Destiny 2: Shadowkeep

Destiny 2: Shadowkeep is a big step in the right direction for Destiny, even when it feels like the first chapter in a larger story and subjects you to a brutal grind.

Shadowkeep's return to the moon provides the usual quick story and new activities, but it's the many under-the-hood changes that really shine.

Not the best, biggest or neatest expansion in the series' history, Shadowkeep nonetheless sets a solid foundation for what's to come.

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.

It's not quite on the level of The Taken King or Forsaken, but Shadowkeep feels like a major step forward for Destiny 2. It's a promising starting point for the game's third year, and for post-Activision Bungie. I've thoroughly enjoyed the 100-odd hours I've put into it, and I'll easily triple that play time in the months to come.

Not as expansive in initial scope as previous expansions, Shadowkeep's standout feature is instead the way it redefines the core loop and encourages week-to-week investment

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.

Where Shadowkeep’s story will take us remains to be seen, but the inclusion of Destiny’s core mechanics in a brilliantly revamped location has reinvigorated Destiny 2 just as it was starting to get a little stale.

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.

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.