Guardian Edition | $89.99 USD |
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| Limited Edition | $99.99 USD |
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| Ghost Edition | $149.99 USD |
|
| As of November 18, 2014, the EV-30 Tumbler Sparrow was gifted to players who had purchased any of the Destiny premium editions, as well as purchasers of the Destiny Expansion Pass.[9] | ||
Digital Guardian Edition
The premier edition of the game digitally was the Digital Guardian Edition of Destiny, which sold for $89.99 USD.[10] It included the Destiny base game, its expansion pass, and the Collector's Edition Digital Content.[11]
Limited Edition
The Limited Edition of Destiny sold for $99.99 USD, and included a copy of the base game, its expansion pass, and the Collector's Edition Digital Content.[10][11] Given that it's the first of Destiny's two physical special editions, it also included a selection of various collectibles and written content based around the world of Destiny.[11]
Ghost Edition
For $149.99 USD, fans could purchase the Destiny Ghost Edition. This special edition included everything available in the Limited Edition, as well as the electronic Ghost replica, and a bundle of collectibles referred to as Golden Age Relics.[10][11]
Bonuses and Related Releases
Preorder Bonuses
| Digital Items |
|---|
Vanguard Armory
The Vanguard Armory weapons pack allowed players who preordered Destiny access to an assortment of Uncommon rarity weapons from the Vanguard Quartermaster.[11] These weapons, however, would be available to all players of Destiny in fall 2015.[12]
Blacksmith Shader
The preorder exclusivity of the Blacksmith Shader is one of the more convoluted instances of a preorder bonus throughout the Destiny franchise. It was available upon preordering a separate game, that game being Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare.[12] The preorder had to be from Gamestop, and before September 21, 2014 additionally.[12]
Collector's Edition Digital Content
The Collector's Edition Digital Content was included with many of the higher-tier launch editions of Destiny, and included three items to be used in-game.[11] These consisted of Destiny's first alternate Ghost Shell, the Frontier Shell, as well as the Valkyrie O5-X Ship, and the Inner Circle Emblem.
Expansion Pass
The Dark Below and House of Wolves are the two DLC expansions included in Destiny's expansion pass, sold for $34.99.[13] Destiny players who had purchased the Expansion Pass were also eligible to receive the EV-30 Tumbler Sparrow as of November 18, 2014.[9]
The Taken King
All special editions of The Taken King included copies of Destiny and its first two expansions.[14]
Destiny: The Collection
Destiny: The Collection was the final release of Destiny, containing the base game on a disc for either Xbox One or Playstation 4 consoles, and download codes for all four DLC expansions. It was announced on August 15, 2016 to be releasing alongside Destiny's final expansion, Rise of Iron, on September 20, 2016 for a price of $59.99 USD.[15] The bundle also included a level 40 character boost, and preordering it would get fans the Iron Gjallarhorn and the Iron Gjallarwing in-game items.[16][15]
Soundtrack
Destiny's soundtrack was composed by longtime Bungie composers Michael Salvatori, C Paul Johnson, and Martin O'Donnell, in collaboration with Paul McCartney. It features 44 tracks, running 2 hours and 19 minutes. Making it the second longest original soundtrack in Destiny, second to the Destiny 2 Original Soundtrack. It was also the final Destiny soundtrack composed by Martin O'Donnell.
Music of the Spheres
The musical prequel to Destiny, and suspended in controversy, Music of the Spheres began many of the themes present in the Destiny original soundtrack. It was composed by Martin O'Donnell and Michael Salvatori, with additional collaborative effort from Paul McCartney.[17] Its release was set to precede the launch of Destiny, but this would not go to plan. After the official E3 trailer for the title was revealed, Martin O'Donnell stated that his music featured within was altered.[18] This caused friction between O'Donnell and Bungie, which lead to his termination, and eventually, a lawsuit. O'Donnell won the lawsuit, and the entire situation would mark the end of his work with the company.[19][20]
After this, Bungie opted not to release Music of the Spheres. Later in 2017, after the work of two fans in an attempt to restore the suite using publicly released material, an anonymous individual came out revealing their ownership of an official copy.[21] This was among the 100 copies gifted by Martin O'Donnell prior to his termination, and the individual worked with the two fans to leak the album.[22] This was unofficially allowed to remain available by Bungie until mid-2018, where Bungie issued a Cease and Desist to the leakers. This was because the company had plans to release Music of the Spheres in an official manner, as came to pass when the Music of Destiny, Volume I vinyl collection released that summer.
| Music of the Spheres | ||
|---|---|---|
| ||
| Composed by Marty O'Donnell, Michael Salvatori, and Paul McCartney. | ||
| DISC 1 | ||
| 1 | The Path (Luna) | 6:20 |
| 2 | The Union (Mercury) | 4:28 |
| 3 | The Ruin (Venus) | 5:21 |
| 4 | The Tribulation (Sol) | 5:53 |
| 5 | The Rose (Mars) | 5:24 |
| 6 | The Ecstasy (Jupiter) | 6:40 |
| 7 | The Prison (Saturn) | 6:28 |
| 8 | The Hope (Arrival) | 7:48 |
| 8 tracks // 49 minutes | ||
Related Merchandise
Gallery
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Bungie. (9 September 2014). A Guardian Rises. Ishtar Collective. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Bungie. (9 September 2014). The Speaker. Ishtar Collective. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
- ↑ Bungie. (9 September 2014). Restoration. Ishtar Collective. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
- ↑ Bungie. (9 September 2014). The Dark Within. Ishtar Collective. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Bungie. (9 September 2014). A Stranger's Call. Ishtar Collective. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
- ↑ Bungie. (9 September 2014). Exclusion Zone. Ishtar Collective. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
- ↑ Bungie. (9 September 2014). A Key Awaits. Ishtar Collective. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
- ↑ Bungie. (9 September 2014). The Black Garden. Ishtar Collective. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 DeeJ. (20 November 2014). Bungie Weekly Update – 11/20/2014. Bungie. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 McCaffrey, R. (7 July 2014). Destiny Beta Dates Announced, Collector's Editions Revealed and Unboxed -- IGN First. IGN. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 11.4 11.5 11.6 DeeJ. (7 July 2014). Destiny for Collectors. Bungie. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 IGN. Destiny Preorders and Special Editions. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
- ↑ Tach, D. (7 July 2014). Destiny's two collector's editions include access to two expansions and more. Polygon. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
- ↑ Bungie. The Taken King - Legendary Edition. Archived by Wayback Machine 6 September 2015.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Kain, E. (15 August 2016). 'Destiny: The Collection' Includes 'Rise Of Iron' And All Previous Expansions. Forbes. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
- ↑ Playstation Store. Destiny - The Collection. Archived by Wayback Machine 10 May 2021.
- ↑ McWhertor, M. (17 February 2013). Bungie composer Marty O'Donnell on the music of Destiny, collaborating with Paul McCartney. Polygon. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
- ↑ O'Donnell, M. (11 June 2013). To be clear, the "Official Destiny E3 Gameplay Trailer" 2:47 was not made by @Bungie, it was made by the company that brought you CoD.. Twitter. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
- ↑ O'Donnell, M. (15 April 2014). I'm saddened to say that Bungie's board of directors terminated me without cause on April 11, 2014.. Twitter. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
- ↑ Takahashi, D. (4 September 2015). Ex-Bungie composer Marty O’Donnell wins epic legal fight with former bosses. GamesBeat. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
- ↑ Remington, K. (1 February 2018). Marty O'Donnell: The Origin Story Of Music Of The Spheres. WSHU. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
- ↑ Schreier, J. (25 December 2017). Four Years Later, Destiny's Music Of The Spheres Has Leaked [UPDATE]. Kotaku. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
External Links
| Games | |
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| Age of Light | |
| Age of Loss | |
| Age of Darkness | |
