Halo: Campaign Evolved Review

For years, Halo has always occupied this almost mythical place in gaming for me. Growing up with PlayStation consoles meant I never really had the opportunity to experience Microsoft’s flagship series firsthand. I knew the name, I knew Master Chief, and I knew Halo was considered one of the most influential shooters ever made, but that was about the extent of my experience. So now that Halo: Campaign Evolved has finally made its way to PS5 in the form of this flashy remake, I was genuinely excited to see what all the fuss was about. After hearing people praise the series for decades, I finally had the chance to jump in and experience the game that started it all.

Halo: Campaign Evolved is a full remake of the original Halo adventure, rebuilding the classic experience with modern visuals while staying faithful to the core campaign that introduced players to Master Chief all those years ago. Rather than reinventing the formula, this remake aims to preserve what made the original special while making it more approachable for modern audiences and newcomers like myself.

The story begins with humanity on the back foot in its war against the Covenant, an alliance of alien species determined to wipe mankind from existence. You step into the iconic green armour of Master Chief, a genetically enhanced supersoldier accompanied by the AI Cortana, as the crew of the UNSC Pillar of Autumn discovers a mysterious ring-shaped world known as Halo. Naturally, things quickly spiral out of control as the Covenant invades the ring, ancient secrets begin to emerge, and an even greater threat is uncovered beneath the surface.

The story follows Master Chief as he battles through alien forces, rescues surviving Marines, uncovers Halo’s true purpose, and ultimately fights to stop a catastrophe that could threaten the entire galaxy. Along the way, you meet returning allies like Sergeant Johnson and several military commanders who help push the narrative forward.

While I enjoyed following the adventure, I have to admit I came away a little underwhelmed by the story itself. Halo has always been held up in my mind as one of gaming’s greatest franchises, so I expected a narrative that would completely blow me away. Instead, I found it perfectly enjoyable without ever reaching those heights. It leans heavily into the kinds of sci-fi action movie tropes that were incredibly popular during the early 2000s. There’s the unstoppable supersoldier, the mysterious ancient alien technology, the overwhelming alien invasion, and the race against time to stop a galaxy-ending threat. None of it is bad by any means, but very little surprised me.

It actually left me wondering whether Halo’s original popularity was driven more by its revolutionary multiplayer than its campaign. As someone experiencing it decades later without that historical context, I could absolutely appreciate why it was important, but the story itself didn’t quite live up to the legendary reputation I had built up over the years.

The campaign itself consists of the original ten missions alongside three brand new prequel missions created specifically for this remake. The entire campaign can also be played with up to four players in online co-op, making it a great option for friends looking to tackle the story together. One thing worth noting, however, is that there is no competitive multiplayer included whatsoever. This package is entirely focused on the campaign experience, as its name suggests.

Mission design largely revolves around moving through expansive environments, clearing out groups of Covenant enemies, activating objectives, rescuing Marines, and progressing deeper into each level. The gameplay loop is simple but satisfying, constantly encouraging you to adapt based on the enemies you’re facing and the weapons available around you.

That said, I definitely felt some repetition begin to creep in as the campaign progressed. Several missions feature long stretches of near-identical corridors and interior hallways that begin to blur together after a while. There were numerous occasions where I felt like I was fighting through the exact same room layouts over and over again before finally reaching a larger objective. It’s in these moments that the game’s age becomes most noticeable. Despite the visual overhaul, the underlying level design is still very much rooted in an older era of game design, and that occasionally shows.

Thankfully, there are several missions that do an excellent job of breaking up the pacing. Some of my favourite moments came when the game shifted away from straightforward shooting and mixed in vehicle gameplay. Driving the iconic Warthog across massive battlefields adds a completely different energy to the action, while the space flight sequences and dogfights inject some welcome variety into the campaign. These sections helped prevent the gameplay from becoming too repetitive and were consistently among the campaign’s highlights.

One area where I had an absolute blast was the weapon variety. Halo offers an impressive arsenal of both human and Covenant weaponry, and nearly every gun feels useful in the right situation. Human assault rifles, pistols and shotguns offer reliable firepower, while Covenant plasma weapons behave very differently and excel against energy shields. Powerful sniper rifles, explosive rocket launchers, needlers that fire tracking crystalline spikes, plasma swords, and heavy alien weaponry all completely change how encounters play out.

Managing your weapons also becomes surprisingly important throughout the campaign. There were several moments where I burned through my favourite guns’ ammunition and had no choice but to scavenge whatever weapons defeated enemies had dropped. Sometimes that worked out brilliantly, while other times it left me struggling through difficult encounters with equipment I wasn’t particularly comfortable using. It adds a nice layer of improvisation that keeps combat feeling dynamic.

One small disappointment on the PS5 side of things was the DualSense implementation. There is some use of the adaptive triggers, but it’s fairly subtle overall. Considering how distinct each weapon is mechanically, I would have loved to feel that reflected through the controller. Imagine the resistance of the shotgun, the lighter trigger pull of the plasma pistol, or the heavy kick of the rocket launcher all feeling unique through the adaptive triggers. Instead, most weapons felt fairly similar from a controller feedback perspective, which felt like a missed opportunity.

Visually, though, this remake is fantastic. The environments have been beautifully rebuilt while still maintaining the atmosphere of the original game. Character models look excellent, the various Covenant species have fantastic designs, and the mysterious Halo ring itself remains an incredibly striking setting to explore. Lighting, particle effects and environmental detail all help modernise the experience without losing its identity.

The biggest visual improvement comes through the cutscenes, which have been completely remade. Characters are far more expressive, cinematics flow much more naturally, and the increased production values help make the story feel more engaging than ever before. Even if the narrative itself didn’t completely win me over, I certainly enjoyed watching these updated cinematics unfold.

The remake also introduces several welcome additions beyond improved visuals. The biggest new feature is the inclusion of three entirely new prequel missions that take place before the events of the original campaign. These missions follow Master Chief and Sergeant Johnson as they investigate the growing Covenant threat while tracking a Prophet across several locations before eventually leading into the main story.

I actually found myself really enjoying these new chapters. They almost function as a self contained three act sci-fi movie, introducing their own conflict, escalating the stakes, and wrapping everything up in a satisfying way before seamlessly transitioning into the original Halo campaign. For returning fans, they provide meaningful new content, while newcomers get some extra context before the main adventure begins.

Replayability has also been expanded through the inclusion of Skulls, optional modifiers hidden throughout the campaign that can dramatically alter gameplay. Some increase enemy aggression, others change player abilities or introduce various gameplay twists. Hunting these down and experimenting with different combinations gives players plenty of reasons to revisit missions after finishing the campaign, even without a traditional multiplayer mode.

Speaking of multiplayer, it’s worth reiterating that there simply isn’t one here. Anyone picking this up expecting competitive online modes will likely be disappointed. This package is purely focused on the campaign experience. Existing Halo fans should approach it as an opportunity to revisit the story with upgraded visuals and experience the new prequel content, rather than expecting a complete multiplayer package.

Performance on PS5 was mostly solid throughout my playthrough. The game generally maintained smooth frame rates and looked excellent in motion. However, I did encounter some noticeable stuttering during larger-scale battles, particularly when multiple explosions filled the screen or several enemy groups were fighting simultaneously. These moments weren’t constant, but they happened often enough to stand out. Outside of those occasional dips, though, the overall performance remained very enjoyable.

Looking back on the experience, there are certainly areas where I think the remake could have gone further. More substantial improvements to some of the repetitive level layouts would have helped modernise the pacing considerably. Stronger use of the DualSense features could have made combat feel even more immersive, and while I understand the decision to focus entirely on the campaign, some form of multiplayer would have added tremendous value for longtime fans.

Even with those shortcomings, I still had a good time with Halo: Campaign Evolved. As someone finally getting the chance to experience one of gaming’s most iconic franchises, I’m glad I played it. The story may not have completely lived up to the legendary status it had built in my mind, but the satisfying combat, excellent weapon variety, enjoyable vehicle sections and impressive visual overhaul still make for a fun campaign. Most importantly, it’s great to see Halo finally arriving on PlayStation, opening the door for an entirely new audience to experience one of Microsoft’s defining series. It’s a solid remake that respects the original while adding enough new content to make the return worthwhile, and for newcomers like me, it serves as a very enjoyable introduction to the world of Halo.

A PS5 review code was provided by the publisher for the purpose of this review.

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