Posted by A few weeks ago, Bungie released their Riven of a Thousand Voices plushie on their website. As someone who likes collectibles, especially of villains or monsters with cool designs, I knew that I wanted to pick it up. However, acquiring the plushie was not as simple as putting in my credit card and pressing “Add to Cart.” The Riven plushie is a part of Bungie Rewards, so I needed to first complete an in-game task in Destiny 2 during Season of the Wish to get access to the buy option. That task was acquiring all four catalysts for the new exotic bow Wish-Keeper introduced this season. It was an easy enough task that I had been working on with a friend already, so having the plushie locked behind this task wasn’t too bad to complete. Since I was able to complete the fourth and final catalyst the day it was released, I was able to purchase the plushie that night, and it came in the mail about a week later. I think that only the first 2600 or so would ship immediately before shifting into pre-orders, but I’m unsure, so I definitely felt the incentive to pick up the plushie as soon as I could.
Turning to the plushie itself, it’s very chunky. Riven is fairly soft, but the plushie is more firm than it is soft. It’s not a bad thing that the plushie isn’t the softest thing in the world, but it’s definitely worth noting. As for its appearance, it’s very cute. In Destiny 2, Riven and Ahamkaras in general are kind of horrifying. A simple search in Google Images will confirm that statement. The Riven plushie is a simplified, and even anthropomorphized to an extent, design. The Riven plushie comes in a sitting position, resembling a person much more than an animal like a dog (with Riven and Ahamkaras appearing prominently in Season of the Wish, we’ve seen more of them in cutscenes than before and they strike me as having doglike movement, hence my comparison). I think that this anthropomorphism works well for the plushie. It definitely makes it cute. For example, Riven in Destiny 2 has two flaps that perfectly cover her eyes and are in proportion with her mouth; the eye flaps for the plushie are a lot smaller and act almost like ears. Overall, the design of the plushie is great and I like it a lot.
The only other Destiny 2 plushie that I currently own is the Eliksni Hatchling back from Season of the Splicer. The Hatchling had the gimmick of eyes that would glow in the dark. The Riven plushie has the gimmick of six flexible tentacles/spikes/spines. The tentacles are fine, but something about moving them just makes me uneasy and worried that I’m going to break the plushie or somehow get it stuck in an awkward position. I don’t think that the this will happen to the tentacles, and it hasn’t yet, but it is a concern that I have.
Finally, my biggest complaint with the plushie is the stitching. A lot of the stitching, particularly on the legs and bottom, are visible. While not necessarily an issue, the fact that the plushie is so chunky and firm does give me some concern on the long-term stability of this stitching and the worry that it will eventually start to come undone and fall apart. Since I purchased the Riven plushie for collectible purposes and not as a toy, I expect it will be fine. Another issue that I personally experienced was when my plushie came in the mail, both the plastic wrap containing the plushie and the plastic mail package itself were opened. While the plushie looks fine, the fact that both layers of packaging were opened is frustrating.
Overall, I’m fairly satisfied with the Riven plushie. I think that it’s very cute and a fun collectible to own. However, I hesitate to recommend this collectible to the average person. I’m a big fan of Destiny 2 and I really like a lot of its enemy designs. As a result, buying the plushie was an easy decision for me. It was also made easy for me because the in-game task the purchasing was locked behind wasn’t a big barrier for me. For others, that could be a different story. The Riven plushie isn’t meant to be a collectible that anyone can purchase. The price tag also wasn’t great. An initial price of $30 for the plushie isn’t awful by any means, but taxes and shipping added another $15. Honestly, the added costs made me rethink my purchases, but typical Destiny FOMO won out in the end. The Riven plushie is only available for a limited time, though that limited time is still four months away to earn and five months to purchase. Nevertheless, I’m satisfied with the Riven plushie. It’s a cool collectible that I’m really happy with it, even if I hesitate to recommend it to the average person.
Broad Scope Entertainment 