We knew that against a force this powerful, we were bound to lose people. The Covenant was prepared for war, and our own people have been scrambling to mount a response.
Still, it’s one thing to know it’ll happen, and quite another to be prepared for it.
Something I’ve noticed that Halo: Reach does well is allow the player to soak in the emotional gravity of a scene, without feeling the need to interrupt it with a cheesy one-liner. Eventually, as any story does, we move on to the next plot point, but we’re given the time necessary to let an emotional beat linger.
New Alexandria is a great example of this, because while we are doing things to further the war effort, we’re also doing it over the ruins of a dying city after it’s population has been evacuated for their own safety. Nobody in the cast ever feels the need to draw attention to it, since they have tasks they need to accomplish and no time to mourn the loss of this haven in a cold, lonely universe. And yet, they don’t need to. We, as players, can feel it just by existing in this space, flying over decaying buildings as Covenant forces assail us from all angles.
And of course, Bungie expertly convinces us to care about our NPC companions, feeling their loss. Jorge gets to go out in a blaze of glory, and even without a body to bury we feel his loss as Noble Six returns to the rest of their unit alone. Kat doesn’t even get that, dying an ignoble death to a sniper shot on our way to the next objective. The shot that follows, the remaining four members of Noble Team wordlessly starring into the fiery rubble before them, says more than words ever could.
It’s also worth noting that Jorge and Kat were some of the most important members of the team before they were killed. Jorge is the emotional heart of the group, and one of the most empathetic among them. Kat, meanwhile, played a significantly role in feeding us intelligence and focusing the group on their objectives. They chose the two most front-facing Noble Team members, aside from the player, to kill off early, so we feel it harder than we would with anyone else.
Credit where credit is due, this was a well thought out section of the game.
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