Five Signs Halo 5 is Headed in the Right Direction

Barely anything is known about the next Halo installment and it will most likely be a while before 343 Industries leaves Halo 4 behind and starts talking about its next title. Until then, one can only speculate how the game will play, what the story will be, and what new ideas it will bring. There are, however, positive signs scattered throughout the internet, perhaps hinting at Halo 5's progress. Below are five of these signs that may show Halo 5’s promising direction.

1)      Halo 5 is no longer part of a trilogy

It's not very often a company greenlights an entire trilogy before the first product has been released. The Lord of the Rings, Star Wars (episodes I-III and VII-IX), The Hobbit, and Halo's Reclaimer trilogy are the only ones that spring to mind. These companies have invested hundreds of millions of dollars in these projects, and expect, at the very least, one thing from the filmmakers/developers: an arching story over three products. The Reclaimer trilogy immediately failed this basic task with Halo 4. Instead of introducing the beginning of a 3 part story, Halo 4 told a self-contained one.

Whether it’s getting a ring to a mountain or watching a boy's decent to the Dark Side, a core pillar of any trilogy is to establish an overall objective in the first installment. Halo 4 established no such objective; or if it did, it was too vague to be recognized as one. Both plot threads introduced in Halo 4 were concluded by the end of the game. Both Cortana and the Didact's fate were made clear to the audience; Cortana sacrificed herself to save Master Chief and the Didact was killed in the nuclear blast.

If either character did not actually die (which apparently is the case), the narrative should've signaled that to the audience, suggesting the story would continue in the next game. Like how Darth Vader's spinning Tie fighter was shown at the end of episode IV, indicating he survived the Death Star explosion. But Halo 4 seemingly concluded both its stories, leaving no indication any of them would continue. The game just ended with Master Chief staring depressingly out a window.

Hopefully, 343 Industries have realized this, hence the change from trilogy to saga. Now that Halo 5 is no longer constrained as the second act in a trilogy, it has the potential to achieve what Halo 4 could not: introduce the beginning of a compelling quest in an overarching story. Perhaps Halo 5 will be the start of a new journey, interconnecting its story across future installments.  

2)      343 Industries have recognized their mistakes

It’s surprising how transparent 343 has been in admitting their mistakes. 343 have openly admitted they struggled with inefficient prototyping, communication issues, management inefficiencies, DLC problems, and balancing familiar and new ideas while developing Halo 4. They’ve gone on record saying Halo 4’s story wasn’t accessible enough, Promethean Knights lack emotion, and Watchers don’t encourage strategic gameplay. They’ve reached out to the community too, asking for feedback on their performance. They’re aware of their missteps and seem to want to improve; that’s got to be a positive sign.

3)      Halo 5 will be more interactive

Jeff Steitzer recently hinted that Halo 5 will be more interactive than its predecessor, possibly indicating that 343 have indeed learned from their mistakes. Though it’s obviously unclear what his comment implies, it may mean 343’s rampant use of switches and predictable mission design has been rectified in Halo 5. Whatever it ends up meaning, more interactivity in a video game is usually a good thing.

4)      343 Industries has hired prominent community members

Bravo and now Halo pro, Neighbor, are employed at 343, which is a promising sign for competitive players. While their influence may not necessarily mean Halo 5’s gameplay will be more traditional, it may mean the game will be more balanced and skill-based. Hiring these community members may reflect 343’s desire to create a more competitive game since eSports is gaining popularity and Twitch is integrated with Xbox One. Halo 4’s more casual approach hasn’t seemed retain players, which may also be cause for 343 to change up its gameplay. Also, Josh Menkes, former senior designer at Blizzard Entertainment, joined 343 in March 2013 as a senior multiplayer designer. Menkes implemented competitive matchmaking in StarCraft II and World of Warcraft, further suggesting Halo 5 will be a competitive title. While this is mere speculation, it’s encouraging 343 have at least taken an interest in this area by bringing these prominent figures onboard. 

5)      Master Chief is seen as a lone wolf

Seeing a worn Master Chief all alone in a mysterious desert is definitely a departure from what this franchise is used to. Though this exact scene may or may not take place in the actual game, the trailer demonstrates 343’s rough vision for Halo 5. The key points to note in this trailer are Master Chief’s isolation and his damaged state, which are both reversals from what we’re used to. When we usually see Master Chief, he’s an invincible tank who is continuously in contact with a companion; this trailer depicts the complete opposite of that. The core message of this trailer is that Halo 5 will be different, a shift in a new direction. Halo 4 was criticized for its similarity to previous games, Halo 5 looks like it might change that.