Destiny 2 features powerful weaponry, pseudo-magical abilities, and robust multiplayer modes, but just what’s at stake in the game’s story has been an unknown. In the live-action launch trailer, Cayde-6 and a band of Guardians help get you up to speed.
“Look, I know you’re new here, so let me catch you up,” Cayde-6 says in the trailer. “Everything you love about Earth is gone. Your skinny, no-foam vanilla latte? Gone. Binge-watching? Gone. Carbs, love songs, the Grand Canyon … ruined!”
But there is something even more precious that has been destroyed, and it’s enough to motivate all Guardians to defend Earth against the Ghaul threat: cuddly, lovable puppies.
“Everything is gone, except for the last city. And now, a psycho rhino named Ghaul has come to take that away, too,” he adds. “So it’s time to bring out the big guns. It’s not a metaphor, guys. Go grab some big guns.”
The launch trailer shows off some exceptionally skilled Guardians, who use tag-team attacks, melee strikes, and energy shields to defend themselves against the many alien races looking to wipe out the rest of humanity.
It appears that Destiny 2 will be taking a significantly different approach to its story than the original game, with far more humor and direct storytelling. The dry, cryptic writing in Destiny was one of its most criticized aspects, with the story requiring additional expansions to become more fully realized. Voice actor Peter Dinklage was even replaced completely in his role as the robotic Ghost, with Nolan North taking over the role.
The big baddie in Destiny 2, Ghaul, is a member of the Cabal race. While they were included in the original Destiny‘s main campaign, the Cabal weren’t featured as prominently as enemies like the Vex or the Fallen. As Bungie continues to polish its universe and provide more context for the games’ stories, it’s becoming almost as expansive as the Halo series, which the developer created back in 2001. Bungie left Halo after the release of Halo: Reach in 2010, and future titles were handled by 343 Industries.
Destiny 2 releases for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on September 6. A PC release will follow on October 24 — the original game was never ported to the platform, though it was available on both the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3.
