Ok so I finally managed to finish my Legendary playthrough today. Some thoughts on the campaign in general.
Large areas vs Arenas
I know 343 said there were going to be some large areas in the game, but i feel like arenas are a better term. I think large areas are best left to Bungie’s Halo games. Not saying I didnt enjoy each arena, I just think that a mashup of the two would be great
Gameplay
As brilliant as ever. While the Spartan AI are lacking somewhat, and the dying/respawning of team members breaking the immersion, it really was a solid game. The AI are pretty good with direct orders, which creates the problems/solutions. One on hand, having teammates distract a hunter or turret while you take it out is great, the other hand has them rushing, single file, to revive you while downed in front of a cloaked Elite. Not saying thats a bad thing, but i think it depends on the player and what they expect. After the first few times of dying in front of enemies and having Osiris run at me and fail, I figured that there should be a time and place to call them. Driving, getting weapons, and focusing fire are all well done, and team chatter is fun as well
Story
This is the major part of my review. Essentially, Id sum the plot up like this. Anomalies in space, territories are being destroyed. Halsey asks to be rescued, Osiris obliges. Blue Team has been on several non-stop missions, people worry about the Chief. Chief sees visions of Cortana, heads to Meridian. After this, its just Locke chases Chief, Chief chases Cortana. Chief finds Cortana, and thats when the real story begins. Cortana wants to claim the Mantle of Responsibility after accessing the Domain, Guardians are a “police” force created by the Forerunners for that purpose. Guardians waking up are what was causing the anomalies. Chief wants to fight her, Cortana wants to save him. Game ends on a cliffhanger, with Lasky and the Infinity on the run from Cortana, and Chief, Locke, Palmer, Arbiter, and the GOAT Halsey all on Sanghelios. Sad part is, this only happens 2/3 of the way through campaign. While the opening missions were fun, and meant to set the tone for the newcomers, it doesnt feel like all that much has happened by the end of the campaign. Until we look at the ramifications.
Thing is, I really liked the campaign. Im a lore nut, but havent had the time to read up on anything recent (Hunters in the Dark, Saint’s Testimony, etc.). I found i could understand the plot perfectly fine. I can see where issues can arrive, what with the Mantle of Responsibility being summed up as Martial Law, but not properly stated as such, and the whole Genesis/Master Builder world. I feel Requiem would’ve been a perfect thing to compare it to. If I were to rate the story, I’d rate it in two seperate ways. As a single game storyline, Halo 4 delivered much more in the campaign aspect, so this one is a solid 7.5-8/10. However, in terms of the entire story, and potential future, this one has us set up for the 10/10 storyline Halo has always tried to have. Cortana being the main villain is a huge step in having Chief be a character, rather than just a gun and a helmet. This game set up the hero of humanity versus his (former) closest friend/pseudo girlfriend, romance thing.
Two major things to address are Blue Team and Osiris. I found that, even with the split, the game still felt like a natural progression. After going through the campaign, it stands to wonder how 343 couldve made the story in this way without having an alternate team fill the time gaps where Blue Team was just searching for Cortana. We needed another team to see the outside world while Blue Team was trapped on Genesis. Osiris filled that role perfectly. Locke has a natural charisma that is in stark contrast to the Chief. Chief sets everyone on edge, Locke puts them at ease. Buck is Buck, no explanation needed, and the team chatter during missions helps fill in Vale and Tanaka’s stories fairly well. Tanaka has some great lines in the campaign as well.
Not really issues, but using the Builders without referencing them in any ways was a sore way to catch the Cryptum. While it was quite obvious that Genesis was a builder installation, it doesnt help new fans who had no idea what happened.
Campaign Issues:
No explanation for Forerunner Soldiers
Too many Warden boss battles, Honestly, I would’ve appreciated maybe 3 different Warden models, or 3 different Wardens, with different weak spots, and then have them come together for the Mission 14 battle.
No actual large areas like in Halo CE-2-3.
Ramifications:
This is the main part of this post. Now there are some huge things to consider when this game is over. Cortana has just created an army of AI using the Domain and her Guardians. She can make all those AI immortal, meaning the only way to destroy them is to kill them.
We end this game with the Arbiter, Chief, and Locke. The 3 playable characters of this franchise. I have no doubt all 3 appear in a big role next game. Next we have the fact that there are a lot of Guardians. Too many for Chief to take out
How will the UNSC work together and run without the use of smart AI? They are on their ships, in their soldiers, in their databases, at their labs. How does the UNSC coordinate against something that has access to every file, ever, and clearly has it out for humanity, what with us creating them to make our lives easier for 7 years or so before they die.
Chief will most likely be the main character in Halo 6, rather than someone else, as the best way to experience the villain Cortana angle is from Chief’s own eyes. We’ll also have the Halsey Cortana subplot, and the Arbiter to deal with.
Speaking of Arbiter, it appears that the Covenant has finally been defeated. So does the next game solely focus on the Forerunners? If so, do we still have the same 4 enemies? Or does 343 introduce another Covenant remnant?
This has been my Halo 5 Campaign Review. Comment on your ideas where the story can go from here, or issues you found with the campaign.