14 DAY TRIAL // Video game developer Bungie is offering a Valentine's Day themed event in Destiny for the first time, and the studio wants to make sure that gamers have all the information they need about the coming Crimson Days content and event before it makes its debut on all platforms on February 9.
The Weekly Update explains that the new game mode, called Crimson Doubles, features two-man fireteams that will face competitors in elimination battles, using a five-round structure.
Gamers will have to cooperate to secure a win in the tense matches, and when one member of the pair falls in battle, the other gets access to a Broken Heart power that's active until the end of a round or until the partner is revived, which offers enhanced combat effectiveness.
Crimson Doubles will feature a range of unique rewards, including Ghost Shells and new shaders for Guardians, and the event also introduces a special quest associated with Lord Shaxx, which offers access to an emblem, with special candy offered for those who want to boost their performance.
Bungie is also introducing more emotes for Destiny via the Eververse Trading Company, which asks gamers to use real world money to secure Silver that can be used to get extra content.
The company explains, " Get down with the new Awkward and Strange dances, give a Secret Greeting or Fist Bump to your Crimson Doubles partner, or Charm potential new friends in the Tower when you’re looking for Fireteam."
All the Crimson Days activities will run until February 16, and Bungie says that it has another big content update planned for later in the spring.
Crimson Double is both fun and fast
Leif Johansen, a senior designer, says that his team explored the idea of Valentine's Day and the values associated with it to come up with the game mode and the idea of giving players who see their comrades fall a chance to use Broken Heart to gain their revenge.
The developer also says that bounties for Crimson Days take into account the kills of the partner, which should make it easier for even casual gamers to gain something from engaging with the event.
Crimson Days and the recent matchmaking updates, which are at the moment limited to Iron Banner, will certainly bring back a lot of gamers who have abandoned Destiny towards the end of last year.
But to keep them engaged, Bungie needs to deliver a range of new content for the social shooter and it is not yet clear whether the second content drop of the year will include any new strikes or a new raid for long-term fans.
Presumably, more details will be offered once the studio makes sure that the main mechanics, including the matchmaking, work as they should.
A rumor recently suggested that a sequel for Destiny was designed to arrive in September of this year but was pushed back to give the development team more time to expand the core features, which means more content for the first title will continue to be offered in 2016.