Summary
For nearly 25 years, Xbox’sHalofranchise has remained a celebrated staple in the video game medium thanks to its iconic protagonists, enthralling universe, and addictive gameplay. Over the course of 16 games, Bungie and 343 Industries have expanded theHalofranchise into an intellectual property like no other in the video game industry. However, nothing has built upHalo’s universe more than the 37 novels and 12 comic books published for the franchise. WhileHalo Infiniteand several prior games have referenced or followed up on events from the books, Halo Studios could still strive to draw more from the books inHalo 7and beyond to further connect the universe and craft rich narratives.
The History of Halo Book References in Halo Games
When Bungie oversaw the development of theHalogames and, in turn, theHalouniverse, the developer was largely dismissive of Microsoft’s publishing ofHalobooks, seeing them as mere side content or stories disconnected from their games. Due to this mindset, Bungie-eraHalogames seldom acknowledged events or characters fromHalobooks, though members of Bungie did occasionally assist with or even writeHalobooks and comics themselves, such as 2007’sHalo: Contact Harvestby Joseph Staten.Contact Harvestwas an especially important story for theHalouniverse as it explained in depth the origins of the Human-Covenant War and the past of several popular game characters, such as Sergeant Avery Johnson, Tartarus, and the Prophets Truth, Mercy, and Regret.
The events of Harvest’s battles against the Covenant and Covenant lore established inContact Harvestwould go on to be heavily referenced in 2008’sHalo Wars, with the RTS itself receiving a prequel comic in the form ofHalo Wars: Genesis. One of the most heavily referencedHalonovels is the first one ever published: 2001’sHalo: The Fall of Reachby Eric Nylund.The Fall of Reachdepictedthe origins of Master Chiefand the rest of the Spartan-2s, whose events would be touched upon briefly inHalo 3andHalo: Reachbut referenced more directly inHalo 4,Halo 5: Guardians, andHalo Infinite.The Fall of Reach’s sequel novel, 2003’sHalo: The Flood, had several of its events adapted and referenced inHalo: Combat Evolved AnniversaryandHalo: Fireteam Raven.
Book References in 343 Industries-era Halo Games
Following Bungie’s departure from Xbox and theHalofranchise, Microsoft, Xbox, and the newly formed 343 Industries sought to better unite all ofHalo’s canon media going forward. Due to this objective, most 343 Industries-eraHalogames reference or at times rely onHalonovels and comicsto shape their narratives. This can be seen inHalo 4with its numerous references to Greg Bear’s Forerunner Saga trilogy of novels andHalo 5: Guardianswith its over-reliance on fans readingHalo: New Blood,Halo: Escalation,Halo: Hunters in the Dark, andHalo: Last Lightto truly comprehend its characters and events. Book references were lessened a bit inHalo Wars 2, though it still referred to events fromHunters in the DarkandHalo: Tales from Slipspaceoccasionally.
Eric Nylund’s 2001 novelHalo: The Fall of Reachwas actually the firstHaloproduct ever released, with the novel being published only 17 days beforeHalo: Combat Evolveddebuted on the original Xbox.
How Book References Could Work in Halo 7
WhileHalo 7shouldn’t rely on novels to explain the background of certain characters or events as seen inGuardians, the next entry in Master Chief’s story could still build on events from the books to create intriguing story developments.Halo Infinite’s campaign efficiently referenced events fromThe Fall of Reach,Halo: Shadows of Reach, andHalo: Bad Bloodmultiple times viavisions of Cortana’s memoriesand residual data depicting events such as Master Chief’s childhood Spartan-2 training, his first meeting with the A.I., and the destruction of Laconia Station. These references never felt out of place or required further reading outside the game for players to understand.
However, ifHalo 7continues referencing multiple books, Halo Studios should strive to make a type of in-game codex explaining the background of some events, factions, and characters. This could clear up any confusion fans may encounter in the game and help most players to understand the status of theHalouniverse for those who don’t read every novel. For example, ifthe Banished War Chief Severanappears inHalo 7, some characters could refer to his brutal achievements, while the rest of his background fromHalo: Empty Thronecould be lightly detailed in a codex akin toAssassin’s Creed Shadows’ Cultural Discovery Codex. Alternatively, these explanations of book characters and events could appear as terminals recounting biographies and incidents similar to those found inHalo 2 Anniversary.
Potential Book References in Halo 7
There’s a plethora ofHalonovelsHalo 7could reference with either name-drops, recreations of book events, or appearances from book-exclusive characters. Given thatHalo 7will likely take place immediately or shortly afterHalo Infinite, it could refer to books that take place near the events ofInfinite, such asEmpty Throne,Shadows of Reach,Halo: The Rubicon Protocol, andHalo: Outcasts. Master Chief could begin reuniting the crew of the UNSCInfinityand eventually run into theSpartan-4s Tomas Horvath and Nina Kovanto begin staging a successful opposition to the Banished. Meanwhile, Severan could arrive on Zeta Halo to be a secondary antagonist alongside Atriox with Swords of Sanghelios forces, possibly sent by Arbiter, following Severan to aid UNSC remnants.
Halo Infinite
WHERE TO PLAY
When all hope is lost and humanity’s fate hangs in the balance, the Master Chief is ready to confront the most ruthless foe he’s ever faced. Step inside the armor of humanity’s greatest hero to experience an epic open-world adventure and explore the massive scale of the Halo ring.With Network Campaign Co-Op and Mission Replay, you can relive your favorite moments, rediscover collectibles and explore the wonders of Zeta Halo on your own or with up to three other fireteam members.Experience Halo’s celebrated multiplayer reimagined and free-to-play! With over 70 maps in matchmaking, billions of customization configurations, and countless community Forge creations to experience, Halo Infinite is the franchise’s most expansive multiplayer offering to date.Enjoy an unprecedented variety of gameplay experiences, ranging from fast-paced intense ranked modes to whimsical mayhem in Custom Games, or even co-operative coordination in the wave-based survival mode Firefight: King of the Hill. Assemble your Fireteam and conquer every mode – Halo offers endless opportunities for teamwork, strategy, and unforgettable victories.
