Bungie’s beloved sci-fi looter shooter, Destiny, is branching out to smartphones with a new game called Destiny: Rising developed by NetEase, a Chinese game developer and publisher known for their work on mobile games based on Marvel and Blizzard franchises. Players in the US and Canada can sign up for a closed alpha playtest starting on Nov. 1. The game adopts a similar approach to NetEase’s successful Diablo Immortal game by adapting the core look and feel of the base game to its mobile counterpart, featuring over-the-shoulder shooting that switches to first-person when aiming down the sights of guns, and featuring classic Destiny enemies like Vex, Fallen, and Hive.
Destiny: Rising will be free-to-play and is set in an alternate universe with its own timeline, taking place before Destiny 2. Bungie’s creative lead, Terry Redfield, mentioned that the mobile game is a new take on Destiny aimed at capturing the essence of the original game while introducing it to a new audience. The game starts before the emergence of the Guardians and the Last City, during a period where Iron Lords and Warlords were the regional powers. Players will have access to Ghosts and Light abilities in the game, even though classes like hunter, titan, and warlock do not exist yet.
In terms of story, Destiny: Rising is set in an earlier age, before the formation of the Guardians, allowing players to choose from specific pre-built characters with their own playstyles and backstories. It’s a time where familiar faces make appearances without the restrictions of the Guardian classes. The game will feature missions, strikes, and six-player PvE activities inherited from Destiny 2, along with new gameplay modes. Weapons in the game will include new additions and returning favorites, such as the Huckleberry and Monte Carlo exotic weapons, alongside a new crossbow weapon type. A new rarity level, known as mythic, will also be introduced.
The development team behind Destiny: Rising is still at an early stage of development, although trailers showcasing in-game footage have been released. In addition to the closed alpha playtest scheduled for next month, details on the game’s release timeline have not been confirmed. Despite being in the early stages, the game is shaping up to offer a unique experience within the Destiny universe, combining familiar elements with new features and gameplay modes. Fans of the franchise can look forward to exploring this alternate universe in the mobile game and discovering how it diverges from the existing Destiny timeline.
