A classic gets its shields recharged
By Paul Hunter
Seeing Halo arrive on PS5 still seems a little unreal. Combat Evolved helped establish the original Xbox in 2001, and Master Chief has spent nearly twenty-five years representing Microsoft’s console legacy.
Halo: Campaign Evolved opens that history to a new audience as the first Halo release on a PlayStation console. Halo Studios developed this Unreal Engine 5 remake, with Xbox Game Studios publishing it. Ever since seeing the first trailer, it's clear this project treats Master Chief’s first adventure as both an important piece of gaming history and a campaign worth introducing to modern shooter fans.
Is this the right time to step back into the original Halo? Let’s find out!
The Covenant, an alien alliance fighting humanity, attacks the Pillar of Autumn and forces its crew to abandon the warship. Master Chief escapes with Cortana, an artificial intelligence who carries crucial UNSC data and supports him on the mission.
Their destination is Halo, an artificial ring built by the ancient Forerunners. The UNSC survivors are stranded across its surface, but Captain Keyes, commander of the Pillar of Autumn, has seemingly disappeared. The Covenant searches the structure for a purpose hidden from humanity, a purpose Master Chief races to discover as it's clear something threatening is afoot.
It's such a joy revisiting this campaign, not only because it's sets up the Halo franchise, but also because I love how Cortana’s warm curiosity balances Master Chief’s reserved personality. She questions things they discover and provides invaluable intel, while the Chief stays focused on protecting survivors and completing the mission in front of him.
The Flood, a parasitic species that infects living hosts, creates the story’s most dramatic late-game turn. It threatens everyone on the ring, and beyond, changing the conflict from a war against the Covenant into a fight to contain the Halo’s greatest danger.
Three prequel missions pair Master Chief with Sergeant Avery Johnson one year earlier. Their operation aboard a Covenant research ship gives both soldiers more backstory and develops a friendship that you can see play out across the series. You get to see Brutes, powerful Covenant soldiers, join the alien forces, plus there are references to Captain Keyes’ daughter Miranda to prepare players for the story of Halo 2.
Aiming down sights lets you better target far away enemies, while Sprint helps you cross open ground or escape incoming grenades. Vehicle hijacking is especially satisfying because you can steal enemy combat machines and turn their firepower against the next group.
The expanded armoury also brings in weapons from later Halo games. The Energy Sword adds a powerful close-range lunge, while the Needle Rifle gives you an accurate option at longer distances. These additions fit naturally because they widen your choices while still feeling true to Halo's world.
Enemy AI still makes every encounter a wild and unpredictable affair. Elites flank and pressure your position, Jackals block firing lanes with energy shields, Grunts scatter when their leaders fall, and Hunters punish careless movement with heavy attacks.
During one open battle, I sprinted around a ridge, used the Needle Rifle to remove an Elite from distance, then hijacked a nearby Wraith before its reinforcements arrived. Turning that enemy tank on the next Covenant group had me laughing. While some of these moments weren't possible in the original 2001 game, I'm happy Halo Studios modernized the gameplay to feel more like recent entries.
Once the campaign finishes there is still plenty of reasons to replay it. You can find Hidden Skulls and toggle them on to change campaign rules, and new Remix modifiers alter enemy or weapon placement. Third-person play, permadeath runs, and four-player co-op provide further ways to replay missions. I do wish the checkpoint system was overhauled though, as it still returns you farther than expected, and it's a bit buggy too as one time I hit a checkpoint as I was falling to my death, and each respawn I'd auto-die, forcing me to redo the entire chapter from the beginning.
Forerunner structures look extra imposing with their enormous towers, while Covenant locations use detailed curved architecture and eye-catching purple materials. Later Flood areas cover those metal surfaces with spreading organic growth, giving these final moments much more impact.
Weapon effects have also been improved, whether that's Plasma weapons casting coloured reflect light across nearby walls, or explosions sending smoke through enclosed rooms. Vehicles even leave visible snow deformation marks, which is a nice touch. The added cutscenes also use improved character models and facial animation, making expressions and gestures more lifelike. Sound-wise it's all great too, with the human weapons firing with a forceful crack, whereas Covenant guns use recognisable energy sounds.
Halo’s orchestral score remains excellent. The main theme raises the excitement during large encounters and vehicle sections, while slower music supports exploration and mystery.
Taken together, the remake rebuilds Halo with detailed environments and preserves its iconic music and weapon sounds.
Final Score: 9/10 - Amazing
Developer: Halo Studios
Publisher: Xbox Game Studios
Genre: First-Person Shooter
Modes: Single-player, Co-op Multiplayer
By Paul Hunter
Seeing Halo arrive on PS5 still seems a little unreal. Combat Evolved helped establish the original Xbox in 2001, and Master Chief has spent nearly twenty-five years representing Microsoft’s console legacy.
Halo: Campaign Evolved opens that history to a new audience as the first Halo release on a PlayStation console. Halo Studios developed this Unreal Engine 5 remake, with Xbox Game Studios publishing it. Ever since seeing the first trailer, it's clear this project treats Master Chief’s first adventure as both an important piece of gaming history and a campaign worth introducing to modern shooter fans.
Is this the right time to step back into the original Halo? Let’s find out!
Story and Narrative
Halo: Campaign Evolved's story has been faithfully brought over to this new edition, which begins with John-117, known as the Spartan super-soldier Master Chief, trying to survive an attack on the UNSC (United Nations Space Command) ship called the Pillar of Autumn.The Covenant, an alien alliance fighting humanity, attacks the Pillar of Autumn and forces its crew to abandon the warship. Master Chief escapes with Cortana, an artificial intelligence who carries crucial UNSC data and supports him on the mission.
Their destination is Halo, an artificial ring built by the ancient Forerunners. The UNSC survivors are stranded across its surface, but Captain Keyes, commander of the Pillar of Autumn, has seemingly disappeared. The Covenant searches the structure for a purpose hidden from humanity, a purpose Master Chief races to discover as it's clear something threatening is afoot.
It's such a joy revisiting this campaign, not only because it's sets up the Halo franchise, but also because I love how Cortana’s warm curiosity balances Master Chief’s reserved personality. She questions things they discover and provides invaluable intel, while the Chief stays focused on protecting survivors and completing the mission in front of him.
The Flood, a parasitic species that infects living hosts, creates the story’s most dramatic late-game turn. It threatens everyone on the ring, and beyond, changing the conflict from a war against the Covenant into a fight to contain the Halo’s greatest danger.
Three prequel missions pair Master Chief with Sergeant Avery Johnson one year earlier. Their operation aboard a Covenant research ship gives both soldiers more backstory and develops a friendship that you can see play out across the series. You get to see Brutes, powerful Covenant soldiers, join the alien forces, plus there are references to Captain Keyes’ daughter Miranda to prepare players for the story of Halo 2.
Gameplay and Mechanics
While the Halo: Campaign Evolved story remains the story, the same can't be said about the gameplay, which has received several upgrades. Taking cues from later Halo games, Master Chief can sprint, aim down sights with every weapon, and hijack occupied Covenant vehicles. I loved how these additions speed up movement and give you extra options during larger firefights.Aiming down sights lets you better target far away enemies, while Sprint helps you cross open ground or escape incoming grenades. Vehicle hijacking is especially satisfying because you can steal enemy combat machines and turn their firepower against the next group.
The expanded armoury also brings in weapons from later Halo games. The Energy Sword adds a powerful close-range lunge, while the Needle Rifle gives you an accurate option at longer distances. These additions fit naturally because they widen your choices while still feeling true to Halo's world.
Enemy AI still makes every encounter a wild and unpredictable affair. Elites flank and pressure your position, Jackals block firing lanes with energy shields, Grunts scatter when their leaders fall, and Hunters punish careless movement with heavy attacks.
During one open battle, I sprinted around a ridge, used the Needle Rifle to remove an Elite from distance, then hijacked a nearby Wraith before its reinforcements arrived. Turning that enemy tank on the next Covenant group had me laughing. While some of these moments weren't possible in the original 2001 game, I'm happy Halo Studios modernized the gameplay to feel more like recent entries.
Once the campaign finishes there is still plenty of reasons to replay it. You can find Hidden Skulls and toggle them on to change campaign rules, and new Remix modifiers alter enemy or weapon placement. Third-person play, permadeath runs, and four-player co-op provide further ways to replay missions. I do wish the checkpoint system was overhauled though, as it still returns you farther than expected, and it's a bit buggy too as one time I hit a checkpoint as I was falling to my death, and each respawn I'd auto-die, forcing me to redo the entire chapter from the beginning.
Presentation and Audio
The upgraded graphics in Halo: Campaign Evolved using Unreal Engine 5 to rebuild familiar locations with greater environmental detail, is quite impressive. The opening scenes inside starship interiors show battle damage and upgraded warning lights, while Halo’s pristine-looking surface shifts between coastal areas, open valleys, and frozen routes.Forerunner structures look extra imposing with their enormous towers, while Covenant locations use detailed curved architecture and eye-catching purple materials. Later Flood areas cover those metal surfaces with spreading organic growth, giving these final moments much more impact.
Weapon effects have also been improved, whether that's Plasma weapons casting coloured reflect light across nearby walls, or explosions sending smoke through enclosed rooms. Vehicles even leave visible snow deformation marks, which is a nice touch. The added cutscenes also use improved character models and facial animation, making expressions and gestures more lifelike. Sound-wise it's all great too, with the human weapons firing with a forceful crack, whereas Covenant guns use recognisable energy sounds.
Halo’s orchestral score remains excellent. The main theme raises the excitement during large encounters and vehicle sections, while slower music supports exploration and mystery.
Taken together, the remake rebuilds Halo with detailed environments and preserves its iconic music and weapon sounds.
The Verdict
Halo: Campaign Evolved is a fantastic PS5 introduction to Master Chief and a rewarding return for longtime fans. I loved its focused science-fiction story with expanded content, pulse-pounding firefights, all-new gameplay, and detailed Unreal Engine 5 presentation. Halo Studios has created an excellent way to revisit the series' origin, and PlayStation gamers now have a strong reason to finally join up with Master Chief on the ring.Final Score: 9/10 - Amazing
Halo: Campaign Evolved details
Platform: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PCDeveloper: Halo Studios
Publisher: Xbox Game Studios
Genre: First-Person Shooter
Modes: Single-player, Co-op Multiplayer