Halo: Campaign Evolved Game Review: Should You Buy It Now
By Oberg
Halo: Campaign Evolved helped revolutionize first-person shooters on console in a way no other game did. There are players out there who would probably like for it to never have been changed. Halo Studios remade the original Halo game from the ground up in Unreal Engine. They’ve added tons of subtle touches that are fun to uncover. I think this is how I would recommend playing through Halo for the first time. Even if it isn’t perfect, Halo Campaign Evolved is the best way to play the original Halo.
One of my favorite tweaks is the reworked level designs. This especially helps me know where to go and how to get there in tough situations. The developers have done a superb job with lighting, texture, and overall level design. This makes for some striking moments that really show off what I imagined Halo should look like all those years ago.
What’s the Story About
Halo: Campaign Evolved is a full remake of the original Halo: Combat Evolved campaign. The developers rebuilt the classic story with modern visuals and additional story content. The story follows Master Chief, a genetically enhanced Spartan soldier, and his AI companion Cortana. The UNSC cruiser Pillar of Autumn is attacked by the Covenant. The ship crashed on a massive ring-shaped world called Halo. Looking for the game itself? A quick Halo: Campaign Evolved price tracker shows which verified store currently offers the lowest Steam key offer.
The objective for you here is to rescue the surviving machines and defend humanity from the Covenant. During my playthrough, I also discovered the purpose of the mysterious Halo installation. As the campaign progresses, Master Chief learns that Halo is much more than an ancient alien structure. The discovery transforms the conflict from a war against the Covenant into a desperate fight. This basically prevents the Flood from escaping and threatening the entire galaxy.
The Gameplay is Unique
I feel Halo: Campaign Evolved preserves the Combat Sandbox that made the original one of the most influential first-person shooters. Players alternate between vehicle battles, open-ended combat firefights, and indoor Forerunner facilities. Most encounters let players decide how to approach combat using different weapons, vehicles, and grenades. The remake retains iconic Halo weapons while adding nine additional weapons from later Halo games.
One thing that I personally like is the return of Classic Halo vehicles. This includes Warthog, Scorpion Tank, Ghost, and Banshee in this remake. Vehicle controls have been refined very well while keeping the feel of the original game. The remake improves gameplay with better movement, enhanced combat flow, and improved mission wayfinding. Campaign Evolved greatly expands the Skulls system. I also use this system to unlock numerous gameplay modifiers that modify the campaign.
Solo and Co-op
The campaign supports multiple ways to play. This makes it easy to play with friends regardless of platform.
- Solo campaign
- Two-player split-screen co-op (console)
- Up to four-player online co-op
- Full cross-platform play
- Cross-progression across supported platforms
What’s in the Box
In cutscenes, you get a grander scope of the battle you find yourself in after the Pillar of Autumn jumps through slip space. It's conveyed incredibly well in not only the cutscenes, but also in-game as you can look out the window and get an idea of just how much destruction has taken place. Look closer at the monitors, and you can clearly read the text and see what was coded or written on a particular surface.
This adds a layer of storytelling that I really found myself enjoying as I hunted for the new skulls and terminals in each level. The total game time is about 8 hours if you're taking your time as I did on the first playthrough, but I've seen faster players tear through the original in around four. So, I imagine we'll be seeing a lot of varying play time numbers once you get your hands on the game.
The best part is they've really harnessed the old-school philosophy that there's more to see the second time around. Those small details are nice, but the skulls have been moved around. Over 40 skulls to find and plenty of terminals, too. That's replayability I like and appreciate from old-school games. It helps you appreciate the games on a deeper level.
What Changes Do We Get
Now, in terms of changes, you'll immediately notice that you can pick up swords. But I didn't feel like this broke the immersion in any capacity. You can run, but I felt like I was moving at the same speed anyway. So, many of the changes that are sure to be controversial, they didn't really bother me if I'm being totally honest. I actually liked seeing the SMGs as an alternative weapon to the assault rifle here, though I do love my tried and true AR.
Weapon-wise, I think they did pretty great. I will say that the swap over to the pistol feels so slow now, but they are keeping it true to the original at the very least. While they did add a run ability, it doesn't feel like you're actually running faster, so I found myself walking through a lot of the missions anyway. And like my unchanged walking playstyle, the music also seems to remain unchanged. I had no issues with any of the sound effect design, and loved the explosions, charges, and kabooms that happened during my playthrough.
Performance & Graphics
The main issues with Halo campaign involved aren't really with the gameplay being modernized or how the levels were tweaked. The flaws that stood out to me were the many performance issues on the PC when swapping from gameplay to a cutscene or crashes that I experienced a few times during my playthrough. Crashes only happened once or twice, but stutters are constant during gameplay sections that load in new areas.
On top of that, I don't love some of the subtle changes to the character performances that make Cortana come off a bit sharper than they intended. The Chief a bit too aloof for a military veteran on a mission with his superior officer. Specifically with Chief, a few key issues that stood out to me were the new story additions. This is the only place where the dialogue just felt like it wasn't written in a tone that fit the Chief or the situation.
Verdict – Should You Buy It Now
Score: 7.5/10
Halo Campaign Evolved is the best way to play the original Halo, and I'm left excited to see what Halo Studios does with the momentum from this huge win for Halo fans. The new missions themselves are pretty great, with the third that takes place in space being my personal favorite. The graphics are objectively more realistic, but some of the original game's visual identity has been lost. This remake on the next level, featuring additional new content, mechanics, weapons, and vehicles. All of these aspects make it worthy to play if you’ve played the original game or you’re new to the series. The stunning visual upgrade is noticeable during story cutscenes. Compare the current Halo: Campaign Evolved price history on PriceRadar first – verified key stores regularly list it well below the $49.99 official price.
