Both overwrought and increasingly vague: a bizarre juxtaposition that Halo was tarred with as the series continued. Bungie compartmentalised the galaxy-spanning sci-fi opera epic its franchise was becoming and promptly jettisoned the majority of them, tantalizing a planet’s destruction through a prolonged campaign that remained wisely personal throughout. Bungie chose to focus on one squad’s viewpoint of a global invasion and showing that despite the epic scale of their missions, their successes were ultimately futile and barely registered on the larger scale of planet-wide destruction. And in an quiet, reflective, brutal ending, Bungie proved it hadn’t lost touch with Halo’s heart- of heroes and martyrs, and the last stands and sacrifices that are made, even if no-one is there to acknowledge them.