Halo remake revives Xbox’s old magic

Halo: Campaign Evolved is an unusually effective remake—and an uncomfortable snapshot of Xbox’s current position. More than two decades after Bungie’s original shooter helped make the Xbox a serious rival to Nintendo and Sony, the updated campaign shows how durable Halo’s core design remains. It also underlines how far Microsoft’s gaming division has moved from the confidence of its first two console generations.

A cinematic return to Halo’s original campaign

Campaign Evolved follows supersoldier Master Chief as he leads human forces against the Covenant, an alien alliance, before the conflict expands into a threat to the galaxy. The story still draws from familiar science-fiction influences, especially Aliens, but its pacing and tonal shifts remain effective: the campaign moves from large-scale battles on an alien world to cramped, unsettling encounters with the Flood, parasitic aliens that turn corpses into zombies.

Expanded cutscenes add more backstory and character development without becoming overly long. The remake’s main visual upgrade comes from Unreal Engine 5. Halo’s surface now feels like the site of a vast battle, filled with explosions, wrecked vehicles and downed ships. The Flood sequences benefit particularly from the added detail, with gruesome alien explosions, oozing growths and dark spaces illuminated by gunfire.

Some artistic choices may divide longtime fans. The original’s more brutalist alien architecture is less prominent here. Overall, however, the remake delivers a convincing modern presentation.

Faster combat and expanded co-op

The gameplay changes range from minor additions to a major shift in pace. Players can now hijack enemy vehicles and use a larger arsenal, while the addition of a sprint button makes movement and combat feel considerably faster. Early Halo games did not allow Master Chief to sprint, but the ability fits naturally into Campaign Evolved—particularly when escaping larger enemies.

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The remake also adds three new missions and alters existing ones. While the precise differences may be difficult to identify without encyclopedic knowledge of Halo, the result feels like an idealized version of the original: familiar strengths are enhanced and most rough edges are smoothed out. The campaign supports co-op for up to four players, though the review was played solo.

Xbox’s uncertain future surrounds the remake

Campaign Evolved arrives only weeks after new Xbox CEO Asha Sharma began a “reset” that will lead to more than 3,000 layoffs over the next year. Iconic studios, including Doom developer id Software, have also been dramatically scaled down.

Halo’s own history reflects the broader decline. Since Microsoft took full responsibility for the franchise through internal Halo Studios, formerly known as 343 Industries, the gaps between releases have grown. The company has also pursued expansions such as a streaming television series and a live-service push, both described as mostly ill-fated.

The remake is the first new Halo game since 2021, but it is not exclusive to Xbox. It will also launch on PS5 and PC, reflecting Microsoft’s still-confusing approach to console exclusivity. Five years after Halo Infinite, the company has chosen to revisit the beginning rather than deliver a new mainline entry.

Halo: Campaign Evolved launches on Xbox, PS5 and PC on July 28, with early access on July 23 for customers who preordered. It successfully recreates the feeling of discovering Halo for the first time—but that alone cannot restore the franchise, or Xbox, to its former essential status.