I revisited and played through Bungie’s beloved Halo trilogy over the past few weeks in anticipation of Halo: Campaign Evolved. I wrote an article about revisiting Combat Evolved that you can check out here, but I didn't discuss Halo 2 and 3 because, quite frankly, I think they wholeheartedly speak for themselves. (I miss you, Halo 3; what a video game.) One game that doesn't speak for itself, though, is Halo 4.
Halo 4 was released on November 6th, 2012. It is a product of Bungie splitting from Microsoft and Microsoft being left with the Halo IP. People were wondering after Halo 3: How do you continue the story of Halo? That job fell to 343 Industries (Now Halo Studios). How in the world do you make a Halo game without the ones that started the notorious sci-fi first-person shooter? They figured it out, for one title anyway.
I liked Halo 4 quite a lot, more than I thought I would, in fact. This was my first time playing the game’s story. Halo 4 is set four years after the events of Halo 3. Master Chief has been in a cryonic sleep on the Forward Unto Dawn, and Cortana decides to wake him up. Master Chief and your favorite AI, Cortana, are unwillingly dragged into Requiem’s gravity (a new Forerunner planet). Once crash-landed on the new planet, Cortana starts to malfunction and experiences “rampancy”. Every AI in the Halo universe cannot exist for more than 7 years. But if the powerful pair can get back to Earth, they can repair Cortana, and all will be okay. This is one element that worked very well for me. This story really deepens the connection between the pair that previous entries did not. I also think Halo had to do this at this point, because before this, they never felt as connected as the game tried to make them out ot be. I am also a sucker for close connections in narrative; it makes combat feel more impactful to me. I want to know why I am fighting for the greater good.
You also run into the newly added enemy types called Robotic Forerunner Prometheans, which I think are pretty cool. Their weapons are even cooler, though! All weapons from the original trilogy return in some fashion, but the new weapons are where combat shines. I ended up using the fully automatic Forerunner infantry weapon the most, called the “Suppressor”. This automatic rifle shredded the shields of all of the enemies. The Boltshot, the normal Forerunner pistol, was also pretty powerful, which I appreciated because pistols rock in Halo. (Why did you take away dual-wielding, 343? Please bring it back one day) Sprinting is also added for the first time as a permanent stay, and I think that is okay. It makes sense that Master Chief would be able to sprint. I do believe this is due to pressure from Call of Duty and other first-person shooters at the time in order to fit in.
Halo 4’s level design also takes a bit of a detour from what we know beforehand. Halo 3 was a bit more linear than 1 and 2, but still has sandbox-esque levels we know. Halo 4 feels more like Call of Duty linearity and has more set pieces than before. I don't think this is a particularly bad thing because, if I am being honest, it sort of feels like what the franchise was always headed towards. The environments are pretty neat here as well, and you will visit different types of biomes.
Master Chief also has a run-in with the UNSC once they find him on Requiem. The UNSC is a bit strange here because they are “mean” to Master Chief. I believe that 343 wanted Master Chief to be a man-out-of-time sort of character. I like that idea; I really do. I just believe that it isn't handled as well as it could have been. Why is the army that has worked with him for three games gonna treat him like that? Master Chief having to adjust to time after being gone for a little bit is such a cool idea that still hasn't been touched upon in the franchise.
Why I think Halo 4 worked so well for me, even though it does have trappings of a 2012 game, is because of its narrative. I adore Cortana and Master Chief’s connection in this game and really like the gunplay. Even though levels are smaller, linearity isn't always bad. As long as a level feels dense, environmental storytelling is apparent and you can explore it is okay in my book. Halo 4 gets a bad wrap, but I feel like Bungie would have done a lot of the same things 343 did at that time!
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