Destiny – The Dark Below Review - AMHNetwork

*Authors Note* The Dark Below is the first expansion to Destiny. It is available for all versions of the game which includes PS3, PS4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One. For the purpose of this review, the PS4 version was played, which includes bonus content exclusive to Playstation owners.
I liked Destiny when it first released, I still do. Despite its numerous flaws, there is a spark about the game that always entices me to return, perhaps it is the great list of things that I can still do despite having rolled through the campaign? Well that this has now gotten a little bit longer thanks to The Dark Below, the first slice of DLC for Destiny. The problem with such an expensive piece of DLC is… that you don’t get much for it.


Destiny has been deservedly criticized for its lacklustre story; it was not of the quality that we know Bungie is capable of, but we’ve been alerted to a number of stories that may explain the development crisis that impacted the narrative. The Dark Below however was meant to the be the opportunity to turn all of this around, but instead what we get is a 90-120minute expansion to the narrative that fails to carry any sort of weight and does in no way alter our perception of the main games plot. The story itself surrounds Crota, a demi-god of the Hive race that the Hive themselves are trying to summon to destroy Earth. Eris, who spent years hiding among the Hive emerges to warn you of the impending threat and guide you on your quest to stop Crota from returning.
Unfortunately a simple, albeit engaging concept descends rapidly into a sequence of missions that task you with killing a range of Hive lieutenants, and force you through a number of familiar locations to stop Crota from being revived. There’s simply not enough meat on the bones to keep you invested in the plot, and it’s over way too soon to actively engage you.

On top of the story missions, The Dark Below includes a few new features, from a range of new weapons (which outside of a small few, hardly inspire), a new Strike mission (or two for Playstation owners), and the most enjoyable part of the experience – a new raid mission. Crota’s End (The Raid) will see Guardians venturing deep into the Hellmouth to defeat the Hive-Lord Crota and prevent the forces of Darkness from destroying the last bastion of Light – Earth once and for all, and will serve as a challenge for many of you out there. For those of you who are into the ever popular multiplayer, you will get to enjoy a selection of new Crucible maps to play through and while none of these are especially ground breaking, they are enjoyable to play through nonetheless, and nobody will ever complain about having a few more maps to wreak havoc in.

For a hefty sum of money, you just do not get nearly enough content from The Dark Below. As with the main game there is a lot of replay value for those who are still levelling up their Guardians, it’s always nice to score some new loot and playing with friends is a blast, but you could still do this in the main game itself. The Dark Below delivers a small range of additional options to play through but none that will sustain your interest for any significant period of time. More DLC is to come, and one can hope that there’s a bit more to it, because The Dark Below is too light on for content.