A game designer responsible for the original Halo: Combat Evolved from 2001 has expressed dissatisfaction with specific changes made in the remake, particularly the elimination of a couple of rocks. The new Halo: Campaign Evolved was unveiled during HCS 2025, with Halo Studios showcasing one of the most cherished missions: The Silent Cartographer. This mission takes players through sunny beaches and intense firefights in confined alien settings. However, Jaime Griesemer, a designer from the original game, had critical feedback regarding a 13-minute gameplay walkthrough of the remastered mission shared online.
Hands-On with Halo: Campaign Evolved
As fans delve deeper into this remake, questions arise about whether it genuinely captures the spirit of the original or if it offers a modern twist to pave the future of the Halo franchise.
Revamping Iconic Levels
After 24 years, the remake aims to enhance one of the series’ most notorious levels, with developers focusing on “better wayfinding, navigation, and diverse enemy encounters” in The Library.
The Designer’s Take
Griesemer took to Twitter to voice his concerns: “You aren’t supposed to be able to take the Warthog up to steamroll the Hunters. I intentionally placed rocks in the way so you had to engage them on foot. When you can just smash the crates out of the way, it ruins the encounters. But the worst part? They placed trees in the landing area of the WooHoo Jump. Lame.” He criticized a moment in the demo where Master Chief plows through two Hunters—a significant point of tension—too easily, potentially diminishing the overall impact of the encounter.
To illustrate his point, he remarked, “It’s like the dance remix of a classic song that skips the intro and the bridge and just thumps the chorus over and over.”
Community Reactions
On a more optimistic note, Marcus Lehto, co-creator of Halo and a frequent art director, expressed excitement about seeing new and familiar faces on the Halo team, stating, “the explorations look fantastic.” Halo: Campaign Evolved is marketed as a faithful remake, utilizing some of the original code. Still, Halo Studios is forthcoming about their efforts to modernize certain missions, particularly to support four-player online co-op while addressing some dated design aspects, especially in The Library. This raises the question of whether these seemingly minor changes enhance or simply alter the experience—players will have to wait until next year for a comprehensive preview.