Continuing on my completionist mission (completing series of games, not necessarily getting 100% on them, I finished Halo 5: Guardians on 5/18/26; a little more than a decade after it launched, and probably 7 years after I bought it on sale 😅

According to TrueAchievements, I completed Halo 4 in 2014, so it took a while to get back into the franchise. Where I last left the story, Cortana had sacrificed herself to save Master Chief, Master Chief was floating in space, saved by Infinity, and returned to Earth.  I didn't get the Legendary ending (I seriously don't understand why they lock an important piece of storytelling behind the most difficult game setting...aaaanywhoooo). While Halo 5 does pick up the story, it's not a direct continuation.  The events of Halo 5 are a few months after the ending of Halo 4 and Master Chief has found Cortana again, and I guess she's up to no good?  So the story follows both Master Chief paths (to get that POV), and Fireteam Osiris who's after Master Chief...

Story Synopsis (from wikipedia)

Fireteam Osiris is deployed to the planet Kamchatka to retrieve Halsey amidst a battle between Jul 'Mdama's Covenant and Forerunner Prometheans. The team kills 'Mdama and retrieves Halsey, who claims to have information on a series of devastating attacks on several human worlds. Elsewhere, Master Chief leads Blue Team on a mission to secure a derelict research station; the arrival of a Covenant fleet prompts Blue Team to scuttle the station instead. Master Chief receives a cryptic message from Cortana, directing him to Meridian, a human colony world. Master Chief is ordered to return to Infinity, but he and Blue Team disobey orders and set out after Cortana.

Captain Lasky declares Blue Team absent without leave; Halsey believes that Cortana's survival through the use of Forerunner technology makes her unpredictable and untrustworthy. Fireteam Osiris is sent to Meridian to bring back Blue Team. On the planet, they find the colonists under attack by Promethean forces. Following Blue Team's trail, they encounter the Warden Eternal, a Promethean serving as Cortana's enforcer. After temporarily defeating the Warden, Osiris catches up to Blue Team, ordering them to stand down. Chief bests Locke in hand-to-hand combat and Blue Team boards a Guardian, a colossal Forerunner construct built as planetary enforcers. Osiris barely escapes the colony's collapse as the Guardian emerges from underground and teleports away to the Forerunner planet Genesis, where John and Cortana reunite. Cortana says that her terminal condition was cured by the same Forerunner technology that had saved her.

Osiris is deployed to the Sangheili homeworld of Sanghelios, where they plan to use the Guardian buried there to follow Blue Team. Sanghelios is embroiled in a civil war between the Arbiter's forces and the remains of 'Mdama's army; Osiris helps Arbiter assault the Covenant's last stronghold and board the Guardian before it disappears.

On Genesis, Osiris encounters the planet's caretaker, the AI 031 Exuberant Witness, who allies with them to stop Cortana. Osiris catches up to Blue Team, who reveal that Cortana is planning on using the Guardians to achieve galactic peace through forcible disarmament. Master Chief, aware of the devastation that Cortana's plan will cause, attempts to convince Cortana to stand down. She refuses and confines Blue Team in a Forerunner prison to prevent them from interfering with her plan. Osiris manages to transfer control of Genesis back to Exuberant, who frees Blue Team before Cortana leaves the planet. AIs across the galaxy begin swearing allegiance to Cortana and her plans. Cortana locates Infinity and prepares to disable it, but Lasky has the ship retreat until they can develop a way to combat Cortana. With Blue Team recovered, Osiris returns to Sanghelios to reunite the Spartans with the injured Commander Palmer, Arbiter, and Halsey.

In a post-credits scene, unlocked via completing the campaign on the Legendary difficulty, a Forerunner Halo installation powers up while Cortana hums.

Overall Thoughts

Overall, this was a fun game.  It was interesting to see both sides of the story (Master Chief and Fireteam Osiris), and how they converged.  That said, I do wonder how we got from Halo 4 to Halo 5 storywise.  I guess there's some associated media (books, comics, mini episodes?) that explain this, but I don't really like it when storytelling between main media properties of the franchise are so disjointed.  I guess it makes it easier for new players to come in and get an intro, but...not to my liking.  Overall, this game was a 8/10 for me.  Solid game play, would play again (my first run through was on normal since I haven't played in a while), and a good story.  Also, no flood, which was always my most hated part of the franchise.

Gaming Synopsis

Achievements: 23/73

Gamescroe: 230/1250

Percentage Complete: 31%

Time Played: 11.5 Hours