Halo: Combat Evolved is a foundational game whose influence and reach are hard to encompass. 25 years ago, that game established an array of mechanics, control systems, story tropes, and gameplay flow that rippled outward across the genre and beyond. In crafting a rebuild, Halo Studios opted to strip out the competitive multiplayer that helped establish part of that reputation, which is a real shame. Even so, Halo: Campaign Evolved does a phenomenal job of capturing what made the 2001 original so much fun while updating certain elements to better suit modern sensibilities. The core game shows its age in some notable ways, but there’s no mistaking the magic that made this formula work all those years ago is still very much intact.
Behind the wall of clever sci-fi world-building, Halo’s triumph has always been its insistent fun at all times, sometimes at the cost of perfect balance or sense. Brightly colored weapon flashes trigger chains of plasma grenade explosions. Warthog vehicles careen over cliffs in improbable arcs. Rocket launchers appear in your path at suspiciously opportune moments for maximum destruction. Enemy grunts are almost gleefully eager to charge into your shooting gallery line-of-fire. The action is constant, the set-piece moments and cinematics are bombastic, and the power fantasy never relents. Halo Studios manages to capture that persistent exuberance, and it’s the highest compliment I can offer for this remake.
I’m also a fan of the selective efforts to update gameplay to contemporary expectations, including the integration of features like sprinting, equipment, and additional aiming options that didn’t come until later installments. Enemies are more dynamic in their actions, especially as they reveal more nuanced and distinct behaviors on higher difficulty levels. Four-player online cooperative play joins the original fun of two-player local. Either way is ideal for sharing the experience with friends.
On the gameplay side, the tough choice not to go further in rebuilding the game keeps the campaign’s original flow mostly intact. It must be said, though, that it includes a degree of repetition, backtracking, and narrow-corridor navigation that feels at odds with modern shooters. While it’s no doubt a product of its time, that limitation might help the game feel true to its source material if it didn’t make it feel dated and frustrating to navigate today. I also appreciate the efforts put into offering customization of weapons and armor, and the huge number of unlockable skulls that let you tweak your play experience, including a remix option that offers major changes, like new enemy and weapon placements – a significant bonus to replayability.
The original Halo presented an alluring and mysterious setting that combined alien ruins with Pacific Northwest-inspired natural grandeur, but the level of detail back then simply hadn’t yet caught up with the imagination. That’s resolved here, with a gorgeous visual update that makes the whole campaign pop with excitement. Unfortunately, I encountered several instances of framerate chugging and stuttering when the screen got especially crowded, even if the game otherwise ran smoothly throughout my playthroughs. The remastered audio is stellar, featuring excellently re-recorded dialogue and scoring of all those memorable musical tracks.
For those who, like myself, find some aspects of the campaign to be feeling their age, the three new bonus missions are a welcome addition. This standalone story, set before the events of the main game, gives us more time with fan-favorite Sergeant Johnson, as well as some of the weapons and enemies that came along later in the series. I enjoy the new location aboard a unique Covenant ship, especially the expansive concluding event, though the scope of these three missions feels less impactful overall compared to many Halo adventures over the years.
Master Chief and Cortana’s journey across the ringworld of Halo was an integral experience in my gaming life, and I’m certainly not the only one. Campaign Evolved is a superb update and rebuild of what made the original great, but it stops short of a complete restructuring of that landmark game. Even constrained by some of the features that defined the 2001 classic, this new version nails the roiling current of chaos that made it so fun all those years ago.