Destiny 2: Shadowkeep Reviews
Destiny 2: Shadowkeep filled with grinding and reuse of old locations, which is unlikely to please fans of the story. However, the most beautiful raid in the game and a variety of high-level activities pull out the overall impression. The changed formula of content' presentation, beautiful graphics, all sorts of in-game events and more flexible setting of equipment for the character will please fans of the series. In addition, Bungie plans to maintain the interest of players during the year, which means that a considerable part of the content we have not yet seen.
Review in Russian | Read full review
PvP still needs work, and the story is once again more style than substance. However, abundant content elsewhere - including new PvE challenges and a build system with actual depth - means Shadowkeep does what it needs to.Richard Scott-Jones
As of right now, Shadowkeep is a mix of hits and misses and feels a bit incomplete in certain areas. It does just enough though to keep the dedicated player invested while they wait for more content to trickle out throughout the year.
Shadowkeep is an expansion that’s brimming with potential that it’s actually poised to capitalize on. Its campaign may be a lukewarm retread through the franchise’s history, but the endgame loop is feeling more robust than ever. If the game’s first post-launch update is any indication, Shadowkeep promises a compelling reason to return to Destiny 2 , putting more emphasis on world discovery than an endless loot grind.
Destiny 2: Shadowkeep starts out strong, but ends with a rather abrupt situation that’s dampened by the recycled content that’s present.
The campaign was entertaining even though it felt redundant due to the reuse of old enemies and was rather short for something so anticipated. Returning to the moon brought back great memories and it’s wonderful to have Eris Morn back.
Bungie continues to surprise me in just about every respect: good and bad. Forsaken had a fantastic campaign that Shadowkeep doesn't quite match, but all of the enhancements for Year 3 of Destiny 2 help balance it all out. Despite my misgivings and the weaknesses of Shadowkeep's story, I'm still having fun with this roller coaster of a franchise: and that counts for a hell of a lot.
A disappointingly backwards-looking expansion that rather than signal a new era for Destiny and Bungie is just more of the same empty teases and recycled content.
Destiny 2: Shadowkeep is the same satisfying Destiny 2 you've been playing (or not playing) all along. The combat feels good, the art direction's stunning, the lore is mysterious in all the right ways. But it also fumbles in a lot of areas: its campaign is among Destiny's weakest, there isn't a lot of new loot, and its newly introduced systems are so convoluted that I found myself wishing there was a tutorial buried in a menu somewhere. Still, it's a promising start for the future of Destiny 2, which is really what this expansion seems to be as a whole: the baby steps for something bigger, with no end in sight.
While its campaign is enjoyable in the moment, Destiny 2: Shadowkeep never manages to truly shake the fact that we already went to the Moon five years ago. For better or worse, this is just more Destiny, and that's a positive for those enamoured with the franchise, but anyone who was hoping for a more dramatic overhaul of its core systems and mechanics will be left wanting. Bungie has huge plans for the future of Destiny 2, but Shadowkeep only delivers a small piece of that vision.
Destiny Shadowkeep adds a poor solo campaign to the main base game, too short and too straightforward. Only the Destiny addicts would enjoy the hours of grinding needed to open the doors of the new raid.
Review in French | Read full review
Destiny 2: Shadowkeep is a decent start for the next year of content, banking heavily on nostalgia and few mechanics. If you just want an excuse to play Destiny, it should suffice.
The cycle of Destiny whiplash continues with Destiny 2: Shadowkeep. Like during the Destiny 1 era, we started with a lackluster opening, then got two awful expansions, got our significant overhaul, and now we're at the stopgap.
Shadowkeep made Destiny 2 an even better game. However, this is a DLC created without passion, without respect for the faithful community, and only for the desire to profit. I'm a bit disappointed.
Review in Polish | Read full review
This is Bungie’s first take on releasing content on its own as a studio, and just how aggressive they will be in releasing future content is still a big mystery. It has only been a few months in, but the current state of Destiny 2 shows that it’s aimed in the right direction. Shadowkeep is a reminder that not everything can go as planned, and that this new journey for the Destiny franchise can still be a bumpy ride.
You can tell that Bungie are trying their best to refine the base foundations of Destiny and that must be applauded considering how well the game has played for the past 5 years. If you are well buried in the franchise then you’ll no doubt lap this up, if you’re new to the series or looking for something that will finally shake up the stale gameplay, you’ll be left wanting. Shadowkeep is a small stone in a big pond, I’m still waiting for that boulder to make a real splash.
With the hints about where the series is about to go... the future for Destiny is looking bright.
Shadowkeep is already a relic of the past and while the new areas are quite lengthy, the story can be blasted through in a few hours thanks to the repetitive “Go to the table and then speak to Eris” schtick. Bungie’s foray into seasonal content does mean the year-long season arc, which is no longer accessible, leaves players to fill in the gaps by reading copious amounts of lore books. Shadowkeep is the black sheep of the Destiny 2 experience and while it doesn’t exactly enhance the Light vs Dark story, it is a nice break from the traditional gameplay and is worth exploring, even if you’re only in it for the gear.
I’m not just excited about playing all that Shadowkeep has to offer, but also to see what’s happening next, and that’s a huge improvement from where the game was even a year ago.
Even if Destiny’s horizon does seem as featureless as the moon itself, there’s still plenty of fun to be had in gobbling up everything in sight on the way there.