Remake of Halo: Campaign Evolved elevates classic FPS with new features and maintains legacy

To introduce a classic to a new generation of players, the studio responsible for developing Halo: Campaign Evolved faced a considerable challenge. Halo Studios, formerly 343 Studios, has taken on a great responsibility, as Halo: Combat Evolved is widely recognized as one of the most important games in video game history.

If you’re not familiar with the franchise’s plot, Halo: Campaign Evolved represents a complete remake of the original Xbox version, released in 2001. The game’s relevance was such that it was considered a “killer app”, a program or game that, in itself, justifies the purchase of a console. This is due to several factors, including the way it revolutionized shooters on consoles, introduced vast open maps and set the standard for the FPS genre to this day.

The big question, then, is whether revisiting the Master Chief universe in 2026 is still justified, even in a scenario where most games are directly influenced by Halo: Combat Evolved. The direct answer is that yes, the experience is still worth a lot, despite some flaws in the level design and certain choices that may not please older fans. This is exactly what will be detailed in this analysis.

Understanding the narrative of Halo: Campaign Evolved

The plot unfolds in the year 2552. After being the only survivors of a devastating attack orchestrated by the race known as the Brotherhood, the ship Pillar of Autumn makes a forced landing on a unique world, shaped like a ring the size of a moon. With the mission to explore the location and search for survivors of the attack, the soldier Master Chief and Cortana, the ship’s space intelligence, join forces. Together, they discover that the Halo hides secrets capable of changing the fate of the galaxy.

Watching the cinematic sequences of the new Halo: Campaign Evolved side by side with the originals is quite interesting, as the changes compared to the initial version are minimal. The Campaign Evolved director duo did an excellent job both in selecting the action scenes and directing the actors. These, who returned for the remake, delivered a more natural and convincing re-dubbing than the original. The same praise applies to the Brotherhood’s voice acting, which was already fun in the first game and remains even more so in the remake.

While the essence of the story remains the same, some details in specific scenes add a subtle layer of depth to certain characters. An example is Captain Keyes’ request to Master Chief, which in the 2001 version went unnoticed. Even though the first game in the franchise is not a narrative revolution, noticing these small details is rewarding.

Notable differences between the original version and the remake

If you played Halo in the early years of the original Xbox, you’ll notice several changes to Halo: Campaign Evolved’s gameplay. Although the original game started a new era for FPS on consoles, a lot has evolved since then, and Campaign Evolved has embraced these transformations.

The main one is the reformulation of the controls: previously, it was not possible to run or attack using the analog sticks, and the aim did not work when pressing the left trigger. The feeling of playing a modern FPS is evident, and this is not a demerit, after all, it was Halo who paved the way. For old-school players, there is the option of keeping the original configuration or customizing the buttons in the menu, or even switching to Recognition mode, which brings back the classic patterns.

The HUD (user interface) has also been completely redone, abandoning simplicity to offer the sensation of being inside Master Chief’s helmet, without polluting the screen. It now includes direction indicators for the player in case they get lost. One point that may irritate long-time fans is the reduction in the number of bullets for the main weapons, which dropped from 60 to “just” 36. Although it seems like a small detail, this limitation can be quite annoying when facing a horde of Flooders.

Regarding the arsenal, around nine new weapons were added in this version. Among the most exciting to find are the Energy Sword, which now allows you to use Brotherhood weaponry, and the Fuel Rod Cannon, capable of dealing massive damage. However, even with the intense action in much of the game, some levels become excessively repetitive, a problem that the original version also had. This is understandable, considering it is a faithful remake of the 2001 game, but it is still a point worth highlighting.

Even though certain levels maintain the same structure, the game stands out for its art direction and the lighting of the varied environments, especially in the escape sequence to the Library, one of the best in the game. Despite some turning their noses at Unreal Engine 5, it fulfills its role, completely modernizing the scenarios, lighting and visual effects without distorting the identity of the original. This same attention is reflected in the sound design, which, although using the same effects as other games in the franchise, has been enhanced to provide an immersive experience on headphones, transporting the player into the heart of a fierce battle.

A notable example of this occurs in the introduction of the Flooders, a parasitic species that inhabits Halo: the moment they appear, the game’s atmosphere quickly transitions from action to horror. Although they are theoretically easier enemies, defeating them in large numbers proves to be a considerable challenge, demanding a lot from the player.

Points of improvement in gameplay and performance

One of the new features in Halo: Campaign Evolved, absent in the original but present in later games in the franchise, is the ability to steal enemy vehicles, such as Banshee ships and Ghosts. Although this functionality is very useful in some sections, controlling these vehicles can be complicated, with explanations of use that appear on the screen quickly, not giving enough time to read. However, this difficulty does not compare to the frustration of driving the Warthog. Even with two steering options for the vehicle, it is incredibly difficult to make a turn without it turning 360 degrees or overturning, due to the imbalance in steering. In one of the final moments of the game, the Warthog was heading in an almost random direction, which became quite stressful. Adding vehicles to action games is positive, but they need to help rather than hinder the experience.

Due to automatic saving occurring during some battles, returning to the game after dying sometimes caught me by surprise with the character in the middle of an intense confrontation surrounded by enemies, with no time to react and resulting in a new death. Additionally, I encountered some minor bugs, such as enemies that simply disappeared from the screen during gameplay, or a cutscene that lost audio sync after pausing the game. I believe that with future updates these issues should be fixed.

Extra content: Operation METEORITE and the return of the Skulls

Among the new content, the highlight is the three phases of Operation METEORITE, which take place approximately one year before the events of the main story. Accompanied by the charismatic Sergeant Johnson, Master Chief needs to infiltrate a Brotherhood ship to collect information. However, unforeseen circumstances lead them to unexpected paths. With new variants of enemies and weapons that do not appear in the regular campaign, this original “expansion” manages to make the gameplay even more fun.

Upon completing this part of the campaign, the impression is that the franchise is in good hands, as both the story and the previously mentioned level design problems seem to disappear here. The experience would easily make me play a few more hours of this story, since the repetition of environments and the constant maintenance of the same enemies are not present. Created to please longtime fans of the franchise, Operation METEORITE will certainly be a hit with the Halo community.

Furthermore, it is important to mention the return of the Skulls, the franchise’s classic modifiers. Now, players can find 42 of them scattered throughout the game, the most to date. Each Skull grants changes to gameplay, such as confetti that explodes from enemies after being hit or the release of a third-person mode, which is completely optional. Fun, they are a great option not only as collectibles, but also for adding more diversity to gameplay, allowing for trillions of possible combinations.

More than a simple expansion, Operation METEORITE serves as a demonstration of the direction Halo Studios intends to take. If this is the standard for future new stories, the future of the franchise looks very promising.

The overall experience: Is Halo: Campaign Evolved worth the play?

In an interview, Greg Hermann, game director, explained that Halo: Campaign Evolved was designed to be an introduction for a new generation of players who were not yet familiar with the franchise, even with the existence of three versions of the same story. After several hours dedicated to the game, it is possible to clearly understand what the director intended.

Halo: Campaign Evolved manages to accomplish something that seemed quite challenging: honoring a classic without being overly attached to the past. While modernizing controls, graphics and various mechanics, the remake keeps intact the identity that transformed Combat Evolved into one of the most important first-person shooters in history.

Not everything works perfectly: the level design still reflects the age of the original project, the vehicle physics could be improved, and some small bugs still appear throughout the campaign. However, the final balance is extremely positive, driven by visual improvements, excellent audio work, new weapons, new content and the care to preserve the classic experience.

If that was Halo Studios’ mission, it was successfully accomplished. Master Chief remains one of the most important figures in video game history, and Campaign Evolved establishes itself as the best gateway to understanding the reason behind his relevance.