Video Game Review - Destiny's Sword [Early Access]

Rob checks out Destiny's Sword on PC...

When it comes to mental health, for many the subject can be a tough bridge to cross. While some of us find it easy to talk about our mental health, others may not even realize that they see living with poor mental health, or just say "things will get better". In video games, the subject is also one that's not ventured into by many developers. Sure Mass Effect delved into Commander Shepherd's PTS, it was Ninja Theory who captured mental health perfectly with their hit Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice. 

Another title aiming to build upon the stigma of mental health - and to get us talking to each other - is Destiny's Sword by 2Dogs Games. It's an ambitious project that aims to tell a gritty and hard-hitting sci-fi tale that also grounds itself in reality. As you venture through the narrative (that's been written by author M.D. Cooper), the men and women you meet each have their emotional stability. As the story goes to some dark places, it's your council job to these characters, and for some to be that light in their inner darkness. 

Taking place on the fictional planet Cypris, tensions between the locals are running high. The Galactic Government has found itself heading into conflict with a group known as the Consortium over the planet's supply of Lucidium - a mineral that aids in faster-than-light travel. As a last resort, your team has been called to Cypris as a peacekeeping force to quell the swell of disinformation, and to keep the local populous safe. Naturally, you're also there to track down the heads of the Consortium and end the threat. 

However, you'll soon realize that everything isn't black & white, and you'll soon have a lot of tough decisions to make. 

The gameplay of Destiny's Sword plays out a lot like a visual novel that's been mixed with an Ian Livingston Fighting Fantasy gamebook. Across the narrative, you'll be tasked with a variety of missions that'll take you through plenty of narrative choices. Whether it's choosing to disarm a bomb, or chasing the militia into somewhere that could be a trap are all decisions you'll have to make that can lead to success or failure. Another mission also sees you providing emergency medical care to your shipmates after an attack. You already know that you can't save everyone, and deciding who to prioritize is a real game of life and death. 

It's these decisions that'll ultimately affect how your squad sees you as a person, and how the aftermath affects their emotional well-being. There's no right or wrong answer as while your superior could see the mission as a success, the events can hurt the team. In between missions is where you'll be able to interact with your team and discover their worries and answer their questions. Quite often your choices will be questioned and you'll have to make snap decisions that'll affect that team members' trust in you. For example, one early mission sees one veteran member of your team get a little too aggressive with the local civilian population. After the event one of your junior members speaks to you about the difficult situation that could have ended a lot worse if the crowd lost their cool. It's then your choice to respond to the team members' fears. If you agree with them then you'll be off to reprimand the other team member for being reckless. However, later down the line, this recklessness could save another team member's life. It's certainly a moral grey area that does get you questioning every decision you make - even if it feels correct. 

What makes Destiny's Sword unique is that the developer has painstakingly consulted psychologists and war veterans to make their representation of physical and mental trauma as real as possible. It all comes together to make some fascinating insight into how these battlefield decisions have far-lasting ramifications for those involved. What slightly takes the immersion away is that missions can be replayed which allows for different decisions to be made. 

As of writing and Destiny's Sword is still in early access. What this means is that there's still a wealth of content to come, and the core foundations are here. In reality, it's only about an hour's worth of gameplay. 2Dogs Games have already revealed quite the road map that'll lead to the game's spring 2023 release. So expect plenty of additional content over the next few months. 

All in all, while Destiny's Sword is in its early access phase, developer 2Dogs Games is crafting something unique. The fusion between light RPG and visual novel is a nice touch that drags you into the tinderbox that's Cypris. With plenty of exciting things planned for the game's full release, I'm invested in seeing how - and my team pulls through! 

A code was kindly provided for this review

Destiny's Sword is available to buy through Steam's Early Access by clicking here. 

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