While working on Halo 4, 343 Industries isn't looking to just improve on gameplay, but story as well. In fact, I'd argue that when it comes to the Halo franchise, story is one of its strongest suits. But as with any franchise, the more installments in a story, the more stale it can get.
343 is looking to not only avoid that, but actually looking to "build a sense of mystery back into Halo" with Halo 4. Remember how fresh Halo was when you first played it? Everything was new and you were experiencing things for the first time. That's what 343 Industries is trying to accomplish with Halo 4 and its "more mature story".
"I would say that, I mean in addition to trying to make a, I wouldn’t say darker, but rather more mature story, and just kind of thought through story, we have definitely tried to develop character in a way that we felt like could be improved upon, and so we wanted to try and really emphasize the character of the Master Chief and the character of Cortana and really try and play upon those characters and make them people that the players cared about," lead game designer Scott Warner told Independent when asked about the game's seemingly darker tones and more mature take on the iconic franchise.
"But also what we really wanted to do was build a sense of mystery back into Halo, because there are really great creative decisions to try and make gritty realism in Halo, to explore some backstories, and one thing that we thought that was really fascinating to us, really interesting to us, is always the sense of mystery," he added.
Warner explained, "The first time you showed up to the Halo ring you’re not quite sure what it is, why it’s been built, who’s there, what’s there, and we really wanted that back in the series, and so a large part of our creative emphasis has been trying to play upon that desire to want to have some sense of mystery in the game."
So far, there's a lot to be excited for with Halo 4 and much to be explored. We're still a few months away from the game's launch, but we already have a ton of questions. Like the very first Halo, we are going to be introduced to a new alien race for the first time – the Prometheans – and must uncover the mysteries of a weapon known only as the Requiem.
We don't know what to expect, but I think it's safe to say Halo 4 has peaked the interest of many. In fact, of all the Xbox 360 titles, Halo 4 is currently the most anticipated title, just ahead of Black Ops 2.
