Campaign Evolved is a pretty remake, but it leaves me with lots of questions

The one that has been rumored for a long time Halo: Combat Evolved the remake is real and was just unveiled at the Halo World Championships in Seattle. It brings the 2001 Xbox classic to the world of 4K Unreal Engine 5 graphics on Xbox, PC and, most importantly, PS5 in the series' first PlayStation release. (However, as the name suggests, this is just a campaign with optional local/online co-op; competitive multiplayer content is not supported.)

I need to play a clip from the remake called Halo: Campaign Progression this week, and my impressions are… complicated. Bye Campaign development certainly feels like a well-made remake from developer Halo Studios, its positioning within the Xbox ecosystem – and by extension, the wider gaming world – makes me feel a little cold.

First, let's get the good stuff out of the way: the game is, of course, beautiful. The demo begins during the Master Chief's landing on the beach in the famous mission “The Silent Cartographer”, quickly demonstrating the breadth of visual fidelity. Shimmering waves, rugged cliffs, sand pits and lush greenery – it's all shine in modern 4K resolution. I will say that throughout my roughly 25-minute demo of the Series X, there was occasional pop-in, grainy textures, and stuttering not unlike what you'd see while streaming the game. However, Halo Studios has emphasized that this is an earlier build, and the official trailer above, which features footage from this level, looks much more polished.

On top of all this, Campaign development adds many mechanics that were introduced later in the series, such as sprinting, the ability to use weapons such as the battle rifle and energy sword, and vehicles that can be stolen. (Bye the sprint is sure to be controversial among puristsI'm just considering it as an option, especially since it can be switched.)

And indeed, Campaign development otherwise Very loyal. I watched the playthrough of the original Combat Development version of the level after completing the demo and it really is about 1:1. While Halo Studios is promising changes like “improved level design,” I didn't notice anything drastic here other than improvements to the presentation, adding to the nostalgia of storming the beach in a remastered version of the iconic game. Halo topic. However, the “improved navigation” promised by the developer is really noticeable thanks to the marker system. (Such changes will likely be most noticeably felt in the controversial “Library” level, which Halo Studios admits was a disappointment and promises to bring changes to the pacing and environmental storytelling.)

So for the most part, the remake clearly makes some subtle but smart changes across the board. After all, “if it ain't broke, don't fix it.” But this also leads to why I'm pretty indifferent to Campaign development even after the demo. First off, the lack of competitive multiplayer is a bummer. It's also the second Xbox remake. Combat Developmentafter the 10th anniversary of the Xbox 360 version, released in 2011. For context: this will be the 25th anniversary Combat Development by then Campaign development will be released in 2026. At this rate, will the game be remade for future milestones?

The gaming industry is so obsessed with pixel art, and in the case of Campaign developmentthere already exists a completely reliable updated version of the source material, included in a comprehensive Master Chief Collectionno less. It could have just been ported to PS5 entirely, but now you have to wonder if we'll get UE5 remakes. Halo 2, Halo 3 and the like one after another. This is not even a rethinking, requiring bold creative turns in the spirit Remake of Final Fantasy VII rowso there is not much excitement on this front, with the exception of the three Master Chief and Sergeant. Johnson's teased prequel missions.

What makes all of this even more impressive to me is that it happens right after Gears of War: RebootAnother improved version of the classic Xbox game, which already received an update in 2015. Gears of War: Ultimate Edition. Will Xbox continue down this path with its portfolio, especially now that we're hearing so much There is increasing pressure on the unit to avoid risk?

also impossible to watch Campaign development in a vacuum, given the condition Halo generally. The latest game from Halo Studios (back when it was called 343 Industries) was released in 2021. Halo Infinitewho was admittedly under pressure to follow disappointing Halo 5 And catastrophic launch Master Chief Collection. And initially, endless actually had a promising start, but ultimately fell flat due to an underwhelming campaign that just felt like an MCU-style setup for larger story expansions that would never come, and a solid multiplayer set that suffered greatly from a lack of consistent updates.

After this, most of the 343 development team either left or were fired. while plans for the future of the series have reportedly been re-evaluated and reworked.. Of course, aware of the constant weakening of public opinion towards Halo brand, Xbox eventually announced in 2024 that 343 was renamed Halo Studios. and hinted at a “new dawn” for the series with several projects in development.

But after all this time it's mostly a 1:1 remake doesn't feel like a fresh start for the iconic series, which has had its fair share of bumps in recent years. In a sense, Campaign development it just feels like a cynical nostalgia piece, reminding us of the classics rather than demonstrating why the future is bright. Of course, I'd like to believe that Halo Studios can bring Halo ago, but we have a lot of reasons to be skeptical, and being the first to tell something from the show's golden years doesn't help.

To be clear, I'm always excited for more people to play a game, and debuting on PS5 is a truly exciting endeavor. But even then I wonder why it couldn't just be a port last remake, especially when it's right there with Master Chief Collection. In general, it seems that you can do worse than Campaign developmentbut considering where Halo judging by the series now, one could hope for much better.

Halo: Campaign Progression will be released sometime in 2026 on Xbox Series X/S, Xbox on PC, Steam and PlayStation 5. The game will also be available on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass on day one.

Image credit: Xbox