343 Industries reveal how players will control a two distinct squadrons of Spartan soldiers in Halo 5: Guardians.
Ever since the gameplay video at E3 2015, there has been confusion about how the player can control a full squad of Spartans in both solo and co-op modes. Studio Head Josh Holmes said on the official Halo website that Halo 5: Guardians is built to be a conducive co-op experience. The whole Spartan squad experiences the story together, and more importantly, act as one unit. This means that Master Chief and Spartan Locke are not alone in their quest, as in the other games, and must take their squad through the entire narrative experience.
Holmes had this to say:
“This creative pillar has influenced many decisions throughout the game’s technology and design, While you can still expect the same great single-player experience that Halo campaigns have been known for, engaging in cooperative play gives the campaign a new level of depth and richness.”
Halo 5: Guardians’ co-op is seamless, allowing for drop-in/drop-out gameplay. If you are the session host, you will take control of Master Chief or Spartan Locke (depending on the mission). Friends who drop into your game will be able to chose a member of your sqaud to control. When a friend leaves the session, their respective character will immediately be taken over by AI and the game will carry on uninterrupted.
The different members of the squads have vastly different play styles and abilities. Master Chief’s “Blue Team” has Linda, the master marksmen; and Kelly, who is the fastest of all the Spartans and gave run a little more rapidly throughout the game. On the flip side, Spartan Locke’s “Osiris Squad” has advanced technology not available to Master Chief’s squad; with personalised HUD’s and extended motion-trackers.
343 Industries has assured fans that Halo 5: Guardians is not without solo play, the campaign should be enjoyed with friends, but doesn’t need to be. When alone, you will take control of the main character and use squad-based orders to control the other Spartan in your team. Typical orders such as “attack here,” “move here,” and “use vehicle.” Characters will also fall into a “down-but-not-out” state (similar to the Borderlands games) after taking lethal damage, which means your squad can revive each other in the midst of combat.
343 Industries has done a fantastic job at making the game focused on cooperative play without removing the solo experience all together, and there is sure to be more interesting information soon surrounding these changes to the core gameplay mechanics.
