Destiny’s slick companion app is vital to the in-game experience

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Games By James Plafke Sep. 17, 2014 12:15 pm
Though companion apps don’t often offer the in-depth second screen experience they promise, Bungie’s MMOFPS*Destiny has a companion app that truly delivers. You can’t really affect the game much, but the app offers more than just a headquarters for*Destiny social media feeds and forums, as so many companion apps are often limited to. The app is vital to the overall Destiny experience, despite companion apps not being vital by their very nature.

[h=3]What it offers[/h]Like most companion apps, the*Destiny app compiles the game’s and developer’s social feeds, community forums, and general news into one easy-to-reach place. However, unlike most (read: most) companion apps, there’s so much more. You can not only view your in-game character right on your phone, but you can change*his or her gear, and see what items the in-game vendors are currently offering (stock rotation is on a timer). You can check what bounties (game-wide quests) are available, see in which regions the current loot bonuses are active, and examine how you performed in your past quests and multiplayer matches.
Most of all, though, the*Destiny app is the easiest way to experience the bulk of the game’s lore.
[h=3]Why you need it[/h]As you no doubt have either read or found out yourself,*Destiny is very light on exposition.*The narrative is there, sure, but ultimately — perhaps due to the MMO nature of the game –*it feels like the game is telling a synopsis of its own story rather than the full story itself. Throughout the game, you’ll notice messages toward the bottom of the screen that says you’ve unlocked Grimoire Cards. These cards are lore entries that you’d find in, for example, almost every JRPG’s journal section. Whether or not you’re the kind of person that reads*lore entries that have been banished to a submenu, this is where all of*Destiny’s exposition is stashed.
Making longwinded exposition optional is perhaps the best way to simultaneously please the crowd that will care and the crowd that won’t, but*Destiny*removes it from the game. In order to access*Destiny’s vital exposition, you have to leave your game, go to your computer, and log into a website to read the Grimoire Cards. While your phone can certainly navigate to a website, the*Destiny app puts the Grimoire Cards in the palm of your hand in an elegant, easily accessible package. It’s a shame you have to leave the game to get your story, but it’s a joy to use the app to learn what in the world is going on.
The*Destiny*companion app is free, and available now for iOS and Android.



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