Halo is entering a new chapter. Now, for anyone who's stuck with the Halo games over a significant period of time over their 23-year history, those words could be a cause for concern, depending on whether you appreciated 343 Industries' first take on the franchise in Halo 4, the muddled Halo: Guardians, or the (far better) open-world Halo: Infinite.
Either way, 343 Industries is now rebranding as Halo Studios, moving development of future games to Unreal 5 (instead of 343's Slipspace Engine), and looking to turn over a new leaf. That makes it the perfect time for a remake of the game that kicked off the entire franchise – Halo: Combat Evolved.
Remaster chief
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Since June, there have been rumors that Microsoft is considering a remaster of the first Halo game, with eyes to launch it beyond Xbox consoles – which seems possible given the company's increasingly open-minded attitude towards platform exclusivity. It might be odd to play Halo on a souped-up PS5 Pro, with no high-spec Xbox console upgrade seemingly planned, but it would certainly open up Master Chief's story to new audiences.
The rebranded Halo Studios has shown off artwork of Master Chief that looks suspiciously like 2001-era Halo – with a narrow visor and tighter frame than his modern counterpart – and I'd argue that this 'new chapter' would be well served by a nostalgic return to the game that started it all.
For one, over two decades of technical improvements and console cycles are sure to make a remake feel substantially different. While we did get a 2011 remaster of Halo: CE, one that allowed you to toggle between the original and remastered graphics at your leisure, it effectively left the underlying game untouched. Enough time has passed that a ground-up remake, rather than just a graphical facelift, could launch Halo: CE back into the limelight where it belongs.
Halo: CE was hugely influential as a first-person shooter, thanks to its tight gunplay, varied and engaging enemies, and a sprawling sci-fi world that was breathtaking to witness when it first launched. It's still very much playable, thanks to the Master Chief Collection on Xbox and PC – but what seemed limitless in 2001 can feel a little boxy in 2024, like returning home to find your childhood bedroom is smaller than you remember.
I don't think fans need a split-up trilogy of games, in the vein of Final Fantasy 7 Remake – to me, an exhausting amount of content – and there's little danger of that, given Halo: CE's campaign can be beaten in 10 or so hours. But I'd love to see a modern take on the game that expands the world, reworks its graphics, and improves level design in some of the game's hard-to-navigate pain points (cough, the Library, cough). Some revising of enemy, weapon and vehicle locations, along with terrain and environmental design, could also do a lot to keep the game feeling fresh for audiences old and new.
More than anything, I'd love for Halo Studios' developers to reconnect with what made the original so good, going back over the blueprint that launched such a wildly successful franchise. While Halo: Infinite was a great return to form, the Halo games spent years in the wilderness – when it came to their single-player campaigns, at least – and this new chapter for the franchise needs to cleave close to what Halo does best. What better way to do that than going back to where it all began?
The first level of Halo: CE gave me chills the first time I played it, as I navigated a tense, claustrophobic battle on a boarded spaceship and crash-landed onto an expansive world. Halo's franchise has had a similar journey, starting small and focused before sprawling into the platform-defining behemoth that it is today. However, as in Halo's large sandboxes and ancient megastructures, it's good to know where you're going before you rush off in a new direction.
Pass the time until Master Chief's return with these games like Halo.
