Co-Creator of Halo Comments on Game Remake

Marcus Lehto called some cutscenes “completely cringey.”

Halo co-creator and Master Chief designer Marcus Lehto shared his impressions of playing Halo: Campaign Evolved. The developer stated that he is taking his time playing through the remake on Heroic difficulty and is generally satisfied with the updated version of the iconic shooter, although he did point out a few controversial design choices.

According to Lehto, he particularly enjoyed the improved animations, movement system, cutscene direction, and graphics. He singled out the reworked lighting for praise, calling it one of the game’s main strengths.

At the same time, the developer admitted that not all the new additions were to his liking. In particular, he criticized certain new cutscenes, calling them “completely cringey.” Lehto was especially negative about the new final scene in the mission Assault on the Control Room, stating that he “cannot unsee it.” Despite this, he noted that he liked the majority of the creative changes and additions.

Lehto also explained why he chose Heroic difficulty. According to him, back in the Bungie era, this exact level was used by the developers to test how engaging a mission turned out to be. In his opinion, the Legendary mode is intended exclusively for players who “love suffering.”

The developer praised the Halo Studios team for porting the game to Unreal Engine, emphasizing that such work required serious effort. In addition, he gave positive marks to the updated weaponry: the assault rifle, he noted, feels significantly better, while Covenant weapons have become more powerful and “weighty.”

The new lighting received special mention. Lehto confessed that in the original Halo: Combat Evolved, the lighting during the Flood missions was “awful,” so he considers the changes in the remake to be one of the most successful improvements.

At the same time, the Halo creator criticized the new waypoint system that tells players where to go next. In his view, it is too intrusive and designed for a modern audience with an “attention span of zero.”

Lehto also addressed the negative reaction from a portion of the community toward Campaign Evolved. He believes that social media promotes the spread of negativity, whereas during co-op play, the vast majority of fans would likely enjoy the project.