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A real-life Destiny-themed Nerf gun is nothing new, with Bungie having previously released a giant replica of the Gjallarhorn rocket launcher. But the upcoming Ace of Spades Nerf blaster feels decidedly different, both in terms of its usability and the fact that this particular gun choice resonates more deeply with the story of Destiny 2.
Bungie recently sent me the Ace of Spades, which I’ve spent the last few days playing around with, much to the disdain and horror, respectively, of my two cats. Not having seen any dimensions listed for the blaster prior to it showing up at my door, I was shocked to open the shipping box: This thing is big. It’s about 18 inches from the tip of the handle to the end of the barrel, which may not sound enormous for something you’d display on your shelf, but as a handgun you’re actually going to hold and use, it’s hard not to laugh at just how big it is when first seeing it. They don’t call them hand cannons in Destiny for nothing, I guess.
That’s not to say the size is a bad thing–quite the opposite. The scale doesn’t feel far off what it’s like to use the Ace of Spades in-game, and at least for me, this is ultimately destined to be displayed on a shelf in my office, so the larger size ensures it won’t be dwarfed by what’s around it. And despite being big, it’s not so heavy as to be uncomfortable; it’s got a decent heft to it that prevents it from feeling flimsy, though you won’t mistake it for being anything but plastic.
Visually, the Ace of Spades looks decidedly nicer than the Gjallarhorn in my estimation. Though you still aren’t going to mistake it for any kind of real weapon, it eschews the shiny look of the Gjallarhorn’s plastic that gave it an exceedingly kid’s-toy-style appearance. Instead, it’s got more of a matte finish, with decals that resemble the standard in-game version, albeit with a change in color scheme to a white-and-orange design. (An Exotic ornament is on the way soon that will allow you to match up the in-game gun with the Nerf version’s look.)
It looks very nice overall, although your expectations should be set accordingly: This is a $50 Nerf gun that also packs a battery-operated firing mechanism, meaning the exterior is not that of a non-functional collectible costing hundreds of dollars. Some of the decals, possibly because of the textured surface, look slightly imperfect, though this only becomes noticeable when more closely examining it. The left side is adorned with a number of warnings and other icons that distract from the design, so it’s best to keep the right side visible, though I wish the Destiny and Nerf logos there were relocated to keep it looking as sleek as possible. Fortunately, the accusation of a fan’s design for the gun being used without permission has led to that fan, Tofu Bunny, being compensated and credited for their work, so that brief drama seems to have worked out in the end, with Tofu Bunny saying they are “very grateful.”
The batteries are used to fire the 12 darts–six per drum shell, with a second drum shell allowing you to quickly reload–and this is the other area that was a pleasant surprise. Not having used a Nerf gun in about two decades, and never one that relied on batteries, I was stunned by the force with which it fires. Whereas firing the Gjallarhorn was like shooting out a bunch of wet noodles, this packs much more of a punch than I expected. To fire, you first hold a trigger located under your middle finger, which revs the firing mechanism (and generates an audible whirring noise), before then pulling the main trigger to shoot.
This might very well be the norm for battery-powered Nerf guns, but I was pleased to see the long ranges the darts could travel. I expected them to gently make it across a room, when in fact they were moving quickly and going upwards of 40-50 feet, making for a much more fun experience than I had imagined. When I first fired it at a wall in my office from about seven feet away, I was taken aback by how far the darts bounced off the wall, sometimes even ending up behind me. It packs such a punch that the darts can bounce off multiple nearby surfaces, meaning they can be easily lost. Depending on how cluttered your room is, you’ll need to be prepared to go dart-hunting, though the orange tips make doing so slightly easier.
Naturally, I had to know if these darts would hurt to be hit with, so I enlisted my wife, who was all too eager to take me up on the opportunity. She shot me twice from about 12 feet away, which was all it took to determine that, while it’s not going to leave a mark, it is still unpleasant enough to insist the attacker cut it out immediately. On her way out, I couldn’t resist returning the favor. My wife’s review? “That shit stings,” though it’s only a “brief sting.”
I expected the Ace of Spades to be a hit most of all with my cats, but so far they’ve been too alarmed–perhaps by the firing noise–to take part in hunting down the fired darts. That might be for the best, given any chewing on the darts seems like it could render them unable to smoothly fit into the drum shell, though my opportunity for a hit video in which my cats fly across the room after darts apparently isn’t going to present itself.
A few other minor quibbles include the battery compartment (located on the left of the barrel, and which takes four AA batteries that aren’t included) being somewhat difficult to open even after removing the screw. My lack of long fingernails meant I had to wedge in a small flathead screwdriver to lift up the cover, which briefly gave me flashbacks of mistakenly trying to pry apart the last Destiny collectible I got my hands on. Thankfully, this time things worked out far better. There are also very small plastic dividers between the batteries, and I mistakenly bent one, preventing the batteries from making sufficient contact to function. That led me to firing the gun without battery power, which jammed the gun and made it difficult to get apart. Once I got the batteries properly seated, this was no longer an issue; you’ll know you’re good to fire when holding the rev trigger produces a noise. Pulling the hammer allows you to pop open the drum holder, but the drum slides right out if the gun is tilted backwards–good for reloading quickly, but potentially liable to it falling and hitting the ground. The drums are luckily sturdy enough that it doesn’t feel as if they’ll easily break, though.
As noted above, I don’t know that I’ll be firing the gun all that often long-term, but that’s okay. It looks nice on a shelf, and coming off the campaign of The Final Shape–the best narrative work Bungie has done to date–I really like having this to commemorate Cayde-6, who famously wields the Ace of Spades. The initial reveal that Cayde would return to the game after being killed off years ago initially set off alarm bells, but his story turned out to be central to both the very character-focused plot of The Final Shape and its post-campaign content. Bungie somehow managed to pull off a worthwhile return for Cayde, and while his part might now truly be done, he will forever remain a major figure in the history of Destiny.
Like many fans, the unfortunate layoffs at Bungie have left me feeling uncertain about the series’ future, even as the studio continues to share more on what to expect. But having this as a way to remember Cayde’s part–and by association, many of my favorite moments over the last decade of Destiny–is a far more meaningful display piece to me than a more straightforward statue of a character. The fact that I might still get some cat videos out of it is just a nice bonus.
The Ace of Spades Nerf blasters was initially only available to preorder for those who unlocked the new Legend title in Destiny 2. It’s now available for all to preorder on the Bungie Store and is expected to begin shipping in October.
