After completion of this game on legendary, my entire journey felt so nostalgic, yet it remained so incredibly new that I'm almost at a loss for words.
The campaign hits just the right amount of emotional beats without compromising Master Chief's character. It does an incredibly good job at making the player feel like they are humanity's last hope. The marines are a constant reminder of that through their in-game combat dialogue. For once in a Halo, I was genuinely concerned with keeping as many marines alive as possible.
The AI react incredibly well to your combat, especially on legendary. I found many to be quite relentless. The boss fights felt fresh every time. On legendary, this game's bosses are no pushovers. In fact, some boss fights are so incredibly hard, I was almost at my breaking point. However, in my opinion, playing on legendary should be very difficult. This is one of the hardest legendary experiences since Halo 2. Hunters actually hunt you, they are fast, and become insatiably aggressive when one of their partners dies, brutes have proper rankings in line with the difficulty that spice up the experience, elites are smart, they (and all enemies) know when to take cover, and all other enemies have earned their place as true members of the Banished. When you complete a boss battle, the payoff feels earned, and the story elements tied in with their demise are satisfying.
The environment is unlike any other Halo game. There is nothing quite like being given the freedom to explore this ring and all it's secrets. This campaign feels like it takes from the best components of the original trilogy. The music, the ambience, the banter between marines, it all feels right.
I was worried about this game after the let down Halo 5 was, however, I think this game passes as the best Halo since Halo 3. The grappleshot adds an incredibly fun element to the gameplay that I found came in handy whenever I was in a pinch.
I was happy with the campaign overall, however, it is definitely not without its faults. While I am pleased with the ending, the game still somehow felt too short. I understand this is a live game, and that additional content in the future is without question, however, after a 6 year wait, I wanted to milk this game for everything it was worth immediately. I will just have to look forward to extra content to come. My second camplaint is that I would have loved to see more characters. The game does not give solid details on the fates of some of our most beloved (and hated) characters from the halo universe. I will look forward to getting some solid answers in the future if we are lucky.
I am happy knowing that this is without a doubt the best Halo developed by 343 to date. And you should be happy too if you're a fan of Halo. This unconventional experience has accomplished the impossible task of reinvigorating a hurting franchise by breathing new life into the gameplay. I think a 8.7/10 is a well deserved rating. If you need me, I will be exploring Zeta Halo at a leisurely pace!
