This piece contains spoilers for Halo: Reach.
In the pantheon of platform exclusives, few loom so large as Halo. Since it was launched by Bungie in 2001, Microsoft’s first-person shooter series has spawned no less than 15 games, alongside endless volumes of novels, comics, art books and a TV adaptation. It’s also provided the world with one of the most iconic characters in science fiction: John-117, aka the Master Chief. To many people, the Chief is Halo. But what happens when you leave him out?
To put this another way: typically you’d expect that the first entry would be the best place to start when looking to dive into the series, and Halo: Combat Evolved remains a fantastic jumping off point. But I’d argue that it’s the sixth mainline game, and Bungie’s swansong, 2010’s Halo: Reach, that provides one of the most complete and rewarding gaming experiences in all of Halo – and all without the Master Chief himself.
I know this because Reach was my introduction to this particular universe. I would spend the days and nights with my best friend at university, trying to beat Legendary Rocketfight on Courtyard. The sound design of those rocket explosions and enemy screams are burned into my brain forever, and the whole thing ignited an alien bloodlust in me that lead to the purchase of my first Xbox console, as Halos 1 through 3. In the months and years that followed, I delved deeper and deeper into the Halo universe, and so over time Reach has become more than a treasured introduction to the series. In storytelling terms it feels like the pinnacle. I now see it as the most deft representation of hopelessness and dread in Halo, and an adventure that I return to time and time again.
Dread is the main thing that Reach has going for it, and dread is what means it’s still a vital gaming experience even today. Terror and despair seep from every pore of the game, like thick blue blood from a bullet-riddled Grunt. Reach is a brutal, uncompromising and surprisingly emotional ride. Gone is the plot armour of the legendary Master Chief, and without him the stakes have never been higher. That’s because, as a prequel, we all know what happened on Reach from the very start. Even the promotional materials for the game stated, “From The Beginning You Know The End”.