Let's Design: Halo Spinoff Ideas

[FUNKNOWN iXi]

I'm of the opinion that Halo does not need a reboot as its universe is so rich for fresh, interesting stories. Instead, let us discuss spinoff ideas that make sense for the Halo universe. By looking at several pieces of fiction, here are some examples I think could be exciting:

• Horror story where you play as a Marine investigating a Covenant ship that has been left stranded in space, later discovering The Flood. To get an idea, here's an animation of the short story "The Mona Lisa" from Halo Evolutions:

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• Maybe even a story where you're an ODST on a UNSC ship that's being invaded by the Covenant and you have to stop them from discovering Earth, similar to "Midnight in the Heart of the Midlothian" -- Shoutout to Stinkles for writing this story. Without Baird, humanity would be doomed! This would be a prequel, or could be current and involve the Banished from Halo Wars 2:

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• A story where you play as an Elite returning to their home planet after the devastation of the war, similar to "The Return" from Halo Evolutions. What does it feel like to have so many comrades die over the lies of the Prophets? Could be interesting to see the perspective of the Elites like in Halo 2, which is why we even care about them in the first place.

• An episodic campaign where you play as a group of ODST's to go on missions similar to Halo 4's Spartan Ops or Modern Warfare 1's Spec Ops. You choose from a selection of Spartans (AI-controlled) to accompany you. I'm imagining something like "The Babysitter" from Halo Legends. This could also be good for Game Pass.

• Halo Battle Royale as detailed in this thread.

NOTE: If you haven't watched Halo Legends or the few animated shorts for Halo Evolutions, you should check them out. They're great for showing the potential for new experiences.

 

[Newman]

Something in the vein of Halo: Headhunters

3rd person stealth driven shooter.
Heavy emphasis on two player co-op.

Play as Spartan III's during Human/Covenant war.

 

[Deleted member 7450]

100 Halos parachute into a island...

 

[2Blackcats]

I'd like a game based around ODST Firefight.

Think that was Halo at its best. The A.I. really shined.

 

[JINX]

I want a Forerunner RPG.

 

[callmeCata]

Ok hear me out: Rocket league, but its warthogs with jet boosters.

 

[TheXbox]

I want a Forerunner RPG.

Click to shrink...

This would be amazing and also basically unrecognizable as a Halo game. My fear is that if they do an RPG, Microsoft will want it set in or around the Human-Covenant War so they have lots of marketable iconography.

 

[Compsiox]

A Johnson prequel

 

[Jinaar]

I do not think it has ever been done before but hear me out. Lego + Halo. You can build things in this Halo "Lego" Universe, like bridges or warthogs and fight the Flood and the other guys and there will be coins to get. Man, getting light headed just thinking about it.

 

[2Blackcats]

Xcom clone seems like a no brainer.

 

[FUNKNOWN iXi]

Ok hear me out: Rocket league, but its warthogs with jet boosters.

Click to shrink...

Click to shrink...

I do not think it has ever been done before but hear me out. Lego + Halo. You can build things in this Halo "Lego" Universe, like bridges or warthogs and fight the Flood and the other guys and there will be coins to get. Man, getting light headed just thinking about it.

Click to shrink...

 

[Maneil99]

Contact Harvest game. Simple marine fighting the covenant for the first time.

Or a larger scale game during the fall of Reach with Next Gen tech

 

[BDubsLegend]

Oh my God an arbiter prequel that's a character action game. Double fisting energy swords and Amy other creative covenant weapons you can think of. Arby fighting the flood Arby fighting humans in the war. Bring back Keith David. Sick finishers. I realize this sounds a lot like God of war, but I was thinking more like ryse, brutal but less over the top because Arby wasn't ripping dudes in half with his bare hands in the original series. Look to KI for ideas.

 

[TheFireman]

Halo Party. Its just Mario Party, but the minigames are all the dumb minigames people make in forge.

 

[Superman2x7]

Love this topic, ever since I've read the rumors of a spinoff, I've thought of a "buddy cop" game. Pairing an Elite soldier and an ODST or high ranking member of the marines together.

This would be a 3rd person action/shooter. The story can even tie into the main series. The UNSC has found something that can help the Chief against Cortana. Game takes place in a beautiful "Bladerunner" like city where there are humans and aliens from the covenant living in some type of harmony.

Game has big set peices and a ton of action with some cool twists in the story. You're using human and covie weapons and vehicles shooting down other humans and covenants who want this weapon for themselves.

 

[Fahzzy]

And ODST game with Medal of Honor Airborne influences. What I mean is being able to drop where you want on a specific spot with a team in your pod and take out the objectives.

Multiplayer could then be a natural implementation of battle royale, because you are a standard solider. Health packs and such would be a no brainer.

 

[Creation_Scapes]

 

[ILikeFeet]

I do not think it has ever been done before but hear me out. Lego + Halo. You can build things in this Halo "Lego" Universe, like bridges or warthogs and fight the Flood and the other guys and there will be coins to get. Man, getting light headed just thinking about it.

Click to shrink...

already been "done" but MS didnt move forward with it

stupid move

 

[Cheesy]

I honestly would love to see that Halo MegaBloks game come to fruition.

 

[Clowns]

100 Halos parachute into a island...

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They'll drop in ODST-style.
... Actually, they probably will do that in H6's BR mode lol

 

[ILikeFeet]

I honestly would love to see that Halo MegaBloks game come to fruition.

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unfortunately, I think it's too late for that

 

[Deleted member 2109]

Mass Effect but Halo.

 

[tumour_love]

Halo X Aliens

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halo+aliens+40k

 

[Ffog]

I've always thought a horror game, like OP suggested would be rad. I'm not even into horror games. Something like the setting of ODST, but instead of being a supersoldier, or even any soldier, you are just a civilian. All the guns are there but basically unusable because, again, you're just some guy with no training.

That said, XCOM would also be amazing.
And, yeah it's almost to be expected these days, but a Halo Royale game could be great too. ODST pods down to a map, normal upgrades, instead of PUBG redzones, something like a scarab could drop on the map.

 

[Deleted member 40133]

This would be amazing and also basically unrecognizable as a Halo game. My fear is that if they do an RPG, Microsoft will want it set in or around the Human-Covenant War so they have lots of marketable iconography.

Click to shrink...

What's wrong with that? I've always loved the series' military SciFi bent

 

[Dr Doom]

Halo Wars but Xcom

 

[Silky]

Halo + XCOM / Fire Emblem, complete with the romance.

 

[Ryouji Gunblade]

Evolutions had so much. Even Legends.

I'll take pretty much any spin-off you throw at me. I already like both Spartan Assault and Spartan Strike.

But if I had to have just one, it'd be a Sgt. Johnson game.

 

[henlo_birb]

Imagine this:

Halo, but it's Pokémon.

Flips the series entirely on its head. You play as a randomly generated AI character a la Cortana. You're dropped onto a Halo with 1000 other AI. The land is ripe with Master Chiefs for the picking. You catch them by encountering them in the 9-foot-fall grass and catching them with your HALOBalls.

Players duke it out to be the last Chief standing. The winner doesn't have to pay for individual HALOBalls for the next three rounds and the first 20 out have to pay double. This incentivizes players and causes a real sense of dread and anxiety that will create memorable player experiences that will keep them coming back for more.

 

[Hopping_Mad]

I do not think it has ever been done before but hear me out. Lego + Halo. You can build things in this Halo "Lego" Universe, like bridges or warthogs and fight the Flood and the other guys and there will be coins to get. Man, getting light headed just thinking about it.

Click to shrink...

Better yet, MS could save on licensing costs and use something cheaper like mega bloks.

 

[Datajoy]

One of the most requested spin-off ideas I see is a Mass Effect style WRPG TPS game. I feel like that is a perfect half-step for MS to explore new genres and bolster their single player offerings while still playing it relatively safe by sticking within the Halo IP.

 

[Gundam]

Halo: XCOM.

Manage a ship ala Pillar of Autumn or UNSC infinity in place of XCOM's base. Except things like fighter intercept encounters use vehicle mechanics lifted from the shooter games.
Repel the Covenant throughout the Human-Covenant war on a multitude of planets, akin to Star Wars Battlefront's Galactic Conquest mode, where each planet "won" grants an upgrade for your troops.
Alternatively, do the same thing but framed in the new Created war, where your ship is constantly being chased by Guardians.
Implement mechanics similar to FTL: Faster Than Light, with ship-to-ship combat, and optional risk-vs-reward prompts where you can forge uneasy or temporary alliances with different factions.
Ground combat is pretty much XCOM. Name your marines, watch them grow into ODSTs or Spartans, upgrade them with covenant or forerunner integrated tech, and watch them get brutally murdered.
Include factions such as Covenant, Insurrectionists, The Banished, The Flood, Prometheans/Forerunner, or rogue pirates.
Campaign has cutscenes and specific events, like Enemy Unknown's "terror events".
Multiplayer is 1v1 grand Galactic Conquest over a course of 3 or 5 planets. Covenant vs UNSC.

 

[Katarn343]

I would be interested in a RPG set in Reach's badlands after the glassing. Also an RPG set in the Flood-Forerunner War. You can play as either Forerunner or Hamanune (Contemporary Humans).

 

[Hilarious_Bearious]

Halo Party. Its just Mario Party, but the minigames are all the dumb minigames people make in forge.

Click to shrink...

That's actually a pretty neat idea... It's like a Mario Party/Mario Maker mashup, but in 3D space and could incorporate FPS, vehicle and flight elements along with puzzles. I'd play it.

I was going to say Halo Kart: warthogs, banshees and other Halo vehicles along with the weapons we know and love packed into a fun Kart racing package.

 

[Van Bur3n]

Something in the vein of Halo: Headhunters

3rd person stealth driven shooter.
Heavy emphasis on two player co-op.

Play as Spartan III's during Human/Covenant war.

Click to shrink...

Bruv, you read my mind.

 

[FUNKNOWN iXi]

Contact Harvest game. Simple marine fighting the covenant for the first time.

Or a larger scale game during the fall of Reach with Next Gen tech

Click to shrink...

This could be awesome. Make the Covenant scary again like Reach and the live action Forward Unto Dawn

Oh my God an arbiter prequel that's a character action game. Double fisting energy swords and Amy other creative covenant weapons you can think of. Arby fighting the flood Arby fighting humans in the war. Bring back Keith David. Sick finishers. I realize this sounds a lot like God of war, but I was thinking more like ryse, brutal but less over the top because Arby wasn't ripping dudes in half with his bare hands in the original series. Look to KI for ideas.

Click to shrink...

The Duel in Halo Legends is one of my favorite shorts!

 

[Wololo]

Halo: Genesis. Really curious to see what this is if its real.

 

[AYF 001]

Halo: XCOM.

Manage a ship ala Pillar of Autumn or UNSC infinity in place of XCOM's base. Except things like fighter intercept encounters use vehicle mechanics lifted from the shooter games.
Repel the Covenant throughout the Human-Covenant war on a multitude of planets, akin to Star Wars Battlefront's Galactic Conquest mode, where each planet "won" grants an upgrade for your troops.
Alternatively, do the same thing but framed in the new Created war, where your ship is constantly being chased by Guardians.
Implement mechanics similar to FTL: Faster Than Light, with ship-to-ship combat, and optional risk-vs-reward prompts where you can forge uneasy or temporary alliances with different factions.
Ground combat is pretty much XCOM. Name your marines, watch them grow into ODSTs or Spartans, upgrade them with covenant or forerunner integrated tech, and watch them get brutally murdered.
Include factions such as Covenant, Insurrectionists, The Banished, The Flood, Prometheans/Forerunner, or rogue pirates.
Campaign has cutscenes and specific events, like Enemy Unknown's "terror events".
Multiplayer is 1v1 grand Galactic Conquest over a course of 3 or 5 planets. Covenant vs UNSC.

Click to shrink...

They had a concept like that pitched for Halo Wars 3 a while back

https://kotaku.com/artist-shows-off-canceled-pitch-for-halo-wars-3-1819507983

 

[Deleted member 3082]

It makes absolutely zero sense within the universe, but I would totally dig a Halo-building game. You'd play as a Forerunner (with chatty Monitor as your AI assistant) and manage an army of retrievers (to get materials), constructors (to build stuff) and sentinels (to control) as your worker management element. You'd then sculpt the landscape, control the environment, build structures to keep the sub-surface mechanisms running, add installations for research and such (new build unlocks), manage the eco-system, and control Flood outbreaks to prevent the array from firing.

 

[Remo Williams]

An action adventure game somewhat inspired by Hunt the Truth or something in that vein. Playing as a journalist or a similar normal person who gets sucked into life-changing events (alternatively, a spy). Investigating Oni shenanigans or galaxy-spanning conspiracies, extracting information from contacts, light puzzles, tapping, tracking, hacking, all the while trying to stay hidden, and out of trouble. Some action, but not the focus (stealth more important), mostly hand to hand combat, rarely shooting, being on the run with several spectacular escape sequences (think Mirror's Edge or alternatively Uncharted, but again, with minimal shooting). Other reference points: Westwood's Blade Runner, Omikron, some aspects of Deus Ex, Total Recall.

 

[A More Normal Bird]

Oh my God an arbiter prequel that's a character action game. Double fisting energy swords and Amy other creative covenant weapons you can think of. Arby fighting the flood Arby fighting humans in the war. Bring back Keith David. Sick finishers. I realize this sounds a lot like God of war, but I was thinking more like ryse, brutal but less over the top because Arby wasn't ripping dudes in half with his bare hands in the original series. Look to KI for ideas.

Click to shrink...

I had a similar idea, but more of a MGS/stealth focus for gameplay, playing as a historical Arbiter before the Covenant made contact with humanity. I think there's some reluctance to have a Halo campaign where you fight humans, but it would be pretty easy to have a plot where you fight Covenant heretics and then end up uncovering and destroying the scheme of some dastardly prophet etc...

 

[ilikesanta]

Cortana's Fleet Manager: You play as Cortana and you're tasked with managing Earth's fleet as it takes on the Covenant Menace!

 

[javiergame4]

Halo rpg open world please

 

[DukeBlueBall]

Semi open world ODST game.

Combination of
Metro series
Farcry series
Original Halo

Equipments make a return.
Customizable weapons make first appearance.
Perks and leveling make it's first appearance in Halo singleplayer.
Smart scope.

Flood is back.
So are brutes.

Premise. Covenant radical splinter tries to weaponize the Flood by releasing it on a remote Insurrectionists colony. A ODST stealth strike ship monitoring the colony is forced into action.

 

[Deleted member 26104]

I'd take a Vanquish-like 3rd person halo, using the moveset from Halo 5. Build it on UE4, take the cover system from Gears, I reckon the MP could be amazing and unique.

 

[Deleted member 4761]

Halo Third Person Action RPG Open World.

 

[Aaronmac]

Halo: Back to Basics

Remake of the Halo 1 multiplayer sandbox in a 4v4 format:
-3 shot perfect kill magnum
-Very low aim assist and bullet magnetism to promote skilled projectile based gunplay and wide skill gap
-New Maps and remade/rebalanced classics to fit new player count
-Grenades mainly for zoning and finishing kills
-Set weapon spawn timers
-Power weapons fit specific roles and promote movement around around map
-Fall Damage
-Grenades bounce weapons
-(optional) Button combos!

Been dreaming of a modern take on Halo 1's multiplayer sandbox for a while. The pistol is such a wonderful accident; it makes competitive Halo 1 play so satisfying to watch when somebody is hitting all of their shots. They just melt people.

 

[WhiteRabbitEXE]

Tactical TPS playing as a Forerunner during the Forerunner/Flood and/or Forerunner/Human war.
Character action starring Spartan 1337.
That goddamn Mega Bloks game that definitely should have happened because it looked legit.

More so a spin-off in a narrative sense, rather than genre - ODST-like side story featuring an all-Sangheili main cast.

The Duel in Halo Legends is one of my favorite shorts!

Click to shrink...

The Duel is alright, and I love the art style, but it takes the Japanese influences for the Elites waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too fucking literally.

 

[Razgriz-Specter]

More games like ODST, sadly ODST's narrative was ruined by the Halo 5 books so they can't just make another.

However ODST for example should have been
Rookie = 1st person
squad member flashbacks = 3rd person

 

[KillLaCam]

Odst but a horror game with the flood