As Halo 5 opens, you’re introduced to two Spartan squads: Blue Team, which is composed of the Master Chief and three surviving Spartan-IIs — Linda, Kelly and Frederic; and Fireteam Osiris, led by former ONI assassin Jameson Locke (if you played last year’s Halo 2 Anniversary, you’ll recognize Locke from the new Blur-produced bookend cutscenes) along with former ODST Edward Buck and new characters Olympia Vale and Holly Tanaka.
As Osiris is dispatched on a secret mission to rescue Dr. Halsey, the creator of the Spartan program, Blue Team is assigned to secure a derelict research vessel in danger of being discovered by the Covenant.
From there the Chief defies orders and sets off to investigate a mysterious message from a familiar voice, and Locke and Osiris are ordered to bring him in by whatever means necessary. Halo 5‘s story is less scattered and confused than Halo 4‘s, and 343 has wisely ditched hiding important backstory in terminals scattered throughout the game.
Halo 5: Guardian is a game about momentum. It’s fueled by new ideas and propelled by some of the boldest changes to this storied franchise yet. Some of these changes fail, but others succeed, and although Halo 5 falters at times, it whisks us through black holes and across war torn tropical islands at a rapid pace. We can only surrender to its velocity.
With Halo 5, developer 343 Industries comes closer to meeting the many expectations the Halo name carries with it. This is only the developer’s second original title, but some facets of the franchise’s formula are at their best here. Guardians introduces new player movement, open level design, and an innovative new multiplayer mode, all to great effect. It also implements a new campaign structure, with eight playable characters across two separate teams, as one chases the other across the universe.
To be superficial for a moment, it also helps that Halo 5 is beautiful. There are genuinely spectacular setpiece moments within the campaign that go far beyond the skybox fireworks that have defined previous Halo titles, and the sense of discovery and awe that 343 injected back into the series with Halo 4 is in effect. The new generation of console hardware is also used to aggressively push forward on some of the neat visual design sensibilities from the last time around.
And then there’s the multiplayer. And here, Halo 5 excels. In fact, this is the best shape Halo’s multiplayer has ever taken.
The classic Halo playlists, such as Slayer, Capture the Flag, and the fan-favorite SWAT, eschew the modern multiplayer progression system introduced with Halo 4. Now, instead of earning new weapon options a la Call of Duty, Halo 5 returns to form with universal weapon loadouts, and by scattering power weapons throughout each map, delivers a welcome departure from the tedious unlock system of its predecessor.
You won’t develop the necessary competitive reflexes over the course of a single match. Arena will make sense right away, but multiplayer skill comes with practice. When practice feels this fluid, though, and movement this dynamic, acquiring those skills isn’t a chore.
While Arena feels great in a tactile sense, and captures the essence of what makes Halo multiplayer compelling, Halo 5’s new Warzone departs from franchise tradition several times over. It takes inspiration from the MOBA genre, combining player vs. player tactics with player vs. environment combat. And it’s one of the best new ideas in not just this series, but the shooter genre in general.
Verdict: In some ways, Halo 5 is the boldest Halo yet. The franchise’s multiplayer is at its peak, with a mode I’m sure I’ll return to several times over. But then there’s the campaign, which introduces fluid new movement and open level design, yet can’t tell a coherent story to match.
There are signs of a phenomenal shooter here, but certain narrative aspects feel underdeveloped, holding the franchise’s newest sequel back from true excellence.
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