Halo: Campaign Evolved is a remake of the original Halo: Combat Evolved, built by Halo Studios, the developer formerly known as 343 Industries before its 2024 rebrand. The remake includes an all-new prologue consisting of three original missions set aboard a Covenant ship before the events of the classic campaign, marking Halo Studios' first original creation since its name change.
According to GamesRadar+, the prologue puts Master Chief through cramped service corridors, grand halls, and even a domed Earth-like desert biome inside the alien vessel, with level design built around keeping the player moving—standing still invites grenade attacks, and limited ammo forces constant weapon-swapping. The review notes small touches like a joke exchange about Chief being the 'strong, almost-silent type,' and highlights the CE Magnum as evidence the studio can still deliver solid Halo combat. GamesRadar's overall verdict called the game 'an FPS in its purest form, but also a wasted opportunity for Halo Studios to put its own spin on a classic,' and the reviewer questioned whether future Halo titles will stick to this tighter, corridor-based structure or build on Halo Infinite's open-world approach.
On the collectibles side, GamesRadar+ reports that Campaign Evolved contains 13 Terminals, one per level, which unlock lore entries and are found in different locations than in the earlier Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary release. Unlike Skulls, Terminals give off only faint bleeping sounds audible at close range. GamesRadar and Polygon both detail specific Terminal locations, including ones tied to campaign moments such as searching for Captain Keyes and escaping the Flood-infested Forerunner facility in the '343 Guilty Spark' mission.
Skulls have been significantly expanded for the remake. PC Gamer reports that the original Halo had only ten Skulls, while Campaign Evolved features 39, with three assigned to each mission. Finding a player's first three Skulls automatically unlocks three additional bonus Skulls—Armistice, Adaptation, and Reload—intended for use in a Campaign Remix mode. Skull effects range from disabling sprint or the HUD to increasing enemy aggression or altering ammo and damage mechanics.
Both PC Gamer and Polygon note that some Skulls require extra effort to obtain, such as playing on higher difficulties, using tricks like grenade jumps, or timing pickups during specific in-level events. PC Gamer specifically flags the 'Catch' Skull in the Keyes mission as the hardest to acquire, since it requires Heroic difficulty and must be grabbed within a narrow time window while riding a gravity lift.