Halo: Campaign Evolved Review (PS5, Xbox Series X/S, & PC)

A remake is, first and foremost, a graphical overhaul. Before you get to tightening the loose screws of the original’s story and gameplay. It’s a near-guarantee of revisiting an old game you once enjoyed, splashed with a new coat of paint. A flashier experience fitting of the modern-day console hardware. Halo: Campaign Evolved has met this expectation and added additional flair for the cherry on top. More exquisite exotic alien environments to shoot and blast your way around. Dynamic lighting tunneling across the Pillar of Autumn’s claustrophobic walls. Everything is polished and neat, 25 years down the line, that it’s almost enough to recommend a fresh playthrough for old and newcomers alike. 

“Almost” because a few things still warrant caution before making the purchase. Some choices the developers made that may not sit well with you. I find these gripes needlessly worrisome, though. Aspects like leaving the levels much like they were in the 2001 Halo: Combat Evolved original may disappoint some players. History has proven, though, that messing with what already works has been detrimental to the franchise. The latest iterations definitely need to go back to the drawing board and learn from the OGs how it’s done. For this reason, I fully support a faithful recreation of the original Halo: Combat Evolved, even if it means that plenty remains unchanged. As for the lack of a PvP mode, well, that just plain sucks.

Still, all of the peak Halo moments and cautionary misses combined, I absolutely applaud the work Halo Studios has done with the Halo: Campaign Evolved remake. 

A Few Stray Strands

For those who’ve played 2001 Halo: Combat Evolved countless times, you should pretty much know your way around Halo: Campaign Evolved, story or gameplay-wise. All of the levels should spring back to memory the minute you step into them. And your rhythm during combat should easily settle in. It’s the same replica of the original, nearly to a T, with only a few stray strands out of place. All for the better, though, when some cutscenes are beefier. When the dialogue is reworked. The subtle changes aren’t always for the better compared to the original. They might as well have been left as is. Still, it’s all smooth-sailing through the polished visuals. A shiny sheen on all the character models and smoother animations. You enjoy more detail, brought to life via Unreal Engine 5.

It’s not just the graphics that look sharper, cleaner, and brighter. The lighting is more dynamic across the levels in contrast with the shadows. Levels have more variation, thanks to more distinct textures and lighting. But it’s by comparing Halo: Campaign Evolved to Halo: Combat Evolved that you can really appreciate the more impressive sheen. Place the old and the new side-by-side, and the difference is undeniable. But this isn’t the first time Halo Studios has remade Halo: Combat Evolved. In 2011, they launched Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary for the Xbox 360. This, too, focused on graphical upgrades, with a shiny brightness in contrast with the original. However, it offered the option to toggle between the new and the old graphical style. That way, veterans could still enjoy the classic polygonal low-res look. Unfortunately, this option is lacking in Halo: Campaign Evolved.

At Full Blast

Part of the Halo cinema is the musical masterpiece by legendary composers and producers, Martin O’Donnell and Michael Salvatori. The remastered soundtrack is ever-delightful to the ears, cementing you in the bombastic flow of action and bullets flying all around. It sounds atmospheric, from the orchestral pieces to the electric synth tracks. The theme song will cling to memory, if it hasn’t already. That said, it can tend to fade out during the missions. Even at maxed-out volumes, the music can drown out sometimes. It can feel repetitive, too, on some levels. Perhaps a flaw from the shooters of the early 2000s.

I find myself more lenient, though, when the voice acting is outstanding. Master Chief and Cortana are the original voices, still as endearing, while some voices like Commander Keyes sound different, but still work well enough. And bringing it full circle are the sound effects, punchy and explosive. Guns sound satisfying. It’s the little things that cement you back in Halo. The shrieking of Grunts. The shield’s beeping when your health is about to run out. 

Dust off the Old

Something else is the emphasis on creating an atmospheric look and feel to Halo: Campaign Evolved, way more advanced than the original. Things like fog that rises to your knees. The way it encircles Banshees in pursuit, minimizing visibility and keeping you on edge for where they might strike from. The lights cutting through the fog make you more observant and ready to fire. Details like the clouds or even the smoke from grenades may be missable additions in Halo: Campaign Evolved that elevate immersion to the next level. 

Perhaps the one gripe I have with the graphics is the sheen polish in the ship levels that makes them look cartoony. It’s an issue with Unreal Engine 5 that isn’t anything new. That brightness that makes environments look washed out.

A Year Before

Another major change in Halo: Campaign Evolved is the addition of a new three-mission standalone prequel called Operation: Meteorite. You choose to play it from the main menu, taking you a year before the events in Halo: Combat Evolved. Master Chief and Sergeant Johnson head out to investigate a mysterious research vessel. Their chemistry is the highlight of these missions, especially watching Master Chief come out of his shell and crack a few jokes. There are also a few ethical plotlines, but nothing significant enough to impact the overall campaign. It’s, in fact, a pretty short prequel that wraps up a little too soon. The pacing feels off. And compared to the campaign, the prequel pretty much falls flat on its face. Still, I acknowledge the addition of missions we’ve practically never seen before. In a remake, it’s an effort well-appreciated.

Gameplay-wise, it isn’t any better. The impact that Operation: Meteorite has on your experience is barely memorable. Some sections are genuinely fun. Shooting the glowing chip on the Brutes’ chest and watching them go berserk on other Brutes let out a hearty, satisfying chuckle in me. I enjoyed the dogfights, too, steering my ship into chaos. But it was over before I knew it, sending me to the main campaign. 

Setting Up Camp

Landing on the Halo ring will always be an unforgettable moment, even before things get complicated. The Covenant, hot on your ass, while new threats like The Flood fester in the background. The story has always been a memorable one. A jackpot sci-fi drama that hardcore fans can tell you word for word. All that remains relatively the same. What’s changed in the campaign is the gameplay. You can now sprint at any time. It makes easy work to breeze past the emptier levels. That’s another issue that persists. Cruising through the levels, the levels begin to feel the same. It’s often a blasting sesh at waves of enemies approaching around the corners. They are relatively different. Some charge at you with grenades in hand. Others have protective shields. Eventually, though, levels blend into one another, and that’s where sprinting comes in. 

Another change is the removal of health packs. Instead, you have a protective shield that you recharge when you’re not shooting enemies. And I have two thoughts about it. While it makes combat more fluid, it can take away any precaution. Aggression feels enhanced, which I absolutely enjoy, but at the expense of thought. You now have access to weapons from across the Halo franchise. The Energy Sword, Battle Rifle, Needle Rifle, Brute Plasma Rifle, and more fan-favorite Halo weapons. But that’s not all. Halo: Campaign Evolved has many more subtle changes. Skull collectors will enjoy looking around for new hidden spots. Their effects on gameplay are exciting, like unlocking third-person or turning off sprinting, though some skulls can be more difficult to find. It’s also pretty great that you can switch up your character’s skins, alongside your guns, with the option of classic choices. 

Verdict

Hey, Halo: Campaign Evolved never claimed to be anything more than it is. It’s a remake of the 2001 Halo: Combat Evolved. To that extent, I think it’s done a great job of bringing the FPS classic to the modern-day world. Beyond looking way more polished than the original, with more graphical detail, better lighting, and cleaner designs, you also enjoy story and gameplay updates. 

A new three-mission standalone prequel ensures that fans can play through something they haven’t seen before. Extending some cutscenes, reworking the dialogue, and enhancing character models make the story more compelling than it’s ever been. Plus, the music and sound effects do their part to enhance Halo’s suspense and sci-fi atmosphere. 

For PlayStation owners, you’d be happy to know that you now have a seat at the Halo table. At $49.99, the only caution before making a purchase is that there is no PvP mode. But if competitive multiplayer isn’t a deal breaker for you, then Halo: Campaign Evolved should meet most of the non-negotiable expectations for a remake.