Highlights
- 343 Industries has taken big risks with the Halo franchise, though one idea it has never embraced could be the most extreme – and interesting – of all.
- Concept art for every 343-developed game shows Master Chief in a mech suit, which would be a new direction for the character that could revolutionize Halo gameplay.
- 343 Industries may be drawing inspiration from Gundam to bring mechs to the world of Halo, offering a fresh and thrilling change of pace if the idea ever becomes more than a concept.
The Halo franchise has been one of the longest running first-person shooter series in the history of gaming, and this extensive history has featured many ideas from developers that have never made it past the conceptual stages. Originally beginning with Bungie as its developer, Halo was eventually taken over by 343 Industries.
Since 343 Industries took over, there have been many suggested ideas for the Halo franchise. Although not every single idea gets put into a game, the developer has taken some big risks with Halo. Since Halo Infinite has drastically changed since its rocky launch back in 2021, 343 Industries seems to be getting back in the good graces of many gamers, and the studio bringing a specific concept to life could be an incredibly fun game changer.
Awesome Crossover Idea Puts a Halo Spin on Fallout’s Power Armor
Fan-made designs for Halo Infinite armor draw inspiration from a variety of Brotherhood of Steel and Enclave power armor designs from Fallout.
343 Industries Has a Chance to Revolutionize the Halo Franchise
Halo has become well known for its action-packed first-person shooting gameplay, but the franchise offers a lot of diversity in its combat as well. From manning Warthogs to zooming around and blasting away Covenant enemies via Banshees, Halo also features a lot of great vehicles to bring the combat to the next level. A natural progression of these manned vehicles would be mech suits, and 343 Industries has plenty of concept art detailing what a mech suit Master Chief could look like.
Mech Suit Master Chief
There are various pieces of concept art depicting the franchise’s main protagonist, Master Chief, in an intimidating, decked out mech suit, with one mech concept even being given the name “Monster Chief”. Master Chief has gone through many changes since he was first introduced in 2001, but he has yet to be featured in full mech suit glory. Whether it’s been during the development of Halo Wars 2 or Halo Infinite, there have been many great interpretations of this concept, and it’s time for it to finally be made a reality.
With over 20 years of history, Master Chief has arguably become stagnant since his first introduction, and giving the character the chance to cause some serious destruction with a mech suit could give a thrilling jolt of energy to Halo‘s future gameplay. Bungie never got the chance to attempt such a massive idea, leaving 343 Industries with the perfect opportunity to stand out as the developer that finally brought mechs to the world of Halo. The UNSC is an incredibly powerful military, so it only makes sense for the organization’s strongest Spartan to have the chance to be as powerful and destructive as possible.
343 Industries Taking Chances
Based on the concept art, it looks as though 343 Industries may be taking some inspiration from the Gundam franchise, and that’s a thrilling thought. The Halo games have been incredibly influential, but it may be time for other properties to push some influence onto future entries in the series. Thanks to the success of last year’s Armored Core 6, it’s clear that there is a big audience that is drawn to mechs and the exciting gameplay they inspire, and this will hopefully inspire 343 Industries to finally pull the trigger on the long-suggested feature.
Mech Master Chief may just be an idea at this point, but it has a lot of potential. 343 Industries is making some exciting moves with its future projects, but the next game will be the perfect time for mech suit Master Chief to finally come out of the shadows and have his moment in the spotlight.
