The top of a decade-long saga is right here, and to say Bungie was below stress is a little bit of an understatement. Following the poor reception of Lightfall and the disastrous week through which roughly eight % of employees was immediately laid off along with the revelation management was actively hamstringing the looter shooter, the neighborhood’s morale was at an all-time low. The developer desperately wanted a win. So, after a couple of weeks in, has The Ultimate Form righted the Future 2 ship?

Future 2: The Ultimate Form (PC [Reviewed], PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Collection X|S)
Developer: Bungie
Writer: Bungie
Launched: June 4, 2024
MSRP: $49.99

Future 2‘s largest concern has been the way in which its narrative is dealt with. Between expansions which might be feast or famine, the drip-fed Seasonal mannequin, and burying 90% of it in lore entries with unlock necessities, Future 2‘s story is the very best and worst half about it. For brand spanking new gamers or these not invested in studying third-party websites like Ishtar Collective, the percentages are low for understanding simply what’s occurring.

The Ultimate Form sadly continues this pattern. The marketing campaign had the chance to carry collectively all the disparate items and provides gamers a unifying expertise. As an alternative, we’re remoted contained in the Pale Coronary heart of the Traveler as Cayde-6 and Crow come to phrases, Ikora does a complete lot of nothing, and Zavala’s Season of the Haunted schtick is again. Cinematics are sparse, there’s just one occasion of greater than two in-game characters being on display collectively, and a heaping pile of sketched cutscenes doing a lot of the work.

The primary few days had been a nightmare for servers, with many gamers lacking whole sections of the story, resulting in a disjointed expertise, and reaching the tip of the marketing campaign didn’t reveal something past a comic-book clarification of the way to defeat the Witness.

It could be a number of days, a raid race, and a closing mission earlier than the story concluded. Within the interim, the very best components of the story had been relegated to what got here after the marketing campaign: unintentional filler. We’d been ready a decade for this conclusion and Bungie couldn’t assist milking it additional.

As soon as six gamers had cleared the arbitrary hurdle for the remainder of us, we had been in a position to lastly tackle the Witness (for actual this time) within the 12-player matchmade Excision mission. Going into it, I used to be indignant, upset, and all method of dour. Ultimately, I used to be stuffed with tears, overjoyed, and free.

In a single mission, Excision, Bungie gave me what I had subconsciously been yearning for over a 12 months: closure. The developer didn’t do something mind-blowing by way of originality, however as a substitute performed its hand in the very best manner. By placing the previous couple of items of the Mild and Darkish Saga puzzle in place, the studio gave gamers an impactful, emotional, and unforgettable conclusion. With my ship again in orbit, I had turn out to be Anton Ego.

In stark distinction to how Future 2‘s story has been dealt with through the years, the gameplay has at all times been nothing wanting spectacular. Had that not been the case, I doubt Future 2 would have survived its droughts. Fairly than relaxation on its laurels, the developer rose to the problem of making essentially the most participating gameplay in reminiscence.

Throughout the developer ViDocs, the Prismatic subclass seemed attention-grabbing however smacked of a gimmick. Nonetheless, after spending time with it and unlocking extra Prismatic Fragments, I’m undecided how I’d ever return to a base Mild or Darkish subclass. It is a energy fantasy I’ve not skilled for the reason that 3.0 subclass reworks. It makes me really feel just like the fabled Guardian I’m meant to be. Discovering synergy between various subclass skills takes build-crafting to a different degree and is bound to shake up prior content material, respiratory new life into issues like dungeon and raid rotators.

Talking of which, The Ultimate Form integrates mechanics to a degree normally reserved for content material like dungeons and raids into practically all the things. It’s now not a matter of placing sufficient bullets into an enemy or coping with the occasional Champion. Moments like discovering glyphs and passing debuffs between fireteam members are actually commonplace, and put a larger emphasis on communication between Guardians. It may be a giant ask for the socially anxious amongst us, however as somebody working by way of it as properly, I promise you that it’s well worth the effort.

Ignoring the Taken and Scorn (as a result of they’re largely reskins and zombie Fallen), we lastly have a brand new enemy faction with the Dread. Starting from annoying to terrifying, these disciples of the Witness occupy a novel function within the forces of Darkness because of their capacity to command Strand and Stasis. It seems that being caught in a Tangle isn’t all that enjoyable. Nonetheless, I’ll take that over the flying Grim who’re keen on giving me tinnitus and bobbing round like a Castlevania Medusa. We’ve been begging for a brand new faction for years, and the wait was price it.

Lastly, the Pale Coronary heart of the Traveler is exclusive in that it’s a brand new vacation spot, however one that’s solely occupied by you. That’s proper, each inch of Nostalgia Lane is devoid of different gamers, exterior of a matchmade exercise. It’s peculiar, because it makes the realm lonely, however makes the house really feel extra private. There’s loads of selection within the setting and I’m fairly keen on the realm across the new hub. This setting seamlessly transitions from stunning and serene to darkish and twisted, superbly mirroring our journey.

I got here into The Ultimate Form anticipating to be underwhelmed, and the launch strengthened that. Nonetheless, as is the character of dwell service video games, it’s attainable to show issues round. I merely wished Bungie didn’t wait till the eleventh hour to wow us. Future 2 has lengthy been a sport the place many gamers have seen the potential and subsequently annoyed by selections to ship the minimal viable product. The Ultimate Form is the epitome of Future in some ways, each good and unhealthy, Mild and Darkish, however I’ll be damned if Bungie didn’t pull it off.

9

Very good

A trademark of excellence. There could also be flaws, however they’re negligible and will not trigger huge harm.

Overview Tips