If you thought there was something familiar about the box-art for upcoming Xbox Series X flagship title Halo
The newly-revealed box-art features Master Chief on a grassy hill with alien structures behind him in the distance. A massive ring stretches up into the heavens beyond, indicating that once again we’ll find ourselves on one of these massive celestial halos—just like in Halo: Combat Evolved, the game that Bungie kicked this series off with for the original Xbox.
Turns out, the box-art for Halo: Infinite is a direct homage to that game as well. Here’s the box-art for Combat Evolved:
There are a few key differences. Master Chief is joined by another soldier and a Warthog vehicle in the original box-art. He’s all alone in the Infinite box-art. And, of course, the new art is much prettier and more detailed.
But pretty does not a good game make. As we’ve learned over the past decade or so, better graphics do not translate into better video games. We all appreciate good graphics but what we really want is good gameplay and story, something that the original Halo had in spades—and something sorely lacking from Halo 5.
In any case, this homage to the original is exciting. It gives me hope that 343 Industries is going back to the basics. Perhaps, while looking much more open-world, it’s something of a soft reboot akin to 2019’s Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare. Perhaps it’s just an indication that the developer is aiming to please the franchise’s core fan base.
Hopefully we get our hands on the game in some form or another soon—a demo or beta or play-test. Then again, in these uncertain times who knows?
This news was originally published at forbes.com