Future 2: The Closing Form is arriving in a matter of days. Previous to its launch, and earlier than the top of Season of the Want, Bungie gave us a particular behind-the-scenes take a look at the upcoming conclusion to the Mild and Darkness saga. This hands-off preview included a playthrough of the primary mission, a part of a Strike, and the chance to ask the builders some questions on this extremely anticipated enlargement. Right here’s what we noticed of the marketing campaign mission, and relaxation assured, there are not any story spoilers beneath.
The presentation kicked off with a cutscene that we’ve now all seen in-game. Crow, along with his spunky new haircut, makes it into the Traveler and avoids taking harm by double-jumping proper earlier than hitting the bottom. Traditional Hunter transfer proper there. However he’s immediately in a shootout with the very man he killed! A tension-filled second and a reversal of the imagery from Forsaken later, and Crow and Cayde-6 are buddies, prepared to determine what’s occurring.
With the story arrange, Bungie’s senior communications supervisor Carlos Ascencio switches scenes and we’re looking at a perplexing panorama from the attitude of a Revenant Hunter. All the pieces is bathed in purple mild with constructions stretching into the gap – it’s clear this participant, managed by take a look at lead Tyler Hillis, has handed by means of the brink of the Traveler and is on their manner inside.
As an alternative of being a two-dimensional portal, this space is type of a bridge between our world and no matter constitutes the Traveler’s guts. The landscapes are all fragmented, torn aside, and suffering from the Witness’ military. However Hillis isn’t combating the Dread (not but), he’s combating Taken which have glowing yellow eyes, an indicator that these are managed by the Witness, not a Hive god.
When the Dread present up, it’s within the type of the brand new Weaver items, that are Witness-allied Psions. They’ve bought a pesky pull transfer, an inverse of the Psions’ Void push we’ve all come to like. It appears like Bungie relishes these moments the place it may well shock the participant by transferring them – towards their will – whereas within the midst of fight. It undoubtedly spiced up the move of issues as Hillis was wrenched from security and thrown off the sting of the extent.
After combating alongside the Escher-like constructions and leaping up acquainted landmarks, we have been contained in the Traveler (although Bungie did disguise the precise entry into the Traveler). As you’ve seen from trailers, the atmosphere is acquainted but extraordinarily weird. Inexperienced grass stretches alongside dainty filth pathways to a large tree with humongous Ghosts embeded in it. Tremendous cool! But additionally barely unnerving.
As Hillis rounds a nook, the portal that we used to enter the Traveler comes into view. It’s a putting visible: the kaleidoscope of colours set towards the earthy tones. Bungie notes that this portal will perform as a landmark as we journey towards the Witness and its spire, shrinking as we stray farther from it.
The hilly terrain transitions into the Misplaced Metropolis and we’re launched to the second member of the Dread: the Grim. These bat creatures flap about over your head and may screech at you, providing you with a debuff actually known as Tinnitus that suppresses your motion and talents.
Up till this level, Hillis has simply been utilizing the Stasis subclass for the Hunter, however that shifts barely as he finds a wellspring. These wellsprings rapidly cost up your Transcendence meter, which is a key element of Prismatic, however it’s additionally accessible to these not utilizing this new subclass. As soon as activated, it will increase your harm output and allows you to deal harm to Sure enemies, which might in any other case be immune. For these utilizing a Prismatic subclass, it additionally allows you to throw a singular grenade that mixes Mild and Darkness parts.
As a result of there are Sure enemies that may solely be broken whereas Transcendent, Bungie made the choice to let non-Prismatic gamers entry Transcendence. This implies you aren’t locked into utilizing Prismatic all through the marketing campaign and may as an alternative make the most of a subclass you is perhaps extra comfy with.
The struggle continues deeper into the Misplaced Metropolis, with Hillis ultimately combating within the corridors and plazas of our outdated Tower, besides it’s the model we all know earlier than Dominus Ghaul destroyed it in the course of the Pink Warfare. Bungie famous that there shall be many of those acquainted areas all through the Traveler, as they’ve been created from our reminiscences. But it surely’s not simply environments from our reminiscences; you’ll be combating and exploring fully alien landscapes, locations from the Witness’ reminiscences and those that are additionally contained in the Traveler.
A climactic second of this marketing campaign mission preview was when Hillis acquired his Prismatic subclass. Not every little thing shall be unlocked instantly, that can occur over the course of the marketing campaign, although Bungie was coy about precisely how gamers will uncover every means. The primary construct you’ll obtain is designed to provide you an incredible start line on which to assemble your personal Prismatic subclass.
After receiving Prismatic, it’s time to place it to the take a look at. Hillis strikes out into the courtyard and begins laying into the Taken. Waves of foes evaporate with the combination of elemental skills and shortly sufficient one other member of the Dread seems, the Subjugator. Even with Prismatic, this factor isn’t any pushover. It’s lithe and speedy, and able to throwing out some main harm with its personal Strand assaults. Getting strung up by this factor on Legendary seems to be like a loss of life sentence. However Hillis prevails and the mission involves an finish and we get to see a cutscene. I received’t spoil the contents, however rejoice as a result of our Guardians lastly have a voice once more!
Although it was only a glimpse of the primary marketing campaign mission, it was sufficient to showcase simply how far Future 2 has come because the franchise started a decade in the past. Recollections that gamers have of the sport are discovering their manner into this marketing campaign. Cat Macedo, expansions undertaking lead, spoke about this nostalgia and the way the group wrestled with deciding what memorable areas needed to be included all through the marketing campaign. For the group, there was one location that was unanimously agreed upon that completely needed to be in there: The OG Tower.
Whereas these acquainted areas will little doubt make this alien panorama extra welcoming, there’s uneasiness to it as effectively. The group needed gamers to have the ability to determine the issues round them however on the similar time it ought to really feel not fairly proper.
For Bungie, despite the fact that the marketing campaign is concentrated on long-standing characters, newcomers will nonetheless be in for time. Future 2 recreation director Tyson Inexperienced famous that it’s a reasonably compelling story, no matter a participant’s familiarity with each single facet of the sport. And this story doesn’t sound like it is going to be quick, both. The group described the journey as “immense,” and famous that it’s the largest marketing campaign up to now and it doesn’t finish with the raid.
A brand new enlargement is at all times an thrilling time in Future 2 and The Closing Form seems to be like it would compete with a few of gamers’ favourite campaigns. If this preview is only a glimpse of the form of issues to return, then I’m trying ahead to no matter type Future 2 will take as Bungie continues to mildew it.
This preview relies on a distant, hands-off demonstration by the builders. The content material was a work-in-progress and topic to vary. Future 2: The Closing Form is out there on June 4, 2024.
