Bungie not too long ago shifted away from Future 2’s seasonal mannequin for one thing the developer is asking episodes. These episodes are alleged to differ from seasons—which delivered weekly narrative beats by way of a combination of cutscenes and repeatable actions— in quite a few methods, akin to the power to inform extra thrilling standalone tales and blend up the cadence during which they’re delivered. Nevertheless, when the primary act of the continued episode launched shortly after The Ultimate Form, Future 2’s climactic enlargement, gamers have been disillusioned to search out that little or no really modified. Bungie is now attempting to make amends by altering the components, as promised.
On a stream earlier right this moment, Bungie detailed what to anticipate from Echoes second act—which launches on July 16—and acknowledged that it might be altering the supply of the content material following the completion of this present episode. As a substitute of drip-feeding tales for weeks prefer it has at all times performed, Bungie can be releasing all the story content material for the acts without delay. Thismeans that when the subsequent episode, titled Heresy, arrives in just a few months, all the content material for its first act will drop without delay.
This cadence will proceed by way of the remainder of the episode. Now, moderately than get three weeks of story content material slowly meted out, after which one other three weeks to work by way of it earlier than the subsequent act, gamers will be capable to go all out at launch. I’m torn on whether or not or not it is a nice name. As somebody who struggles to maintain up with the weekly grinds, and hates coming again for items of a story, the transfer form of resonates with me. With the ability to bang all of it out in a weekend appears like a dream come true, and permits me to carve out extra time for different pursuits moderately than deal with each login like an appointment.
Nevertheless, I do know that there’s a subset of parents who take pleasure in having a motive to return again recurrently. When that’s not there, it’s straightforward to get your fill, fuck off, and declare that the sport is lifeless when it doesn’t get new content material for greater than a month at a time. Furthermore, releasing all the content material without delay seems like a recipe for catastrophe to the builders, who will very doubtless must put up with followers of the sport harassing them over a perceived drought each six weeks.
Sure, it’s true that Echoes’ first act was a little bit of a letdown. When it landed, gamers anticipated one thing—actually something completely different—and as an alternative they have been handled to what was primarily a reskinned season. Echoes’ first act appeared like a boring retread of the previous moderately than the sweeping evolution of the seasonal mannequin that gamers have been promised. However I’m not completely certain that releasing all the story content material without delay will liven issues up. People need the sport to really feel more energizing, moderately than repeat the identical cycle of experiences they’ve performed for years now, and altering how typically story beats are delivered doesn’t actually reply to that critique.
For now, Echoes will proceed the weekly drip of tales all through its remaining acts, and who is aware of, we might even study to adore it by the point the subsequent episode rolls round. Bungie’s proved it’s fairly fluid in responding to its fanbase, and normally winds up in a great place after some iteration, so there’s no solution to say for certain whether or not or not these adjustments stick round. We’ll simply have to attend and see how well-received it’s as soon as it’s really carried out in just a few months.
