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Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun Is an FPS That Parties Like It’s 1996

Few video games in history have cribbed more of its foundation from the Warhammer universe than the original Doom. The landmark ’90s first-person shooter was filled to the brim with titanic demonspawn, disemboweling shotgun blasts, and sweaty comic-book machismo — not unlike the goliath space marines in the grim darkness of the far future. So it’s fitting that Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun is such a dogmatic tribute to the tenets of vintage, id Software-hewn monster slaying. The latest entry in Games Workshop’s digital empire aims to take us back to a happier age: a time of 2.5D sprites, gelatinous blood splatters, and level maps dotted with secrets, keys, and ammunition pickups. The 90s are back, baby. John Carmack would be proud.

You are a Space Marine, a superhuman race of militant intergalactic zealots, who scorch across the universe to eradicate all of the forces who wish ill upon the Emperor of Mankind. After a brief expository overture, Boltgun discards all of its narrative precepts and gets right down to business. Your space marine is dropped into the opening level equipped solely with his quintessential Gears of War-esque chainsword; with one right click, you’ll saw a hapless chaos demon in two. Your hero will unlock an ever-expanding arsenal as they make their way through the gauntlet, the particulars of which will be immediately familiar to anyone who’s ever conquered Mars or Hell. Soon enough, you’ll be mouse-wheeling between a shotgun, a plasma gun, and the titular bolter, all of which are capable of reducing your enemies into a misshapen pinkish lump.

Boltgun isn’t taking any inspiration from the modern drift of first-person shooters. Players aren’t going to find any RPG meta-progression, open-world stat grinds, or quasi-MMO multiplayer mandates. This is a video game that could’ve easily arrived in 1996, and. Boltgun eagerly leans into those tenets with its art style. This is an old-school PC experience, replete with paper-thin enemy models, static death animations, and color-coded keys and doors. But that vintage ideology has been souped up by 2023 engineering, like a 1958 Jaguar converted into an EV. Boltgun might play like Doom, but id Software certainly wasn’t drumming up the gory particle effects and psychedelic bullet trails that fill the screen in developer Auroch Digital’s firefights.

Boltgun isn’t taking any inspiration from the modern drift of first-person shooters.

After an hour with Boltgun, I can safely say that the action comes together beautifully. This is not a shooter about making tough tactical decisions. The space marine is big, beefy, and generously durable — he compels players to switch their brains off — so I found myself absorbing a ton of punishment as I eviscerated any who stood against the glorious Imperium. Boltgun gets increasingly unhinged when the bullets start flying and the corpses start rupturing. Every inch of the terrain is smeared with bright, crimson blood, to the point that it becomes difficult to remember, exactly, what you were aiming at. Trust me, I mean that as a compliment.

Of course, Boltgun is going to need some interiority if it wants to be truly memorable. I love a fabulously phantasmagoric gore binge as much as the next person, but I have also played enough indie, stylized shooters to know that flashy viscera is not enough alone to carry a product across the finish line. We might be in luck, though. I noticed a few tips in the game’s loading screens that made reference to different damage types, which apparently are more effective depending on whatever is currently occupying your crosshairs. While I didn’t play enough of Boltgun to make those strategic calls myself, that does sound like a step in the right direction. It brings to mind Doom Eternal, a game that delivered all of the rapturous slaughter of its mother franchise, while still encouraging some genuine mindfulness as we plotted out our murder sprees. Ideally, Boltgun will match that same thoughtfulness as our catalog of weaponry slowly enlarges and the demons in the path grow more treacherous.

Barring that, Auroch Digital has managed to teleport all of us into an alternative universe; one where id scored the Warhammer license at the peak of the ‘90s. Time travel is possible. I have just the low-res chainsword to prove it.

Growing Up and Gaming with a Disability

It’s very easy for disabled people to feel betrayed when a game lacks proper accessibility, and rightfully so. How can studios expect us to celebrate these innovations and victories if we still can’t play their games? But if there is one lesson I’ve learned from personally playing and professionally critiquing some of our favorites, it’s that major developments should be celebrated, even if that means potentially missing out on brand-new experiences.

When I write, I tend to avoid including my own perspective, aside from reviews. I’ve always felt uncomfortable discussing personal stories, especially since I share a space with over 400 million disabled players, each deserving to highlight how the games industry is helping or failing them. But in some instances, I think sharing personal stories is almost cathartic and crucial when exploring the necessity of accessibility. So, for this month’s Access Designed, I’m breaking my rule to tell you about my growth and evolving understanding of accessibility as a disabled player.

My birthday is in March – March 19 to be exact. Throughout my 29 years of life, I’ve gamed on just about every system. From handhelds like the Game Boy Advance to my current PC, I familiarized myself with some of the best games this industry has offered.

Despite living with a neuromuscular disability, the muscles in my hands and fingers were strong enough to allow me to play… Until the release of the Xbox 360.

As a young child, I never had restrictions. Despite living with a neuromuscular disability – Spinal Muscular Atrophy type II – the muscles in my hands and fingers were strong enough to allow me to play across a variety of consoles. My relationship with my disability and games was incredibly black-and-white. I either played until I needed my older brother for assistance, or I would just return a game to my local store if the barriers proved to be too much for my hands. And before my disease progressed, I rarely needed to research new releases. That is until the release of the Xbox 360 and Xbox Live, when the reality of my limitations became more prevalent.

I met my current and closest friend group within the halls of Nacht Der Untoten. The fast-paced action of running from and gunning down Nazi zombies introduced new challenges that transcended beyond Call of Duty: World at War. For the first time in my gaming life, I was unable to fully utilize a controller. Not only did the shape and size of the 360 pad prevent me from reaching crucial buttons like triggers, the actuation force for the LS and RS buttons was far stronger than anything I’ve experienced. Before I told my friends about my disability, I consistently fabricated excuses as to why I was unable to sprint, use melee, or even aim certain weapons like bolt-action rifles. And for a time, I even believed my own lies. I didn’t want to accept my weakened state as a product of my disability, especially as it impacted my only form of independence.

Appreciating Accessibility

World at War acted as an accessibility awakening. I was unable to simply abandon the game that my friends obsessed over without risking losing the ability to play with them. So I began scouring through the options hoping to find a specific control scheme that would suit my needs. Unfortunately, nothing worked. It took my brother taping a popsicle stick to the back of my controller, allowing me to effectively use both triggers. It was a unique solution for a unique problem, one that still didn’t fix everything and angered me. World at War could not provide its own answers.

That simple modification of adding a popsicle stick was a lifeline when extensive menus and accessible design practices were still within their infancy. And with every new 360 controller, my brother would fashion another popsicle stick to its side, letting me enjoy the entire lifespan of what continues to be my favorite console generation.

As my disability progressed and my hand strength gradually lessened, shooters like Call of Duty no longer appeared on my shelves. Instead, fast-paced games found a new home on my PC, where the ease of increasing my mouse’s sensitivity and creating custom keybinds was far easier for my needs. And as I devoted more time to playing on the computer, my hands became accustomed to my setup, making it much more difficult for me to seamlessly transition between systems. This became particularly evident with the release of The Last of Us Part II.

Lessons Learned

2020 was a year of celebration for the accessibility community in gaming. Naughty Dog’s sequel to The Last of Us was remarkable for the continuation of its story, but also for its attention to detail to the needs of disabled players. Not only did it provide incredible settings for both physically disabled and deaf/hard of hearing individuals, TLOU 2 became one of the few AAA games where blind/low vision people could seamlessly play from start to finish without sighted assistance. It was also the game that truly demonstrated the importance and necessity of accessibility related journalism.

During its release, I was acting as the Mobility Editor for Can I Play That, a publication dedicated entirely to accessibility and the disabled perspective. My team and I spent weeks prior to the release deciding how to cover this behemoth of an accessible game. We published videos, reviews, features, news, opinions, and everything and anything that could demonstrate the importance of this title – except a mobility review. Despite all the award-winning features, PlayStation’s lack of an accessible controller meant it was physically impossible for me to review the most accessible game of that year.

I learned to praise each success for the disabled gaming community, even if I couldn’t enjoy it.

I was frustrated at myself and the absence of first-party hardware compatible with PlayStation systems. But through writing about my immeasurable disappointments, I was struck by the juxtaposition of my colleagues’ joy. And when I searched varying social media platforms, the consensus was one of celebration. At long last, disabled people were at the forefront of a major AAA launch. While I allowed myself to feel left out, I also learned to appreciate the efforts by Naughty Dog and soon began cheering alongside my disabled peers. At that moment, it wasn’t about me. This was a win for disabled players.

Growing up, I was the only prominently physically disabled child in school and at home. My disability was all I knew. As I found my place in this industry, I learned to praise each success for the disabled gaming community, even if I couldn’t enjoy it. Disabilities, like games, are so uniquely personal to everyone. The stories told within titles like TLOU 2 provide fantastic metaphors for important life lessons. For me, Naughty Dog’s award-winning sequel reminded me that a win for some is still a win for all.

Grant Stoner is a disabled journalist covering accessibility and the disabled perspective in video games. When not writing, he is usually screaming about Pokémon or his cat, Goomba on Twitter.

Rare Has Plotted Out the Next Five Years of Sea of Thieves

Rare and Microsoft are celebrating the fifth anniversary of Sea of Thieves, but the developers are also looking out toward the horizon for the next five years of the live service pirate adventure.

In an article on Xbox Wire, Xbox revealed that the Sea of Thieves team at Rare recently sat down to plot out the next five years of the game.

“I think 10 years of Sea of Thieves will feel like a long time – but also, we’ll blink and be there,” creative director Mike Chapman said. “And I still think we’ll have unfinished business when we get to that point.”

The Sea of Thieves team is apparently discussing ideas for smuggling mechanics, rewards for protecting other players from griefers, and a mechanic for “painting” screenshots. The development team’s mantra is “Players Creating Stories Together”, and this wide vision has the team feeling like they’ll never run out of ideas, as long as players are there to experience them.

There are some other interesting stories in Xbox Wire’s celebration of Sea of Thieves. The developers revealed that the original pitch for Sea of Thieves starred secret agents instead of pirates, and that they “ripped up our roadmap” after launch and changed the approach to the game’s content updates.

Sea of Thieves has seen tons of content updates since its initial launch in 2018. From collaborations with franchises like Pirates of the Carribean and Borderlands, to last year’s randomized three-part quest, there have been plenty of seafaring adventures for players to sink their teeth into.

We re-reviewed Sea of Thieves in 2020, calling it “a pirate fantasy sandbox with an enormous amount of things to do, made unpredictable and exciting by the addition of other players.” The game also made our list of the ten best co-op games.

Logan Plant is a freelance writer for IGN covering video game and entertainment news. He has over six years of experience in the gaming industry with bylines at IGN, Nintendo Wire, Switch Player Magazine, and Lifewire. Find him on Twitter @LoganJPlant.

The Lord of the Rings Adventure Book Game Review

The Lord of the Rings Adventure Book Game is the third title in a series from publisher Ravensburger, the previous two entries featuring The Wizard of Oz and The Princess Bride. These are all unique tabletop games where unfolding storybooks are used as the foundation to retell iconic narratives from film and literature. While the previous two releases have been entertaining and effective, The Lord of the Rings Adventure Book pushes the format strongly forward with a sense of maturity and accomplishment.

This is a wonderful combination of charm and lightweight gameplay that finds its groove when played across a diverse age range. It’s perfect for a family as both adults and children can sink into the story and fully grasp the structure and mechanisms. The main attraction is the book itself. Each set of pages is a new chapter in the familiar J.R.R. Tolkien trilogy. It’s a hard and sturdy manual, reminiscent of children’s board books in material. The illustrations are vibrant and the graphic design is excellent, easily accomplishing a sense of immersion through the synthesis of presentation and systems.

All of the expected beats are here. From the hobbits departure from the Shire to the forming of the Fellowship, through Moria and the gates of Helm’s Deep, and finally at the mouth of Mount Doom. Each of the eight chapters utilizes a small number of special rules and objectives that sit atop a very concise core ruleset. All of the action takes place on the pages of the book, which form a unique board tailored to the current story chapter.

The flow of play feels somewhat similar to cooperative mainstream strategy games such as Pandemic and Horrified. All of the players share control of the protagonists, moving characters such as Frodo or Gandalf about the map while managing a small hand of cards. You spend various sets of cards to accomplish goals and progress the narrative. For instance, in the very first chapter you must move all four hobbits to Bree and then discard a card with an eye of Sauron symbol, and two with feet symbols.

It’s very simple overall, requiring a bit of player discussion and cooperation to organize the sequence of actions across each of your turns. The challenge arises through the plot deck. This functions as a timer and provides an injection of chapter-specific random events. In the Shire example, many of the plot effects trigger black rider patrols. This jams up your pathways, blocking movement across the board and possibly capturing hobbits that were left exposed.

This is a wonderful combination of charm and lightweight gameplay that finds its groove when played across a diverse age range.

Across all of the narrative chapters there’s a very basic tradeoff between conservative progress while building up the perfect hand of cards, versus aggressive maneuvering to push towards the objectives immediately. The best strategic approach is somewhere in between, picking the right moments to risk loss without being reckless.

One of the best elements of tension is a track that represents the ring bearer’s growing corruption. This comes into play when you play special ring cards as wild options or for a chapter-specific effect — but each such use progresses a token down the corruption track. This track remains for all eight chapters, sitting sinisterly above the book and providing a watchful eye and ever present temptation. If the ring token ever arrives at the end of the track, the players lose the whole campaign and the journey ends in despair. Using the ring cards is the most interesting decision in the game, and it nicely captures the themes of the trilogy.

The strongest moments are present in the creative interactive storytelling. Those familiar with Tolkien’s books or Peter Jackson’s films will recognize each vignette immediately. This captures the joy in reliving the property and interacting with the most powerful scenes. You will fight the cave troll, ride atop Ents, and hopefully cast the ring into the Crack of Doom. And each challenge is an interesting puzzle of sorts as you work out the best approach to fulfilling your destiny.

You will fight the cave troll, ride atop Ents, and hopefully cast the ring into the Crack of Doom.

There’s nothing outright innovative about this as a board game design, but it’s a clever distillation of the many narrative heavy campaign games currently dominating the board game market. It captures some of the spark of huge crowdfunding titles like Gloomhaven or Oathsworn: Into the Deepwood, utilizing narrative and story to drive a linked session of games. But it accomplishes this with an approachable ruleset that nearly anyone can immediately understand.

It is important to realize that this is aimed at families as well as a younger audience. I felt the most joy working through the game with my nine-year-old, the adventure book facilitating a few evenings of shared storytelling and bonding. The strategic demands are not overly complex and it will not provide the rich gameplay hobbyists tend to seek out in adult game groups, but it accomplishes everything it intends and is worthy.

It’s also evident that this is the current peak of this adventure book format. The scenarios are unique page to page, featuring a stronger sense of variety and creativity than both previous iterations on the system. The unexpected mechanical twists instill a sense of mystery as you want to keep going and experience the next chapter to see what’s in store. During play, I’d often be wondering how the future story beats would play out, curious how they’d capture the death of Boromir or the danger of Shelob’s Lair. Without fail, those iconic moments would manifest with a solid sense of thrill.

Above all, this product really understands its audience. The whole book can be played in only a few hours, each chapter lasting about 20 minutes. You can stop playing between chapters and pack it up or leave the game setup awaiting your next session. The variety and pull of content is real, keeping participants engaged for the entirety of the adventure and begging for attentive minds. It’s a clever and well designed game that captures a wide scope with little fuss. It’s simply a success.

Where to Buy

The Lord of the Rings Adventure Book Game is available exclusively at Target.

Switchback VR Developer Is Investigating Technical Issues ‘As a Matter of Urgency’

Developer Supermassive Games has released a statement acknowledging “graphical issues” that players have experienced following the launch of The Dark Pictures: Switchback VR on PlayStation VR2 earlier this month.

“Since the launch of Switchback VR Yesterday, we have seen and heard the feedback that some players are experiencing graphical issues in the game,” read a tweet from Supermassive Games.

“The Switchback VR Team have been investigating the issues raised as a matter of urgency. So far, a potential cause of the reported blurring has been identified, along with other issues still undergoing testing and reproduction.”

The developers are encouraging players to report any bugs that they experience through its Zendesk Portal.

Switchback VR is an on-rails shooter set in the horror infused universe of Supermassive Games’ The Dark Pictures Anthology, which features villains from titles including The Devil in Me and The Man of Medan.

The developers sought to harness the updated hardware of the PlayStation VR2 by making use of its haptic feedback system, 3D audio, and eye-tracking capabilities. One such feature made enemies more likely to strike and move when the headset detected that the player had blinked, or looked away.

In our review IGN gave The Dark Pictures: Switchback VR a 6/10, summarizing that the virtual reality game was “a fun arcade shooter”, but that it’s “short length, a weak story, and lack of scares hold it back”.

Anthony is a freelance contributor covering science and video gaming news for IGN. He has over eight years experience of covering breaking developments in multiple scientific fields and absolutely no time for your shenanigans. Follow him on Twitter @BeardConGamer

Where to Pre-Order Legend of Zelda Amiibo

With The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom’s release on the horizon, there’s no better time than now to start building out your collectible collection of Link amiibos. Not only can you jump on pre-orders for Link’s new amiibo for the upcoming game, but there are reprints of previously released Link amiibos that you can pre-order for the game as well.

Below, you can see some of the Link amiibos that are available to pre-order at Best Buy and GameStop. This selection includes a pre-order link for the brand new Link amiibo from Tears of the Kingdom, along with pre-orders for reprints of the Majora’s Mask Link amiibo and the Twilight Princess Link amiibo. All of these will release alongside the game on May 12.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Amiibo Pre-Order

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom Amiibo Pre-Orders – Majora’s Mask and Twilight Princess

Not only do these amiibos have great designs, but once scanned on your Nintendo Switch, they can also provide you with some fun in-game items and bonuses. Each will offer a variety of materials and weaponry for you to get your hands on, but the main Tears of the Kingdom amiibo will provide you with a special fabric for Link’s paraglider, along with new materials and weapons!

If you want to see even more collectibles and toys that are worth picking up, make sure to visit our Toys and Collectibles Gift Guide. In here, you can find some more amiibos to buy, including one of Zelda and Loftwing, along with LEGO sets and plush toys from some of your favorite franchises. And, if you’re looking to pre-order The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom game alongside the amiibo, head to our pre-order guide here.

Hannah Hoolihan is a freelance writer who works with the Guides and Commerce teams here at IGN.

Sonic Frontiers Sights, Sounds, and Speed Update Adds Challenge Modes and More This Week

Sega has announced that the Sights, Sounds, and Speed update will come to Sonic Frontiers on PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch on March 22.

The first of three content updates for the game will add new Challenge modes, a photo mode, and a Jukebox for players to listen to their favourite Sonic tracks.

The new Challenge modes include the Cyber Space Challenge and Battle Rush and can be accessed after completing the main story. The former is a time trial mode where players race through multiple Cyber Space stages in a row, while the latter is a timed battle mode where players fight several enemies and bosses in a row.

A photo mode is also being added to the game, letting players capture and edit screenshots of their Sonic adventures, while the Jukebox lets players listen to 53 songs released through new Sound Memories collectibles spread across the islands.

Sonic Frontiers launched in November last year and had sold 2.5 million copies as of December 13. Sega revealed its 2023 content roadmap around the same time, confirming that Update 2 will celebrate Sonic’s birthday by adding an Open Zone Challenge and new Koco. The final update of 2023 will even add a new character and story content.

In our 7/10 review, IGN said: “Sonic Frontiers is an ambitious open-world adventure that mostly succeeds at mixing up the Sonic formula, even when some of its ideas fall flat.”

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer and acting UK news editor. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.

Here’s What Netflix’s Big Video Game Push Looks Like One Year Later

In its sophomore year of video game development, Netflix has pulled back the curtain on the future of its gaming service.

During a recent press event, Netflix spoke about some of its plans for video games in the rest of 2023 and beyond. The company said it has 70 games in development with external partners, in addition to the 16 games Netflix’s in-house studios are developing. Netflix said it will release around 40 games throughout the remainder of 2023, with new games hitting the service at least every month. Currently, Netflix’s gaming platform houses 55 games.

However, when it came to actually showing some of the games in development for Netflix, the company didn’t have as much to say. Netflix announced that Monument Valley 1 and 2 — the isometric mobile puzzle games from 2014 and 2017, respectively — are coming to Netflix sometime in 2024.

In addition, Netflix revealed that a new Too Hot to Handle game is coming later this year alongside a new season of the reality dating show. Plus, Netflix teased the next game in its previously-announced three-game deal with Ubisoft. It’s called Mighty Quest: Rogue Palace, and it’s a rogue-lite follow-up to The Mighty Quest for Epic Loot, Ubisoft’s PC and mobile game that combined castle building and dungeon crawling. Rogue Palace is coming to Netflix on April 18.

Finally, the studio revealed that Vainglory and Catalyst Black developer Super Evil Megacorp is working on an exclusive game based on an unannounced Netflix IP. The studio plans to share more on this release sometime later this year.

Netflix ‘very happy with progress so far’

Netflix also declined to provide any concrete numbers about how its games service is performing among Netflix subscribers. When asked for specifics, Netflix’s vice president of external games Leanne Loombe said the company was “very happy with the progress so far” on user growth, adding that games like Too Hot to Handle are seeing more players over time.

Netflix’s game initiative hasn’t caught on with the vast majority of Netflix users. Last August, less than 1% of Netflix subscribers were interacting with the service’s games regularly. But the company said it’s hoping to entice its users to play games on their mobile devices by providing games with no microtransactions, recognizable franchises, and games that tie in to Netflix shows. Netflix has previously announced tie-in games for The Queen’s Gambit, Shadow and Bone, and more.

In 2022, Netflix said it was aiming to have “the absolute best” gaming service for its customers. The streaming giant began rolling out games in November 2021, where Netflix subscribers can access the catalog of available games for no additional cost.

Logan Plant is a freelance writer for IGN covering video game and entertainment news. He has over six years of experience in the gaming industry with bylines at IGN, Nintendo Wire, Switch Player Magazine, and Lifewire. Find him on Twitter @LoganJPlant.

YouTuber Spends $22,000 to Buy Every Wii U and 3DS Game Ahead of Nintendo eShop Shutdown

A YouTuber has spent more than $22,000 digitally purchasing every Wii U and 3DS game ahead of their Nintendo eShop shutdowns next week.

As reported by VGC, The Completionist uploaded a video sharing the endeavour which took 328 days to complete. Including DSi Ware, the Virtual Console, and DLC, the project saw 866 Wii U and 1,547 3DS games purchased in total.

The completed project, totalling a Wii U with three external hard drives and a 3DS with four micro SD cards, will be donated to the Video Game History Foundation to preserve the digital offerings that will otherwise cease to exist when the stores shut down on March 27.

The Completionist spent $22,791 spread across 464 eShop cards, which amassed to 1.2 terabytes of Wii U games and 267 gigabytes of 3DS, translated to 2,136,689 blocks (Nintendo’s own data measurement system).

These incredible numbers were just half the battle for The Completionist, however, as the Nintendo eShops of old don’t run as smoothly as the Switch’s version. The software is clunkier, slower, has limited search functionality, and even adding funds can get complicated.

Limits to purchasing eShop gift cards exist to prevent scams and such, meaning The Competionist’s team had to visit a ton of different stores to acquire the amount needed. The eShop also has $250 cap, meaning only so much could be added at a time before they had to start buying games.

Additionally, only around ten games could be purchased at a time before the 3DS forces users to download them, and it also restricts the total spend per day. Purchasing DLC on the 3DS must also be done in-game, with some games requiring partial or total completion before any additional content can be purchased.

The Competionist explains every hiccup in the video, but needless to say the process wasn’t plain sailing.

For those who do still have their Wii U or 3DS, be sure to purchase anything left on the wishlist ahead of March 27. IGN has compiled lists of the best Wii U games, which includes Super Mario Maker and The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD, and the best 3DS games, which includes Fire Emblem Awakening and Bravely Default.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer and acting UK news editor. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.

Destiny 2 Players Are Gathering In the Tower to Honor Lance Reddick

Destiny 2 players have been gathering en masse at the Tower to honor the late Lance Reddick, who passed away yesterday at the age of 60.

After the news broke yesterday, Guardians began flocking to Commander Zavala, who Reddick famously voiced, to pay their respects. News traveled quickly in the Destiny community as Reddick was not only an avid fan of Destiny, but would occasionally engage with players on social media as Commander Zavala.

Although it’s a bit quieter in the Tower today, just about every instance had Guardians standing stoically in a circle around Zavala yesterday using the “Humanity’s Sheild” emote to signify his character’s larger-than-life presence, or sitting amongst their fellow Guardians while attending a impromptu candlelight vigil.

Over on the /r/DestinyTheGame subreddit, the post honoring Reddick quickly rose to become the 2nd most popular post across all of Reddit, with plenty of community members and former Bungie developers sharing their favorite memories of Zavala, or Reddick himself.

Reddick’s passing hit especially close to home for Guardians, as they’ve spent the past nine years alongside his character in-game. As I popped into various livestreams on Twitch yesterday, it seemed like it was all people were talking about. Likewise on Twitter, where just about everyone in the Destiny community was sharing screenshots of the Tower, or posting videos showcasing all the Guardians that had gathered to pay tribute to Zavala.

Bungie also put out an official statement following the news stating that “Lance Reddick was an iconic presence on screen, in Destiny, and most importantly, in person. His love for our community shined through in Commander Zavala, in his uncompromising dedication to his craft, and out of the radiating kindness that touched those around him. To say he will be missed is a profound understatement, yet no less true. Rest in peace, Lance.”

In the words of Commander Zavala, “Eyes up, Guardian.”

Matthew Adler is a Commerce, Features, Guides, News, Previews, and Reviews writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @MatthewAdler and watch him stream on Twitch.