9 Ways The Halo Show Is Faithful To The Games | Screen Rant
Paramount+'s Halo series has finally arrived...after 265 scripts, $90 million spent on production, and even after switching networks (Halo was originally set to premiere on Showtime). The series follows Master Chief and his journey with the UNSC as they discover the Covenant race is searching for some sort of "ring."
At times, the show deviates from the games, which is expected, adding in new characters and plots, but Halo also takes a lot of inspiration from the games, often incorporating familiar pieces right into the show. There's a lot that fans of the series will recognize almost immediately.
To help bring the game to life in the series, Halo sometimes goes into a first-person view, allowing audiences to see the world through John's helmet.
Obviously, this will look somewhat familiar to fans of the games, as the helmet view displays things like grenade inventory and the health bar. But Halo isn't the first to use the first-person perspective to bring a video game to life. This same technique was famously used for the 2005 Doom movie as well.
One of the most brilliant ways the show brings the game to life is with the health bar sound. As all gamers know, when someone gets hit enough in Halo, their shield goes down and needs to recharge. The game signals this by producing a beeping sound, warning players to take cover.
The Halo series also uses the shield sounds to great effect. It's an interesting and creative way to let audiences know which Spartan is hurt, and it's a unique and effective way of building tension within a scene.
In the games, when a player shoots at Covenant Elites, a glowing ripple radiates around the character, signifying that the Elite's shield is still active. The shield also makes them much harder to kill than other Covenant enemies.
In the series, this ripple effect is also used. Not only is this a great way to bring the video game to life, but it's also an excellent visual way to show the audience how strong and formidable the Elites truly are.
From the opening scene of the show, fans will quickly recognize that all the classic weapons from the games are being used. Master Chief is seen using the assault rifle and the pistol (the two weapons players get at the start of the first game) and one of the other Spartans is using the battle rife.
The Elites are also using familiar weapons, such as the plasma rifle and plasma pistol, as well as the extremely powerful energy sword.
Fans of the games will also quickly recognize the use of Halo vehicles. The UNSC uses a pelican drop ship throughout the pilot, and towards the end of the first episode, numerous warthog jeeps can be seen racing to rendezvous with Master Chief as he arrives.
In the first episode, no Covenant dropship can be seen, but one of the Elites does escape in a Banshee, which fans will immediately recognize. The vehicle design and graphics are also impressive, which really adds value to the show and gives it a high-quality polish.
One of Halo: Combat Evolved's most famous and defining characteristics was its incredible soundtrack - most notably the chanting that is heard in the game's lobby and in some of the loading screens. Surprisingly, this music wasn't used for the show's opening credits.
However, towards the end of the pilot, during one of the episode's most powerful moments, the famous chanting can finally be heard. Not only does it amplify the scene's emotional impact, but it's also a powerful moment for fans of the game who were surely waiting for the famous chant from the moment the pilot began.
The Halo series is set to use many of the locations from the game. The show picks up on the planet of Madrigal, which has been used various times in Halo lore, though mostly in the book series. It was, however, briefly mentioned in Halo 3: ODST.
In Halo's earlier episodes, fans will certainly recognize the scenes that take place on High Charity, the Covenant mothership. Gamers know the importance of High Charity, as it played a major role in Halo 2 and was the setting for the game's epic finale. As the series continues, more locations from the games are sure to appear.
In the pilot episode of Halo, Cortana is not yet a part of the story. Some might think it's strange that Cortana isn't a central figure from the start, but it's also important to remember that the show's storyline is picking up before the events of Halo: Combat Evolved.
However, it does get revealed that Cortana is one of Dr. Hasley's experiments and is almost ready to be used to help further control the Spartans. It's an interesting move, considering that in the game, Cortana is seen more as a source of advice and knowledge, not a weapon used to help manipulate soldiers into subservience.
Naturally, Halo wouldn't be Halo without the infamous halo ringworlds. And while the halo isn't seen at the start of the series, the UNSC discovers that the Covenant are searching for some kind of "ring."
All fans of the games will surely know exactly what the ring is, and it will be interesting to watch the season play out and see how and when the UNSC and Covenant finally stumble upon the first halo ringworld.