The Arena maps in Halo 5 are very well designed around all the Spartan Abilities and the gameplay is excellent but there is one big problem with almost all the maps that 343 needs to improve in their DLC maps and that’s the creativity they put in their maps.
Almost all the maps feel and look generic, they have no “soul” to them like they used to have in previous Halo games, even Halo 4.
Too many maps are urban maps and UNSC based. It’s okay if they are UNSC maps but they all look so similar. Fathom for example, the surroundings of the map with the whales is awesome but the actual map has the exact same UNSC art style as The Rig. It seems to me that 343 could have put a lot more creativity in maps like Fathom.
My favorite maps in Halo 5 are Empire, Truth and Coliseum. Like I said, all maps play very well but Empire, Truth and Coliseum are the only 3 maps that really have a different feel to them compared to the others. They have a soul and feel unique.
Since all DLC maps will be free, I hope 343 puts more creativity in the environments of the maps because it really sets a tone for the game. Generic maps tend to get boring more quickly because they don’t look interesting enough to explore. I know it is about gameplay but Halo is more than gameplay, it’s an art and right now a lot of maps lack this Halo art we had in all previous Halo games.
Fathom could have looked so much better and more interesting if the moving blocks were designed of glass with water inside them or placed some scattered glass walls with water pooring on the ground. I’m not the most creative person but I’m sure 343 could have made things a lot more interesting and unique on the maps.
Playing UNSC maps like The Rig and Fathom doesn’t feel really different from each other. Take a look at some of the interesting environments of the campaign or other interesting environments from the Halo universe and build maps around those ideas.