Thoughts on the Halo Remake

 November 2026 will mark the 25th anniversary of the Halo franchise & itself. To mark the occasion, the original Halo game is being remade using Unreal Engine 5. It is set to be released sometime next year for Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5 & PC.  While I have not played any game for some time, I still have some interest in the franchise just wanted to share my thoughts on the project during this Blog entry. 

Last month, a 13-minute gameplay demo was uploaded to the official Halo YouTube Channel, showcasing a remade version of ‘The Silent Cartographer’ (the 4th level of the original Campaign). The first time I watched the video, I started feeling bored when it came to the section where you drive the Warthog. For some reason, the visuals during this section didn’t look that interesting to me. Maybe it is because so many games lately have been using Unreal Engine 5 & they have started to blend into each other & therefore look generic. However, when it came to the gameplay sections on the inside looked spot on for a Halo game. The visual design for the Forunner Facility is spectacular & fits the aesthetic of Halo lore. 

When it comes to the section with the Hunters, it is now possible to drive the Warhog to where they are located. While I am not sure how I feel about this change, with players previously forcing the vehicle into this area, I can see why this was done - Points to Halo Studios for noticing how people play, I guess. Another change would be that the pilot ‘Foehammer’ now has a character model & animations, instead of being a ghost. I do not think that Halo studio had to do this, but it is cool that they did.  I also noticed that a sprint function has been added to the game. I do think that the animation for sprinting/running in games using the first-person perspective looks ridiculous; however, with the function being not only in other recent Halo games, but being a staple of modern gaming in general, I understand why it is there, which is fine. 

I have listened to the sound effects for the remake & they at least to me sound more crisp, something to be expected on modern hardware. As for the addition of 4-player co-op, while something I am not overly interested in, I do think it is hilarious that 4 people can play as the same character at the same time. Even Bungie preferred the rule of fun when making most of their Halo games. “I am Master Chief”. “No, I am Master Chief”. “We are all Master Chief”.

Now on to cutscenes: Dialogue has been re-recorded & motion-captured, which is to be expected with modern remakes like those for the original Resident Evil games. The second time I watched the demo whilst writing this blog, I noticed that the cutscenes looked like oil paintings, not sure what else to say about that.

My concerns about the remake mainly revolve around the new prequel missions. How will they be implemented into the game? Will they be part of the campaign just as the three levels before ‘Pillar of Autumn' (1st level of the original game)? Will they simply be a separate mini-campaign that can be played at any time? Will they be incorporated as flashback levels? When I first heard of the prequel missions, I thought, “But it already has a prequel.” Referring to Halo Reach & partly to the Fall of Reach novel. Will they cover the events of the novel, or be something separate? I have concerns that if they are of sub-par quality, people who play on Xbox & PC would be disappointed & therefore could revert back to older versions of the game, like The Master Chief Collection. Additionally, the poor quality of these new missions or the remake altogether could completely put people who play on PlayStation 5 off the franchise entirely. So how these new missions turn out could make or break it for some people.

So, those are some of my thoughts on the Halo remake. What are your thoughts on the remake? Let me know in the comments & see you in the next blog.