Gruntdotapi an “unaffiliated’ Halo community has been giving a heads up on the upcoming Halo: Campaign Evolved remake since its reveal, but a new smattering of store front listings gives us a look at some of the special unlockables we can get. Previously reported on this past Spring, a Fanta collaboration revealed Master Chief would be able to swap his armor for some citrus infused flair, a surprise since the game had not formally revealed the feature. Now we’ve got a look at some more bonuses, though response has been mixed.
First up is a set of suits for pre-orders. One, a classic skin in its glossy glory, the other a black and gold luxury look. Both of these have become mainstays of pre-orders (the Dead Space and Resident Evil remakes offered similar ‘classic’ looks while you don’t have to look much further than the recent 007: First Light for gold coated goodies) but both also feature a matching weapon skin. The more robust options seem to be the pot sweetener for the as-yet-unannounced Premium Edition.
This set includes five different skins ranging from obscure lore to cheeky jokes. From left to right Chief can be found in a Roman style Spartan get up, a Hunter style chief, a set of armor built out of the crystals used in needlers, a Reach style survivalist, and the YGGDRASIL exo suit, a prototype of the Spartan armor that, with the exception of Halo Wars 2, has never been playable. All five skins also feature a matching weapon skin, though it does seem to be one to one.
The skins have garnered some criticism online but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t curious to see more of them. The novelty of YGGDRASIL and Reach armor is fun and I’m a bit of a sucker for the bold gaudy look of the needler armor. The Hunter set is easily the most enticing for me, as instead of the soft rubber undersuit we see on most Halo armors, the flesh worm mass of the alien Hunters is found instead. There’s something grotesque about it that appeals to me. It also seems to be drawing from prototype designs of the proper Halo One armor as a bonus. It’s worth noting Campaign Evolved has been confirmed to not feature any multiplayer meaning these skids will be mostly seen in co-op or in game cinematics.
Without pricing it’s hard to say if there’s a good value to be found here, but as someone who played through Ratchet And Clank a dozen times to see the cutscenes with all the skins, it does seem to be working on me. The real tell will be how many, if any, skins are unlocked in-game. It seems a safe bet that the iconic Mark VI armor will be availiable in game, but whether we’ll get anything as fun as frat house Chief is yet to be seen.
Additional screenshots seemed to showcase some of the previously promised prequel missions, including the return of space combat to the series and the addition of Brutes to the roster. It seems a safe bet XBOX has a Halo showcase in the near future, but for now we can only imagine how beautiful that Fanta armor will look in the cockpit of a proper Starfighter.
