One of the surprise announcements at this year’s The Game Awards wasGodfall, a third-person fantasy co-op looter that has gainedthe moniker “looter-slasher,“an alternative to the commonly referenced looter-shooter genre that is often put on games likeBorderlandsandDestiny. Speaking ofDestiny,Godfallis already being pitted against Bungie’s successful sci-fi “shared-world shooter” by many, with some wondering ifGodfallwill be the next big thing in the same space thatDestinyhas carved out.
But what is interesting about this comparison between the two games is how thisnew PS5 titleGodfallis rooted in fantasy, and so too didDestinyhave its roots in the fantasy genre. For a time in early development, Bungie considered taking players to a fantasy world instead of setting them off into the solar system. In a GDC presentation in 2013, Christopher Barrett and Joseph Staten gave an inside look at the development ofDestiny, including these fantasy roots.
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In 2013, Barrett shared a number of concept images from that earlier time inDestiny’s development and explained what was most appealing about going in a fantasy direction instead of a sci-fi one Bungie had been known for over the years due to the popularity of Halo:
“One of the first versions of Destiny we explored, was a fantasy world. And what was appealing about that was the history, the myths, the legends. And it was a really nice change of pace after Halo. Fantasy gives you this opportunity for all kinds of evocative imagery, things like castles and clouds in the distance, tents and horses, […] beasts and artifacts, ancient swords with cool names, […] as well as monsters and heroes, and giant frogs.”
Staten said that there were also “grub lords” and “giant rat piranha fish” among many other ideas that the earlyDestinyteam came up with during the early development of the game. First off, it is certainly interesting to consider what Bungie would have done with a game that had more in common withWorld of Warcraft,Elder Scrolls, orGodfallthan with the sci-fi genre in whichDestinyeventually found its home.
But secondly, it is clear how some of those fantasy staples found their way intoDestiny, which would come to identify itself instead as mythic science fiction or science-fantasy more along the lines ofStar Wars. Exotics in the game have unique names and lore attached to them, includingtheir own questlines to earn them.Destinyhas, from the beginning, ben rooted in deep lore from the first game’s Grimoire cards toDestiny 2’s in-game lore tabs. WhileDestinydoesn’t have any giant frogs (yet), there are plenty of creatures, space wizards and magic, and haunted ships to scratch that fantasy itch.
Barrett himself drew the comparison back in 2013 that fantasy gives the allure of seeing ancient ruins in the distance and wondering what could be hidden within and below the ruins. With Bungie not quite able to shake its sci-fi pedigree, the developers asked themselves, what is different about ancient ruins and an ancient derelict spaceship floating in the depths of space asking to be explored? And the rest is history.Destinymarched down a path of sci-fi and, as a live game, has continued to evolve and deliver new places, characters, and weapons as it continues to expand its own universe.
There are few details to go on aboutGodfallcurrently with its debut trailer anda short clip of combat gameplay, so it is hard to know how closely the game will resemble something likeDestinyorDiabloorMonster Hunter—all games that it may resemble more so thanDestiny.
But just as nearly every looter in the past few years has been compared toDestiny, likeThe DivisionandAnthem, it seems impossible for people to drop the tendency to compare. What is perhaps most interesting is the common worldbuilding foundations than many developers pull from, whether it be Bungie orGodfall’s developer Counterplay.
Destiny 2is available now for PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One.Godfallis coming to PC and PS5 holiday 2020.
