The Next Halo Could Move the Series Forward By Going Back to Basics

Posted by By our-little-miss-is-home December 25, 2024 2 Views 7 Min Read
The Next Halo Could Move the Series Forward By Going Back to Basics

The past few years have been rather tumultuous for the Halo franchise. Halo Infinite‘s post-launch support — and occasional lack thereof — has been a roller coaster of emotions for fans, and the Halo streaming series on Paramount+ proved to be one of the most controversial video game adaptations in recent history. The development team at 343 Industries also saw some radical restructuring, with the studio even going so far as to rebrand itself to Halo Studios.

343’s transformation into Halo Studios could be the Halo series’ best chance at redemption. Not only will future Halo entries be built using the popular Unreal Engine, but Halo will hopefully be able to move forward without the baggage associated with 343’s name. Many fans are already excited to see this change in leadership and direction for the popular FPS series. While it’s unknown what Halo Studios’ next mainline game will look like, the Halo development team has the opportunity to accommodate fan demand and address a noticeable change made in Halo Infinite. Specifically, the next game can be a return to form for Firefight.

Halo Master Chief Collection Cover No Text

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Returning to Firefight’s Roots in the Next Halo Entry

First introduced in 2009’s Halo 3: ODST and then improved upon in Halo: Reach the next year, Firefight quickly became one of Halo‘s most beloved modes. Firefight was a round-based PVE experience where players had to team up to survive against increasingly deadly waves of enemies. Though simplistic in concept, the mode gained a devoted following as its cooperative gameplay allowed players to test their skills together and live out and experience a Noble Six-esque last stand.

Halo Infinite’s Take On Firefight

Fan demand for Firefight to return in Halo Infinite was high, especially since a version of the mode had been featured in Halo 5: Guardians. Two years after its initial release, Halo Infinite finally added Firefight last December. While Infinite‘s Firefight quickly garnered attention from the Halo fan base, the mode didn’t meet many players’ expectations.

Infinite‘s Firefight wasn’t the traditional version of the mode introduced in Bungie’s later entries in the series. Instead, it was a King of the Hill variant of Firefight. Players still have to fend off waves of enemies in this mode, but they now have to do so while also capturing objectives sprinkled throughout the map. As to why this change was made, 343 stated in a blog post, “To make a long story short: we love the extra decision-making, the additional cooperative elements, and the tension that the hill brings to the classic Firefight formula.”

These additional objectives helped Firefight in Halo Infinite to stand apart from iterations of the mode in previous games. However, breaking with tradition is exactly why many fans were disappointed with Infinite‘s version of the mode. Fans had begged for 343 to add the mode for two years, and when it did arrive in the game, it wasn’t even the mode that they had asked for.

Players wanted an experience that allowed them and their friends to fight off hordes of the Banished in a battle of attrition — not another zone capture mode. It also didn’t help that — even on higher difficulties — Firefight: King of the Hill felt like a walk in the park for experienced players. An abundance of weapons and vehicles combined with AI enemies that were more focused on capturing the objective than they were on attacking the players made Firefight much easier than it was in previous games.

How Halo Studios Should Approach Firefight in Its Next Game

Taking note of the OG/Classic trend in multiplayer gaming, the next Halo game could benefit from going back to basics with Firefight. This isn’t to say that the next version of Firefight should be devoid of innovation, but players have made it clear what they want to see in this mode. Firefight isn’t appealing just because it’s a multiplayer mode that lets players fight campaign enemies. It’s appealing because of its intense, wave-based gameplay that results in strategic cooperation and memorable last stands.

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