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Halo: Campaign Evolved represents a contemporary overhaul of the classic Xbox title, featuring all the anticipated upgrades. Relative to the initial 2001 version and its 2011 remaster, Halo: Campaign Evolved showcases superior appearance, smoother controls, and a assortment of mechanic changes designed to update its vintage structure—modifications that may prove debated among players. For instance—and this will either delight or anger you, depending on your position in the ongoing debate within the player community—the hero can now dash.

A New Version on a Timeless Shooter

Following the 2011 re-release for Xbox 360, Halo: Campaign Evolved represents the third rerelease of Bungie's 2001 first-person shooter Halo: Combat Evolved. Yet most recent edition is a bit unique: Rather than being developed with a custom game engine, like earlier Halo games used to be, the studio behind it the development studio is creating Campaign Evolved with UE5. And it's a complete rebuild, not only a graphical update.

Connecting Tradition and The Present

That puts the new Halo at a crossroads. Once this reimagining releases—currently planned for a 2026 release on PlayStation 5, PC, and Microsoft's Xbox Series X—the first Halo will be a quarter-century old. Thus this project needs to fulfill two key objectives. It should function as a means for sentiment, reminding dedicated followers what they cherished about the initial title. Yet it furthermore has to attract new audiences; that will mark the debut the series has been playable on a PlayStation console, introducing the series to a large group of players who've not yet departed Sony's platform. For those players, a contemporary Halo experience needs to seem fairly modern.

Firsthand Thoughts

Earlier this week, Polygon went hands-on with the remake at an physical presentation hosted by the developers. The demo included the first half of the the Silent Cartographer stage from Halo: Combat Evolved, right up to the moment where the protagonist kicks the boulder off the ledge—a scene that will strike a chord with anyone who, like me, have experienced that initial story frequently that they've internalized all of its sequences.

Graphical Upgrades

Sentimentality can frequently mean viewing things through an idealized filter, but this version of the story looks precisely like how a younger self imagined it seemed in that era. Those angular dull constructions and muddy shores of that level are gone, substituted instead by shiny steel architecture and beach so sharp, you can almost count the tiny particles. Yet these enhancements to detail do not undermine the futuristic architectural style that's defined the series' appearance for 25 years. To rephrase: If the original is an eye chart, the remake is that identical test but observed with the glasses you're supposed to have. Whatever technical wizardry the developers used to achieve this result, the degree to which Halo: Campaign Evolved actively feels like a true Halo experience is astonishing.

Iconic Features

The famous Halo: Combat Evolved handgun hasn't gone anywhere, and stays a utterly overpowered firearm. Those small foes still yell, “No, not again!!!” when you plant them with a device. The retro effect is only enhanced by re-recorded dialogue from key voice actors, including Steve Downes and Jen Taylor, which contributes to the sense that this is still the Halo we know, just fancier.

Subtle Changes

However under the smoother surface resides a plethora of subtle changes that longtime players will detect immediately. That rock previously referenced? It is no longer a boulder in the remake. It's a alien gun. You can use an plasma sword in this version, per the developers, although that feature was not playable in the portion of the trial provided. Players use the left bumper to ADS, common for modern shooters but practically a betrayal for the original games (even if it's relevant to point out this was the default setup for the 2021 release of the most recent installment). Medkits have been taken out. Players can hijack transports. And, yes, players can sprint.

The Sprinting Debate

Debates about sprinting have split the Halo community ever since the original developers introduced it to the saga in 2010’s Halo Reach. Apart from arguments over its influence on balance in PvP, gamers have supported its lack in the campaign stages as well, typically approaching it from a narrative angle. The fact that you couldn't run in the initial series contributed largely to the sense that you were controlling a supersoldier wearing highly durable armor. You didn't need to hurry. It seemed unstoppable. {You could|You were able to|It