On November 11, 2024, a decade passed since the release of Halo: The Master Chief Collection, prompting reflection on the understated sorrow woven through the original trilogy.
In Halo: Combat Evolved, you start with waking up, and by Halo 3, it all ends with falling asleep. The journey between these two moments is filled with action, set in space, with marines and aliens joining forces against the zombie-like Flood. While Halo is a big action game, there’s a deep sadness beneath it. The Halo rings are deadly weapons, but they look like worlds full of life, with sunrises, wildlife, and ecosystems. Master Chief is just one person walking through this mix of beauty and danger, making the story feel personal and tragic: it’s about him and the voice in his head.
It’s easy to forget how simple Halo: Combat Evolved was at first. Since then, there have been TV shows, books, and even failed movie plans. It’s a huge universe now, though not everything has been a hit. When the game first came out, it didn’t explain much. You had to figure out what the Covenant was or why Master Chief was special by paying attention. By the end, most characters, except for a few, don’t make it, leaving a fast-paced game with a heavy story.
Master Chief doesn’t talk much. He’s a mix between a quiet hero and someone with character. He says cool lines and defeats enemies, but that’s about it. Cortana, on the other hand, is lively and talks a lot, giving you hints about what’s happening. She’s interesting because of her personality, but there’s not much more to her at first.
The real emotional punch of Halo comes from its battles and amazing level designs. Some parts of the game are just walking or driving back to places you’ve seen, which isn’t always fun. “The Library” is a level that many find really hard and not enjoyable. But the quiet moments let you see the game’s beauty. Big scenes like “The Silent Cartographer” or the road trip in “Halo” show you the game’s natural world and give you time to think. You can enjoy the view as much as the action.
But don’t think Halo is just a peaceful stroll. At the end, there’s a wild drive across a spaceship. Cortana tries to get help, but the transport is shot down, leaving a pause where you hear a pilot’s last words. “She’s gone,” Cortana says, then quickly moves on, “Calculating alternate escape route.” This adds more tension, but the death lingers. Master Chief faces it alone again.
In Halo 3, a similar scene happens with another spaceship escape. This time, most of Chief’s friends get away, but he stays. He drifts in space, going to sleep once more. His last words? “Wake me when you need me.” We all know why they’d wake him: to fight. It’s clear he’ll be needed again, but without more story, it feels more sad than uplifting. The battle ends, but there’s always another waiting.
Fans sometimes feel that Halo has been stuck since Halo: Reach. Halo 4, 5: Guardians, and Infinite try to restart the series, but they don’t capture the original’s essence. Halo 4 picks up years later with Chief waking up again. Guardians continues some stories, turning Cortana into a villain, setting up a sequel that hasn’t come. Infinite goes back to the basics like the first Halo, promising more of the same. The newer games focus on big tragedies. In Infinite, you find recordings of those who’ve died, and Cortana’s death scenes feel dramatic.
The old Bungie games, except for Reach, mostly let main characters survive. Cortana and the Arbiter live through it all, though others like Miranda Keyes and Sergeant Johnson don’t. Many deaths happen offscreen or to groups, like the Elites in Halo 2. Master Chief carries a grief that feels distant. He wins the war, but the battle was lost before he began.
Infinite changes things by having Chief wake up when all hope seems gone, letting him succeed where others failed. It starts sad but ends hopeful, hinting at more victories. While this isn’t bad, it shows the limits of storytelling in franchises. There will always be another fight, and it has to be exciting, even if Chief feels more tired. Future Halo games may never capture the feeling of Halo 3’s ending, where waking up meant facing endless battles.
