Thinking about “The mood of Destiny” lately… (Destiny)

by Korny , Dalton, Ga. US. Earth, Sol System, Monday, March 27, 2017, 18:15 (2586 days ago) @ Beorn
edited by Korny, Monday, March 27, 2017, 18:25

It’s interesting, I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the mood of Destiny and what direction they’re going to take it in D2, and Cruel’s track struck that chord again today.

For me, ever since the Beta, there’s been something magical about landing in a sparsely-populated Tower at night and having the music for Tranquility start playing. That track exudes sadness and longing, but there’s also an air of hope woven throughout. Every time it happens I drive my Guardian over to the railing and chill out to watch The Traveler. The ships come and go, Guardians transmat in and out, and it just feels right somehow. For me, this is the mood of Destiny that I absolutely love.

The direction they’ve taken Destiny since launch has been more toward the superhero-movie end of the spectrum, which can absolutely be fun, but quickly becomes bombastic and void of meaning if not contrasted against something slower and more intimate. I hope they’re able to keep that balance going forward (and maybe expand upon it a bit more?).

Not really sure where I’m going with this, but wondered if any of you had similar thoughts?

Here's how I see it. Destiny will follow classic story beats over the course of its lifetime.

Mood:

Destiny: Hope
With the conversations had with the Speaker, it's clear that the first game deals a lot with the issue of "hope". From the rekindling of the Traveler's light, to the forging of the Young Wolf's Howl, everything in Destiny has been about pushing towards new hope, and the soundtrack had that (until the darker themes took over).

Destiny 2: The loss of hope.
Evidenced by the Last City's burning in the teaser image, Destiny 2 will be about loss. Heroes being reminded to keep their hopes and confidence in check with a series of failures, before finally making some significant progress in slowing their defeat, possibly culminating in a tactical retreat or major blow (destruction/loss of the Traveler?). The soundtrack will likely have a lot of strings.

Destiny 3: Rising from defeat.
With forces scattered and the enemy looming upon them, the Heroes must rally allies and some foes that have been met over the course of their journey, with steadily increasing victories and sacrifices until they are able to acquire a Macguffin that will be the key to victory (The Traveler's source of power?). Lots of horns and bombastic tunes.

Like I said, pretty familiar story beats, but when pulled off well, they definitely work.

As for the "atmosphere" of Destiny (such as the music that plays when you land in the Tower), I've always felt that Destiny has a bit of a late 80s/early 90s Japanese theme going, with lots of downtime in between all-out battles (think MSG: 08th MS Team). I like it, but the downside is that Destiny never takes this downtime to provide something interesting. It's always been farming for planetary materials, patrols, errands and inventory in the Tower, etc...
Still, the atmosphere is the same, and hopefully Destiny 2 can give that downtime some better context if we get to go visit the city slums.