24 years later, Halo's most infamous level is getting fixed as the remake devs try to bring "better wayfinding, navigation, and diversity in enemy encounters" to The Library

Halo: Combat Evolved is a beloved game full of memorable levels, but its most famous stage is often remembered for the wrong reasons. The library is one part that Halo fans warn newcomers to the series about, and the developers of the upcoming remake are looking to make a number of changes to fix the infamous scene.

The upcoming Halo: Campaign Evolved will feature a variety of changes designed to improve the pacing and playability of certain stages. Xbox Wire Message When analyzing the remake, the developers very clearly express the consequences: “Yes, we mean the Library.”

“What we learned from Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary is that there is still a need for things like better navigation, navigation, and variety in enemy encounters,” says creative director Max Schlagor. “In The Library in particular, where there are several encounters with the Flood, we wanted to redefine the pacing and improve the environmental storytelling. “We've added new lines to Guilty Spark that guide players through the level, and there's also new dialogue that gives more insight into the story as it unfolds.”

Halo: Campaign Progression | Round Table Presentation – YouTube

It's been years since I last played Halo 1, but even at this distance, I still remember the Library mostly as a seemingly endless series of corridors where meaty Flood enemies kept pouring out from the rafters. The level's reputation may exaggerate how bad it is – you're still playing Halo, after all, so there's a limit to how bad it can be – but it's certainly the low point of the campaign.

There are other changes to the campaign as weapons and vehicles from later installments appear. According to Schlagor, the game now supports four-player co-op, meaning the developers “had to think about how all the original encounters and spaces could scale to accommodate that many players.”

At the end of the day, however, even with some of the larger changes happening in a level like the Library, the developers “are not changing the story, it's about refining and adding context to this moment and other levels like it so players can stay on track.”