I know that by and large Halo fans, even those who loved 5, weren’t happy with its campaign. I’m in the minority in that I loved a lot of what they did, but I’m just one guy of thousands who play this, and 343 obviously needs to (and has) listened to fans already pertaining the future of the franchise and their campaign for Halo 6 in general. I want to keep this short(ish) so it’s easy to read, but here are my thoughts, simplified, on how to create the perfect campaign for Halo 6. Please add to them below! In no particular order…
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Bring the focus back to Chief. 3/15 missions with the guy we’ve grown up with and known to love as the hero of the Halo saga just wasn’t enough. He needs to be the focal point again, and the main character of the campaign you play as. To accommodate the new protagonists, give us the ability to play as them as well, but to a lesser capacity… as players 2, 3 and 4, or in separate (but far less) campaign missions. You could always offer a character select if the campaign’s story allows for it. But we want Chief, and his relationship with Cortana, to be front and center again.
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Yet, allow supporting characters to shine. We loved the Arbiter, Johnson, Keyes, Half-Jaw, etc. because while they were mostly side characters, they all were memorable… if not for their personalities (which were fun for the most part) then for their actions and epic moments. Locke doesn’t have much personality going for him at all. So have him do something that makes us care. A sacrifice play. A ballsy move that leaves us going “what a badass!” (similar to Jun in Reach, doesn’t have to end in death though). The community does seem to love all of Blue Team, Buck, and Vale… it’s Tanaka, Locke, and Palmer who really haven’t been received well. Make us care. The return of split-screen will help in this regard too.
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Allow for tragic deaths, this is the end of the trilogy after all. Part of what made Reach’s campaign so memorable was desperation you felt as the game progressed. With each passing level, we were losing the battle, and some of our favorite members of Noble Team. Think about how Halo 5’s story ended for a sec. Cortana is in charge. Has all of the Halo rings at her disposal. The Guardians. Most AI in the universe. Several ships I’m sure. The Prometheans. The Warden Eternal. This is a dire situation unlike any we’ve seen in the Halo universe, outside of the Covenant attacking Earth and a possible extinction event. Don’t cheapen that situation by making it so every character makes it out all “hunky dory…” Give us pain to get to the end, and make stopping her and ending the Reclaimer Trilogy matter. It should feel like a new beginning when it’s all said and done.
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Character-driven, yes, but a well-told, epic ending to the story. Think back to Halo 3 for a sec. Do you remember how epic that campaign felt? The conclusion to our battle with the Covenant. The level “The Covenant,” which is still the best in Halo’s history in my book (taking down towers with three squads, facing all enemy types, taking out the Prophet, and epic two-Scarab vehicle battle, Mongoose on the beach, Hornets in the sky, the Flood temporarily aligning with us against the common enemy). It all felt like one grand exit finale. Halo 6 should feel the same exact way. Each level should feel relevant, interesting, progressing the story, so that by the time we lay down our rifles in the end, we pause, and think… damn, that, was, epic!! Until next time, Chief.
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Which means, making the levels varied, and most of all, FUN. You don’t want a campaign that feels like it gets stale by just shooting the bad guys through multiple levels. You want variety. People will return to the campaign if you follow the rules above and make it a blast to play as well. Maybe it’s creating a level where you start off with a fleet of Wasps attacking one of the Promethean strongholds or something, until that battle is over and you hit the ground running in your assault on their base (similar to that all-Titan level in Titanfall 2). Maybe it’s a optional stealth level, where you can go in guns blazing if that’s your forte, but you could also play it more like “All Ghillied Up” from COD4. Maybe it’s an epic-feeling level, like that of Halo 5 and descending the side, vertically, of a Guardian, before plummeting to the planet below. Give us epic, but most importantly, fun levels to play and return to. Also, not just the Prometheans - the more enemy types, the better.
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Last but not least for me, do what Halo 5 did. Haha, yes, you read that right!! What I mean is, my favorite part BY FAR of Halo 5 was how they expanded the lore greatly. You want a simplified story to some degree, and I’d argue to work most with what you already have and have set up in Halo’s 4 and 5, but Halo 5 saw the universe grow beyond Earth and the Halo rings. We visited a mining colony and saw how the rest of the galaxy felt about Spartans. We liberated Sanghelios and saw statues of the Elites, plus what their home world looks like. We explored a Promethean planet. Say what you will about the quality of the story - the destinations, and the expanding universe, was very, very cool. I’d love to see more of that.I think that’s it for now! What do you guys think? Am I on point here?