Why Halo: Reach's Campaign Was Disappointing -Part III

 

Disclaimer: This is part three of a four part series on why Halo: Reach's campaign was disappointing. Click here for part two.

Untapped Potential:

If this is a game about a planet being invaded and being utterly destroyed by the entire covenant armada, wouldn't you expect to witness the mass invasion and the planet's annihilation? It baffles me that these key moments are completely non-existent. Instead of a cut scene or epic level, the player is introduced to the covenant by this simple phrase, "The covenant is on Reach. I repeat the covenant is on Reach".  Not only was this important line delivered void of any emotion, it disrupts any suspense the earlier level established. Just the idea of having a single line introducing the game's main enemy reeks of sloppy story telling. Rather than visually witnessing one of the most important moments in the game's plot, we are just told the covenant invaded. Creating an epic tone for a video game doesn't consist solely of telling the player what happened, video games are also visually and interactively driven. Witnessing the Covenant's invasion would've communicated how overwhelming the covenant threat is and that Reach is in serious danger.

The same can be said with the game's ending. The player hardly saw Reach in ruin. Yes, Sword Base and New Alexandria were in tatters, but that's really the only indication that Reach is going to hell. The game's marketing messages were "Remember Reach" and" From the beginning, you know the end" so it's frustrating "the end" was not seen. How wasn't Reach's collapse in the game? Why wasn't the ending more dramatic? Why was the entire game lacking in dramatic and climactic effect? For a story that was supposed to be emotionally investing, removing the most dramatic moments was a huge mistake. Instead of seeing Reach getting destroyed -emphasizing Noble Team's futile sacrifices- Halo: Reach only focuses on story elements presented during the final two levels. These new plot points are not bad, it's actually the best part of the game in my opinion, but Halo: Reach doesn't end with a fitting, overall conclusion. It doesn't conclude Reach's or the player's story. Oh wait, excuse me, it does properly conclude, but it's located after 10 minutes of credits. Having the conclusion after the game has supposedly finished is just bizarre, and leads me to suspect that Bungie was unsure how to properly conclude this game.

Secondly, I thought that the campaign should've explored locations that are more interesting on Reach. Space, New Alexandria, and the mountainous areas were all neat, but it would've been better if Bungie added to this collection. The player was always around the same, mountainous terrain. After awhile, it got kind of boring. It all looked the same. It definitely looks pretty, but the same mountainous areas just don't hold up after a while. According to Halopedia, Reach is mostly "a rugged and harsh wilderness filled with towering mountains, deserts, and weather-beaten forests" with meteor impacts scattering the surface. In Halo: Reach, only one of these environments was explored on the planet. Again, lack of variety is one of Halo Reach's main and most abundant problems.

-Click here for part IV