I’m enjoying Destiny: Rising a lot more than I thought I would. Rather than try to port Destiny 2 (and all of its flaws) onto mobile, NetEase has developed an entirely new Destiny game that plays to the mobile platform’s strengths. Its approach to bite-sized missions and daily routines makes it perfect for bathroom breaks and that part of the day where you zone out while jiggling your mouse so the boss doesn’t catch on. I could see this becoming yet another game in my daily rotation, but I have a hard time getting past the strange decision to set Rising in an alternate universe from the main Destiny canon.
Destiny: Rising, developed by NetEase, is a licensed game. Normally we think of licensed games as movie tie-ins and whatever Funko Fusion was trying to be, so this is a weird situation where a game is based on an IP that has never been anything but a video game. This isn’t a sequel or prequel to Destiny, it’s basically fan fiction.
That’s not to say Bungie isn’t involved in Rising. The mobile game is filled with Destiny 2 assets. All of the familiar weapons, logos, perks, and enemies are here. Nearly all of the SFX comes directly from Destiny 2. NetEase didn’t just go off and make its own version of Destiny. It’s clear that Bungie worked side by side with the studio to ensure its authenticity.
Destiny: Rising Has A Non-Canon Story
And yet, when it comes to the narrative, Rising seemingly has free range to do whatever it wants, regardless of established lore. In the first hour it introduces a fleet of uber mechs that humanity once controlled, an Iron Lord with a pet Ahamkara, a friendly Eleksni spy, and the concept of light-infused artifacts that are spiritually linked to individual guardians. All of these things contradict what we know about Destiny lore in the era Rising is set.
I’m not one to get my panties in a twist over retcons. People like to get worked up about logical inconsistencies in the Star Wars prequels or spin-offs like The Rings of Power and House of the Dragon, but I could not possibly care less. Storytellers need to be free to craft their own narratives without being slavishly tied to source material, and at the end of the day, it’s all made up anyway. I wouldn’t nitpick Rising for muddying up the timeline (lord knows Bungie does that enough on its own) if it was even trying to expand Destiny’s rich lore. Instead, it tells you right from the jump that you’re free to ignore its story.
A True Destiny Prequel Could Have Been Amazing
It’s such a shame because Destiny’s Dark Age is ripe for exploration. We know a lot about the Iron Lords and the transition to the early City Age when Rising is set, and I would have loved to see Rising expand that lore and fill in some of the gaps. It’s easy to imagine a canonical Dark Age game that informs our understanding of Destiny’s story and adds depth to the heroes that were around back then. I loved meeting a young Renegade Ikora before she began her training with Osiris, and I want to meet the Iron Lords who we’ve only heard about from legends. Instead, we get Gundams, Hive on Europa, and so many inconsistencies that it almost feels like it’s going out of its way to throw Destiny’s story away.
I can’t see the justification for this being a purely creative decision. NetEase claims it wanted to de-canonize Rising so it would have the freedom to tell its own stories, but that’s a cop-out. Bungie made sure to distance itself from Rising as soon as the game was announced, referring to it as “[Netease’s] game”. Perhaps the intolerable microtransactions that come with mobile games influenced this separation, or maybe the Sony acquisition reduced the connection between Rising and Destiny 2, but whatever the reason is, Rising’s alternate universe story is a huge missed opportunity to expand the world of Destiny, and it makes me less excited to play it.
Enter an era of heroes and legends, where familiar Destiny faces meet intriguing new characters, each with a rich story, unique personality, and formidable skills. Experience top-tier sci-fi shooting action in FPP or TPP as you embark on a new adventure in an alternate Destiny timeline. Play as these unique characters to defend future Earth and reclaim humanity’s future!