I wasn't at all mate, that's really interesting - did each level in the game tend to be designed principally by one person? And if so, who was responsible for 343 Guilty Spark?
I especially enjoy playing the Library on heroic or legendary difficulty but with the bandanna skull on. Super strong Flood enemies but unlimited ammunition on the shotgun and infinite grenades actually make it a lot of fun.
Gotta love how they eventually went: "Yeah, okay, we'll give them extremely obvious arrows in this level so we can stop getting complaints about it being hard to navigate"
I personally love the Library. Really gets across how hopeless it is to fight against the Flood with the never ending swarms. As a fan of horror, this feeling of hopelessness is why I like the second half of Halo CE a lot more than the first half. How alone you are as the rest of the humans on the ring are quickly wiped out and finding nothing but hostility from the remaining Covenant trying to stay alive and the Flood as they spread across the whole ring. There's a really strong atmosphere in the second half of Halo and it's genuinely creepy. The Library gets across how much a threat the Flood are, which makes seeing them all over the rest of the ring and the realisation of how fast they are taking over all the more horrifying.
I played CE last of the original trilogy, and I loved the library. For the first time, you're completely isolated. No fohammer to bail you out or even Cortana to come up with an evac. You're not sure where you are just this suspicious orb to trust who runs away whenever danger comes around. The atmosphere is perfect.
That original trilogy of Halo novels, Fall of Reach, The Flood, and First Strike are all masterpieces imo. It really says something about the novelization of Halo in particular that it can keep up with the other two and include such memorable moments and characters despite being a story we already know.
@@Seriona1 yes, I always stopped and payed my respects. Having ever only played The Library on Legendary that poor dead marine always seemed like such a badass to me.
the Library is probably Halo CE's 3rd best level, not for the reason people think. The Library serves a VERY important purpose in the game because it makes completing the campaign feel like much more of an accomplishment than if it did not exist. It's a relentless grind and conquering it makes you actually feel like a super soldier on a lone quest to save humanity. 10/10.
I actually agree with you to a certain extent, as discussed in the second half of the video - I do think there's a concept there, which is to show very clearly how much of a threat the Flood are. I just wish the actual level built around it was a lot more fun to actually play 😂
I had to complete the library 3 times on MCC because the achievement wouldn't pop. The third time around and once you know what you are doing it doesn't feel a grind at all. But yeah on the play through it serves a purpose in terms of story telling and grind. It needs to be there to set tone.
@@ErikLosLobos Yeah it’s really not that much of a grind and isn’t THAT difficult even on legendary. To me, Two Betrayals or Keyes are the most difficult levels in CE legendary.
@@alexschneider8494 Two Betrayals is the only mission in Legendary CE where the difficulty gets truly unfair. If you play it smart, you can still get one-shotted by the rocket Flood around the corner, or killed by a random squad of invisible Elites in the open ice field while you’re fighting other enemies. Keyes is kinda random lol
It’s the level where Halo’s repetitive level design reaches critical mass. Over the decades, I have warmed up more to the Library. From a gameplay standpoint, I love the visceral horror that the level can achieve and it’s one of the few levels where the Flood’s distinct trait as a faction: overwhelming the player through sheer numbers) can actually happen. It’s not a Doom or Quake level by any means; most Doom and Quake maps have much better level design. However, as time goes on, I find it more tolerable than, say, Keyes.
Yep, it's the best flood map in CE. The hallways are repetitive, but at least you had a lot of room for crowd control and circle-strafing. The fights themselves are actually very fun and even the rocket flood is not too bad in this level. It's not as god-awful as later levels where they'd spawn (what felt like) an unlimited amount of Floods down very narrow hallways in your face (ESPECIALLY Keyes).
Keyes is the true worst halo CE level. It's not the worst, but it doesn't really stand out aside from the AI battles. At least the library was a unique level.
The Bandana Skull completely changes this level for me. Having shotgun ammo and frags on hand at all times makes the endless waves more bearable and turns it into a Doom-like gauntlet
It also demonstrates just how utterly ridiculous that last locked door with the confined area is. Even with infinite ammo and the right weapons, on (solo) legendary there are SO MANY Flood that it's hard to deal with them without getting overwhelmed or blowing yourself up.
I like to play it the opposite lol, famine skull makes you grab weapons you otherwise wouldn't and makes trying to keep the flood back even more of a dance.
Yeah, the released storyboards for Halo 2's ending revealed that the Arbiter would discover the forerunner tomb and it would house a human skeleton. Forerunners were originally humans. That's why forerunner technology requires human touch to unlock. When they changed Halo 2's ending they also changed guture games
It's odd though as the Halo 3 terminals make it seem otherwise too. I'm convinced no one really took the lead and made a decision, hence it being so ambiguous!
@@BenPlaysGames Ok, found it, They were human until Halo 2. There was a storyboard panel from the original halo 2 story that never got used where the arbiter finds a sarcophagus that contains forerunner remains and when he looks inside, it turns out to be a human skeleton. As Halo 2's ending was changed so was Halo 3.
@@BenPlaysGames According to Paul Russel, an Environmental Artist for all of the Bungie Halo games, the intention of the Forerunners in Halo 3's terminals was that the Forerunners were not a separate species, but a selected group/subset of early humans handed-picked and uplifted by a more advanced civilization called the Precursors. Not all humans were Forerunners but all Forerunners were human. Thus Halo 3's terminals were hinting that the Forerunners were rediscovering their lost heritage/origins near the end of the Flood War that being the caveman humans on Earth. This explanation makes sense as Mendicant Bias, the Forerunner AI from Halo 3's terminals and Iris ARG marketing campaign, called Reclaimers (humans) its makers in the 2007 novel Contact Harvest. Along with how both the Covenant and Forerunner Sentinals speak and understood the Latin language before encountering 26th-century humans in the Halo novels Contact Harvest and Ghost of Onyx. Link to Paul Russel's tweet: twitter.com/docabominable/status/1603054539384524800?s=20&t=VdYtVkc1RA8uWF6rjioCpQ
The novelization of CE really puts this part of the game into perspective. John's Spartan training had left him almost immune to fear and yet throughout his battles with the Flood, he was fighting not to panic.
Thematically the library is one of the best moments in the campaign it shows how relentless the flood are, in the novel is stated that the master chief fought the flood for over 12 hours in the library making him feel painfully exhausted despite being an augmented soldier, I think in some ways does achieve the goal of making you feel painfully exhausted, gameplay wise it’s more long than it had to be even some og bungie developers admit that this level should have been shorter. Great video
@@oryxkingofchads2030 I contest that assumption. I beat every single mission on Legendary in the original Halo EXCEPT for The Library. The Library is hands-down the hardest mission on Legendary, and it is mostly because of that one damn stretch between the two rocket launcher flood, and the final doorway. You can legitimately run out of ammo in that segment, and can die instantly if you don't throw your grenades properly. Reconciliation and Two Betrayals both require you to understand and use Covenant weapons, but otherwise aren't difficult outside of a few frustrating sections. Knowing how to prioritize enemies Reconciliation is the key, as outside of Elites most enemies you fight can be shredded with hit and run (elites require you to hit with overwhelming firepower, but you can bulk up needlers for that fairly easily). For Two Betrayals, the Sentinels are annoying but go down easily to the plasma pistol, and are a boon if you can learn to avoid them. In more heated fights they need to be somewhat of a target priority because if your shields are down they'll shoot you first before attacking other enemies, but otherwise there are just so many other targets (who are almost certainly going to win if you sat around long enough) that they can be reliably avoided in most sections. Just keep your shields up.
@@BenPlaysGames it took me around 2 1/2 hours to get through it on Legendary. It isn’t the hardest mission ever, that goes to Halo 2s ENTIRE campaign on Legendary lol!
The library suffers from “too much of a good thing” syndrome. CE’s gameplay loop is near perfect but absolutely requires vehicle, weapon, environment and enemy variation during extended combat to stay interesting. Like eating dessert for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Really the level’s only true flaw.
10:39 Can't say I agree. Each floor has a unique flavor. Also, those chapter titles man. "But I don't want to ride the elevator!" "But wait! It gets worse" and of course "Fourth floor: tools, guns, keys to super weapons". The first part is getting out of the core area, the second part is learning to master the s-halls, then there's the "last stands", and then you do the arrive through the sub halls, and finally there's the giant death hall and dias at the end.
That's fair mate - I can definitely see where you're coming from too. For me, there's not enough variety to call each floor unique, as they don't do enough to differentiate themselves from one another. There's no point during The Library when I think: "Ah, this next part is the good part."
@@BenPlaysGames That's a fair point. There are parts I enjoy relative to the level, but I wouldn't call them objectively good. Good for the theme you pointed out though.
After having finally found a way to play Bungie's old Marathon games, the Library feels less like something out of the ordinary for Halo and more like Bungie returning to its roots. Marathon is FULL of levels that have the same sort of spirit that the Library captures; long, winding corridors, seemingly endless hordes of enemies, health packs and ammo spaced out just enough to make you sweat. All it's missing are a bunch of nonsense terminals tucked away in corners and you'd have a pretty faithful reimagining of Marathon's level structure.
One way to fix the library: introduce the flood architecture from halo 3. As you progress the level the flood is taking more and more of the library over.
Another great one Ben, I think you sum up everything pretty great. Want a challenge? Play on Heroic and turn on the famine skull, Ammo conservation becomes such a key part of your survival. I also wanted to note that the SPV3 mod (not sure if you ever got that working) fixes a lot of the issues with this level by adding in Covenant spread throughout to break up the slugfest with the Flood. Plus they add in a few sentinel Enforcers and a single Wraith to drive. Really does help break things up, while still using what makes the Library good to full effect.
Nice one, Luke! I do really need to get round to playing SPV3 - those changes sound great. In between work and making videos and life etc, I really struggle to find time to actually play games for long periods at the mo. To be 12 again...
ruby's rebalanced is also a good one not sure if he said that in the video, i got distracted a little while watching and i dont feel like rewatching rn
@@BenPlaysGames I feel that one brother, watching a few videos before bed is as close as I typically get to playing games anymore. Great content as always! Here's a great guide I've used time and time again for installing SPV3 if you're ever interested in giving it a go: ua-cam.com/video/4RCcaPMld-8/v-deo.html
The Flood is an enemy that me and my friends just spray. The first time I shot until it was on the ground. When I saw one stand back up after previously being dead, I changed my strategy to shoot it to the ground and then put in another 15 rounds to make sure it stays that way. I'm usually a very conservative guy when it comes to ammo conservation in video games, but the Flood is an exception
The library would have benefitted from having at least 1 elevator level being removed to shorten its monotony. Maybe one of the levels could've had covenant for a fun mix up
I like the idea of the covenant being a small enemy here but it wouldnt make sense. First off, guilty spark teleported chief to the library, so how would the covenant get there. And second they and the marines (not spartans) fight a losing battle to the flood, they would all be turned into flood (except maybe grunts and/or jackals). And lastly it just wouldnt make sense because guilty spark is the one leading chief to the index, not the covenant.
@@Integral_Abyss35 Yeah, I get it. Maybe some little segment about the covenant hacking/cutting their way into the facility, annoying the monitor and asking you to help clear them up with the sentinels or something, and/or the flood getting into the mix for a bit more chaos. Oh well.
I always thematically liked the level, and how it shows the Flood as a threat that they can overwhelm you even in large open environments if you're not careful, as well as building a little character for 343 Guilty Spark. I enjoyed the fish out of water feeling I think it tries to provoke, and the novelization of this level is great. Chief takes a snack break and when spark leaves Chief shares the same headspace as the player upon hearing 'this portal is the first of ten'
When playing this level on Legendary I remember what my Commander once told me, “The Parasite is not to be trifled with, I hope you know what you’re doing”
I know this video is a bit of a remake of a previous one, but I just love these level review videos. It's pretty cool to see how much of the Halo series you've managed to cover over just the past couple of years. How does it feel to have done this kind of video on all of Combat Evolved's levels?
Cheers Korlinium! I try not to swear very often but... it fees fucking great. It's one of my favourite games of all time (I've a top five I could never choose between), and having something like the series I've just finished out there makes me feel like I've done it justice. Or nearly done it justice - still got the retrospective to go 😉
The thing is: The Library is Halo school. It’s what they’d call pedagogical - like learning JS Bach on an instrument. You’re fluent when you come out the other side. It forces you to learn agility, timing, usage of space, and accuracy. After this, dancing around with a Hunter while waiting him to lunge so you can pop him dead in his orange back feels as easy as killing a grunt. Fucking awesome exercise.
I like this mission because of the run and gun aspect and also the speedruning aspect and I love fighting the flood in CE out of all games because the combat dance is so good
I played this on original hardware with my daughter a few months ago, and was struck by how dark it is. With my hardware, the flashlight was absolutely essential for seeing into the dark corners of The Library, which put flashlight battery management at the very top of my priority list. It add a whole new dimension to the game. I wonder if anyone else has experienced, or if my Xbox console has a video output problem.
Loved this mission, so much fun with a friend. Having to pause the game and run down stairs to eat the food my friends mum had cooked as quickly as we could, then running back upstairs to finish the mission
It's actually pretty quick to run through too if you learn the tricks. I've never had much of a problem with it gameplay wise and I've always enjoyed its thematic contribution. Even doing LASO wasn't as much of a grind as some levels.
I can't believe I finally got recommended these videos on UA-cam, Halo CE was the first video game I played when I was a kid, having been introduced to it by my older brother. We beat a large majority of the Halos on Legendary mode together and nothing will ever beat the kind of nostalgia that was brought back when watching and learning more about the game I first played and the series that is forever one of the best video games to me. Incredible video.
And for the record, I got to play it on the original Xbox which I still have with the game for it. And yes, the Xbox still works which I'm happy about.
As much as I find the library mission in halo combat evolved to be repetitive, it taught me to respect the flood as an enemy. From a story standpoint with guilty spark, sharing details and information about the flood, and how they were studying them to outright, fighting endless hordes of the flood, it was apparent to me that they weren’t just some run-of-the-mill enemy, but a force to be reckoned with.
The Library is honestly my favorite level in the game, and i love that you came to the correct conclusion that it’s designed to wear you out. To me, i see the dull-monotone environment as a means of both driving up the fear factor, as well as a logical design choice that the forerunners made. The library isn’t meant to be a showcase of art, like the rest of the ring; it’s meant to harbor copies of life, so that when the rings are activated, the Galaxy will still see repopulation. This level is very easy to hate if you don’t appreciate thematics, especially because its theme is hopelessness as you struggle through overwhelming odds Fun fact about this level, btw. Towards the end, you can cone across the uninflected corpse of a Marine. In lore, that was the first man that Spark tried to make a reclaimer, and, without the MJOLNIR armor and bio-enhancements of a Spartan, somehow managed to make it to the 4th floor before finally being completely overrun. If memory serves me right, he was only a sergeant, foo
I always love the aesthetics of this level but also hate confronting the flood. so I always have mixed feelings about this one. great video as always. (happy new year btw)
I've always liked the library. It feels like you are traversing a cold, dark, and confusing purgatory filled with relentless and horrifying enemies. Which to me reflects the Flood pretty well
How the insane boredom, tedium, and difficulty without counter-play or even reason got through play testing and into The Library as well as Two Betrayals which is just as awful, I will never know.
The Library is probably the best level to use the Famine skull. The grinding, repetitive encounters are given some new life from the added pressure of careful resource management, target prioritization, and switching out weapons on the regular. Finding a full box of shotgun shells when you've been struggling to keep the tube full for a couple minutes feels like a huge relief and gives you the confidence to run headlong into the next wave.
My two-cents on if I could change it, would be to make the first floor moderately lit (like in the redesign), and have the floors progressively get darker and darker as you ascend farther away from the main source of light on the ground floor, to the point that you have to rely on your flashlight on the last floor where the glowing Index is-- giving it the "light at the end of the tunnel" feel. Would make it more relevant to be repetitive, sort of like training for the darker areas above, and also makes the vibe of the level feel like you're advancing to the less popular areas of a building-- like a dimly-lit attic or a utility closet, or in this case the restricted archive section of an actual library.
Beating this on Legendary is hell. I am currently working on beating the game on Legendary deathless, while also streaming it. The beginning is always the hardest. Hordes of flood forms storm towards you with shotguns. There's also a lot of carrier forms which love to sneak up behind you like a creeper from Minecraft.
I absolutely love The Library right after The Silent Cartographer beach landing. I love sci-fi horror so I love the confusion, isolation, and being against the wall as you fight through The Library. My brother and I played this so much together as kids. And yes Bungie intended for humans to be the descendants of the forerunners but 343i screwed up a lot of the lore and canon.
I will say I didn’t like the Library but I do appreciate it with your part in video talking about it showing you what the Flood are about. An endless tide of space zombies coming at you from all directions, never relenting. Keep your head up or you’ll drown.
I LOVE this mission. So many happy memories playing on legendary with a buddy on split screen. Absolute madness. Good times. Also that eerie music, I still get chills when I hear it...
A way the level could’ve worked on its own is if the structure was varied with different architecture with verticality. Mix that with maybe some spec ops covenant and maybe some flood operated vehicles and I think this could’ve been memorable. So it would now be a-bit if a reverse of how things played out in halo 2 where it was us playing as the Arbiter racing against the humans to find the key. Where now in this situation it’s us fighting alongside sentinels fighting against the flood and some spec ops covenant. Could’ve even been a better way to introduce the spec ops grunts and elites. Where in Keys it kinda felt they were thrown in at the end. Plus if we got them here, they would feel a bit more apart of the campaign than just being in the final 2 missions.
I get it. The Library has some very important things to add to the game. The problem with the level isn't that nothing about it is good, its that its a good concept, executed lazily and poorly. Yes, it makes you fear the flood. It is SUPPOSED to be long and grueling, arduous process. All the good things about the level could have been done in a much better way. I am currently playing through on heroic. Gave legendary up on Truth and Reconciliation. I don't have the patience right now, and want to play through all the campaigns, as its been many years and I haven't played 4 or Reach. I played through CE on easy as a kid, and I think I may have beaten it on legendary with a buddy on xbox a few years back. Playing solo, The library was the least fun I've had in a video game ever. 343 Guilty Spark scared the hell out of me as a kid, and idk how long it took me to get past it. It is for that reason 343 Guilty Spark is the most memorable level for me. The Library just dragged on way too long. It's cool for a time being, but it stops being fun very fast. Playing the level casually, there is literally no strategy other than run around and shotgun the flood, hope for a checkpoint so you can take a small break every now and then. Over and over and over, for however long it takes to get out. Checkpoints make no sense half the time. I would die and get sent back 5 minutes, only to get a checkpoint right before the spot I previously died. I was just incredibly annoyed by the end of it, PRAYING for Two Betrayals already. Two Betrayals is so far a lot harder, but the covenant actually put up a fight and make me consider my plan of attack rather than running around like a chicken with its head cut off for hours on end. 343 Guilty Spark does a good enough job already, and in my opinion, an even better of a job of being creepy and showing what a threat the flood is. If the Library wasn't the same floor copy and pasted over and over and actually ended about halfway through, or at least some major redesign to make it feel like you are actually progressing as you kill endless waves of flood. It could be the best level in the game. As it sits, its just way too long and stops being fun after the first 2 rooms. Playing casually on heroic or harder, The Library is garbage. It's not hard, it's tedious. I made lots of mistakes and died often because I just wanted to get the fuck out of there already. The level certainly does its job, its just its job is to be as annoying and unfun as possible, and that is poor game design. I play games to have fun, not to experience the endless nightmare, and all the pain and suffering the main character endured. Let me go play diablo 4 and be forced to grind for eternity and never get any stronger because that's exactly what being in Hell would feel like so its good game design!
This is honestly my favorite Halo CE level. I have always loved playing it for the atmosphere and horror of it all. Though at the same time it's oddly calming to play
Fantastic analysis of The Library. I think you hit on all the key points with near perfect precision. However, I believe you just glossed over one-the most important one. That is the first-play perspective. Imagine your first time through the game. The Library is arguably a perfect design in many of the ways you highlighted. It did leave me feeling exhausted...and relieved; a feeling that still lingers some 20+ years later. That said, it is one of the least likely levels for me to replay, and for all of the reasons you so accurately covered.
For me, The Library was an excellent tone setting mission, while 343 Guilty Spark reveals the nightmare, The Library is where the horror really sinks in the dark corridors of a once great (human) civilization. It's not the most fun, and gets repetatively annoying after a while, but always appreciated how the level made me feel from a narriative point of view
I've grown to really love this level because I always think, okay how fast and efficient can I get through this time? Not really in the speed runner mindset though just merely how much can I get better this time.
Assault on the Control Room also has a similar story. In Halo:CE on xbox original the devs added arrows to the floors because they kept getting lost in the interior sections while designing it. They ended up leaving them in and got them presentable for launch.
When I was growing up my friend and I would play co-op in Halo CE and Halo 2 on Legendary. The Library was one of the standout levels because of how long it would take us to get through. So many hours of almost holding out and then getting killed. Or one of us getting killed while the other ran/jumped away while firing wildly. Attempting to find a place to wait and let the other respawn. It wasn't until years later that I found out that people didn't like The Library. I still do though. I think it's one of the few levels created that has a proper amount of desperation in it. Also, I've never had a problem navigating the surroundings unlike the "Cortana" mission in Halo 3.
Much as I dread the challenge of The Library, it provides an invaluable experience, both in terms of story AND gameplay. In terms of story, it shows you just how relentless and unstoppable the Flood really are. There are actually sections where the Flood don't stop coming, no matter how many you kill. By the time you get back to the control room, activating the Halo to defeat the Flood seems like a good idea...until you realize what that entails. In terms of gameplay, it drives home the idea of running as a viable, and sometimes necessary, strategy. Also, imagine, if you will, how you would feel playing Two Betrayals so soon after Assault on the Control Room. A lot of the complaints leveled against the Library would probably appear against Two Betrayals. Basically, it is the long, boring, monotonous break that makes you forget, and even reminisce over, the mess that was Assault on the Control Room. This actually makes Two Betrayals feel like a breath of fresh air.
honestly rethinking my views on this level because of this video, and it reminds me of the question "do video games have to be fun?" the library is a thoroughly unfun thing to play, but thematically it's probably one of the best bits of world building n environmental story telling in the game. there's tons of iconic n fantastic pieces of both throughout the game, but the library shows just how alien the ring world truly is. it has no discernible features inside aside from a few lights here n there. the halls r massive. the space has a completely foreign feel to it, even from other forerunner structures we had been trekking thru previously, and all of this ignoring the presence of the flood. them showing up here adds pressure and introduces u to the true power and advantage of the flood: their numbers. like u said in this video, they flood into an area and wipe everything out. they seemingly come from the walls, dragging the corpses of allies and foes alike around like marionettes, and the only way to stop them is at the center of this massive facility. this is supposed to be a long, hard expedition thru alien lands and an insurmountable foe, and that, I argue, is exactly what it feels like to play this level. it is an arduous task at best, and u do feel like ur lost, alone, and facing against never ending waves of enemies
As you said, the level perhaps is supposed to make you feel exhausted. I'd even dive head first to say that it was also supposed to be confusing to navigate, as that adds to any panic you might have due to the immense amount of Flood you are fighting each step of the way. Simply, if the intent was atmosphere paired with a stiff challenge that enhances that atmosphere, then I'd consider the Library successful at what it was trying to accomplish.
I alawys thought that when you eventually got through all the Halo levels then your content regarding that would be exhausted forever. I’m very happy see this video proving me wrong! Another lovely analysis, I pretty much agree with everything (see bellow for details). So thanks for another great video! One thing I find kinda fascinating for myself is that while I agree The Library can be kinda tedious, I actually find Keyes way more tedious, despite it, on paper, being way more varied. I‘m honestly not sure why. -- SPOILERS FOR ONE FORERUNNER TRILOGY BOOKS AHEAD -- The Library is an interesting study into repetition as a creative tool. The thing it reminds me about the most is actually part in the Forerunner Trilogy where for very large parts of the book the human characters we follow are merely walking through a the forests (and other places) of a Halo ring. It‘s kinda tedious to read, but it also works brilliantly thematically. When they finally get throug their great jorney they get to the control room for the Halo and fly it. It feels like such a great pay off after following their long hike and it wouldn’t have worked as well otherwise. That definetely reminds me of the Library, even though it‘s literature and not gameplay.
Nice one Torb! Still got quite a lot of the rest of the series to go plus various retrospectives, lists, comparisons etc, so plenty more to come! I am going to space the Halo content out a little more over the next 2-3 weeks, as I've been going very hard on it recently and I try to mix things up every now and then both to give myself a break and to avoid the risk of repetition. I do a lot of travelling, and have been meaning to pick up the books to read while on planes etc. Although that being said, I just brought a control pad kind of thing you clip your phone into to turn it into a handheld with plans to play through the PS2 Silent Hill games, so might be a while before I get round to it!
When the Chief really went to retrieve the index on 04, he had faced something he hadn't faced in a long time: exhaustion. I think that from a gameplay perspective, levels such as the library aren't stellar. If you look at the way the character would and will feel after certain events, then a level like this is perfect. Its raw; its real. John expressed surprise and admiration for the marine that had made it some part of the way through the library, because even he, as a genetically gifted/enhanced super soldier, struggled to traipse the depths of the facility. You're supposed to be tired by the end of CE. John was.
I played through CE so many times on every difficulty that The Library was one of the only ones that felt challenging after a while. When I was young and could play obsessively like that, it was one of my favorites
For me, The Library was one of the levels that made Halo and the lack of levels like it in subsequent games was felt. The library was a time to stop and slow down, both narratively and in terms of gameplay. It is a long, methodical grind that occurs after a significant twist in the plot. Not only have you just discovered the flood, you have also met 343 guilty spark. The game drops some exposition via Spark, allowing us to think on what has happened and what will happen, while grinding through an, obviously, very big problem. The first half of the game wraps up, much of the mystery of Halo is stripped away, and the game heads off in a new direction where your job is to keep the flood contained. We could argue it's the first 1/3 of the game, with the next third being the mission to take the control room and the third to destroy halo/isolate the flood - but the library is where the game changes. It's not about tactics or strategy, it is about putting down a horde of monsters. People talk about the library more than they talk about all of halo 2 and even 3's campaign (or reach, for that matter). Remove the library, or even worse, shorten it, and I doubt Halo would have been as popular as it was. For some, it reminds them of how amazing the game's open and dynamic environments are. For others, it is a return to classic shooters. For others... it's both. That, and CE was absolutely excellent at re-using levels in general. Fighting back through locations you had been through, before, gave you a sense there was an ongoing contest for supremmacy and made it worthwhile to remember how things were laid out. The lack of this in subsequent installments was a significant error in my estimation. Almost none of the campaign levels from 2-reach are all that memorable because you blow through them in a flash and are off to your next objective. By contrast, The Library is the very antithesis of this. Hurry up and wait... to get to the next floor of a cavernous monument to brutalism.
6:12 It's the same in halo 2 and 3. They originally intended for there to be a forerunner device on the ark that was created to repopulate the planet when the halo rings were activated. Basically, a forerunner would place themself inside and the device would guide evolution to recreate the forerunners. The prophets sought it out, and were shocked to find a human inside of it. I don't remember all the details, but that was more or less the idea. Also I love the library. And I enjoy how relentless it is.
When I played this back when the original Xbox was still current, I eventually gave up on the game after trying and failing to get through The Library probably dozens of times. Problem was I just never had enough ammo to hose everything down. I kept the Xbox and Halo though, so I decided to give it another try last year and this time I hit on a different strategy, which was not to even try to shoot the floating heads. Instead, when you meet a swarm of them weave in and around them and intentionally allow them to hit your armour one or two at a time - when your armour force field starts to get a bit low, dodge around for long enough to let the armour energy level recover and then repeat until all of them are gone. In this way, you can take down an entire swarm of floating heads without firing a shot. If you meet a mix of floating heads and other enemies, back away rapidly - usually the floaters will follow you much further than the others, at which point you can just let them hit you one or two at a time until they are all gone. That was how I finally got through the Library more than ten years after I gave up.
The Library on Legendary difficulty is an ICONIC level in halo and single handedly ingrains fear of them for all subsequent games. Plus it made me mourn the unsung marine hero that was lead to his death by 343 priority to your arrival to the library. Not even SGT Johnson would have made as far, this marine was a true badass.
I remember this level being my only exposure to Halo lore and it delaying my fandom into my pubescent years, where i rediscovered Halo. Back then i believed it to be the first mission 🙄
I remember Me & my Granddad also hated this level, every time when we played togather and this level shows up, He always said "Just Run". he always complains about how much flood there was, how easy it was to get lost, and looking this up, im glad we're not alone
I follow a guy who runs a blog that is mostly about the classic-style family of FPSs like Doom and Dusk, and he tried to dip into Halo for a bit and said that the Library is actually one of his fav levels due to the wave after wave of Flood you get to mow down with a shotgun.
Great video as always, thanks for the content. Just picked up the MCC on sale, excited to play 1 and 2 back through over the next few weeks! Any recommendation on controller vs mouse/keyboard?
Strongly recommend the controller. Modern shooter button schemes were practically coined singlehandedly by Halo CE and the game is built to accommodate the fluidity of movement you get with the sticks. There's tons of areas in Halo that look like you're not meant to traverse but the game won't limit you if you manage to get on them. And jump crouching for additional midair clearance becomes pretty important in later CE levels.
I agree with most of your points however there is one thing I do genuinely like about the library. the flood are mindless, they gun you down with very little strategy. but just as they do, you can do the same. instead of having to constantly think of new strategies, you can just exist in a simple state "see target, kill target, hunt for new targets" it's a more primal form of combat that's mind-numbing and redundant but satisfying as hell.
I see The Library as a sort of flood marathon level. I can occasionally be in a mood for it if I just want to fight hoard after hoard of flood. I can absolutely see why many people dislike the level, but personally, I like it, and how it portrays the flood.
Always thought this level was supposed to be a fear check just in case anyone was having trouble with 343 Guilty Spark's spike in scare factor. But honestly by 30 minutes into the level ofc you're like, "okay I can just beat the game now."
I remember distinctly being so relieved to have soloed the Library on legendary, after so many tries. It felt like a monster I managed to conquer for my fears
Despite the level's genuine issues, I still like it. Gunning my way through a near endless horde (that severely punishes mistakes at higher difficulty) is the joy of it. It wasn't until the Flood came to Firefight mode that you'd get to experience something similar.
Ive never hated this level! But my love for it started after i read the book,every reason people hate this level is all the same reasons the master chief hates it you and the chief are both at the ends of you limit. I love that
Playing through this level with my friend was stressful. The seemingly endless amounts of Flood was agonizing. Both of our hands were sweating like crazy. We were breathing heavily too. It was lots of fun
While i can concede all the points people cite for it being a bad level, i still absolutely love The Library and genuinely enjoy playing it. Sometimes i just want to grab a shotgun and run around shooting things, and back when Halo CE was the only game, it was the closest thing you got to Firefight Also before all the other lore and games took it in a different direction, CE gave the impression that The Flood were a lot more centered around just being parasites that create zombies. I far prefered that simple concept to the mess of Precursors and Graveminds they eventually followed it up with. It was so much scarier to just have these mindless alien creatures trying to infect you and consume everything without much of a plan
Very late to this, but I really think you could improve the Library with a few things: -Less flood and even some sections where there's none at all, and instead replaced with some environmental storytelling of some dead elites/marines. Just to make the place more interesting. -A set piece or cutscene in the middle to break it up. Like grabbing a ghost/warthog to speed up the middle part of the level -Remove the sections waiting around
The Library established Halo as a space horror. CE did a great job at making it challenging, fatiguing, and deeply unsettling, yet still achievable and rewarding for young me. The video basically says the flood are dumb and not very tactical in that level, which is true. I think there was some neat tactics performed at the big rush at the end. But there's no known gravemind here yet to coordinate or provide measured or aimed attacks. Once Keyes gets taken the true horror of the flood starts to emerge. But for its part, The Library takes Halo to the next level and shows you what you should be scared of and why.
I liked the maw, its confusing nature and the relentless enemies scared the piss out of my child self, it was like Halo was confirming we weren't in Kansas any more. Great breakdown btw
I remember when I was like 11 me and my uncle who was like 28 finished the whole halo 1 campaign on legendary without both of us dying throughout the whole thing ,so if both of us died at any point we would restart the whole campaign and if one of us died the other would have to clutch till the next checkpoint and the library was the biggest challenge I remember lol we would have to drag basically all the guns from the beginning of the level to where you get locked into the room towards the end … we beat the whole campaign like 2-3 times this way,good times man
I actually never hated The Library and only found out about the general dislike of it years after I played "Halo: CE." It's definitely not my favourite level in the game, but I think it's fine. I don't mind the lack of variety and I do enjoy the intensity it can have sometimes. I can also appreciate the intent of it to make you feel alone and overwhelmed. My main problems with it are just that it goes on somewhat long for me (maybe an entire floor could've been cut) and on legendary/LASO it can sometimes be frustrating with the flood coming from every angle.
There's an achievement for passing this mission on Heroic or Legendary WITHOUT DYING. I'm proud of having gotten it lol. There's a few tricks that help here and there but you gotta know the layout by heart. Which is incredibly difficult considering it's like 4 floors of copy-pasted rooms and corridors.
The Library was probably one of the most difficult segments I've ever played through. The constant Flood appearing out of nowhere was unbearable. Let alone trying to find a medical supplies while you're at 1 health bar with no shield.
One thing no one else has said is that The Library makes sense in the context of what it is. Halo is the mother of all doomsday weapons crewed entirely by robots, and the Library is where the launch key is stored. It makes sense that it would be difficult, confusing, and unpleasant for living beings to navigate. Rings are built for and maintained by machines: the Sentinels and the Monitor. A series of identical, confusing hallways are going to be at worst advantageous for them and at best decisive in preserving Halo's combat effectiveness. A series of identical hallways would imply to living intruders that there's nothing of note in the Library. It also means that it _is_ easy for an intruder to get lost and thus not find the Index, the key to Halo's function, especially when dealing with creatures with potentially compromised cognitive abilities like an early-stage, pre-Gravemind Flood outbreak. They'd have to navigate a series of identical hallways with multiple elevator rides where they have to pick the right identical floor and the right identical hallway to proceed, and that's before they hit the security doors. Imagine trying to find the Index without 343 Guilty Spark. It would be impossible. And, in the event someone does find the Index, they can't reach it without the Monitor and would probably not remember how to get back a second time, so if they were infected then their memories of the Library's layout would be of little use. It also makes maintenance easier. The Rings are designed to last forever, and having one set of components, and thus one manufacturing line, for the whole station makes that a lot easier. None of this affects the Sentinels or the Monitor. Their internal navigation systems ensure that they will never get lost. Their ability to fly means that they are able to take advantage of elevated or small passageways that living beings would find difficult to access, so their freedom of movement throughout the structure is not compromised they way living intruders restricted to the corridors on the ground would be The Sentinels are little more than flying guns and the Monitor is programmed to be all business and no fun, so the samey environments aren't going to drive them nuts after a while like it would a person. The habitat layer on the surface is fine for visitors, but the lower levels are the world of the machine, Halo's only true permanent inhabitants. I'm not sure how to describe my feelings on the Library. I guess I'd say that it's a story mission. When you play Halo for fun, you don't play The Library, because it's not really very fun. But when you play Halo for the _story,_ you absolutely play the Library, because it really sets up just how dangerous the flood is. In less than 24 hours a handful of preserved samples were able to turn the entire Ring into a zombie apocalypse where the zombies use guns. It shows _exactly_ why the Forerunners went to the lengths that they did to ensure that a mission kill via the capture of the Index is as difficult as possible.
6:04 Humans and Forerunners being distinct is is definitely a 343 era retcon. I don't know if you've seen the recently revealed original Halo 2 storyboards but in the cut "Earth Ark" level, the big reveal of the game was supposed to be the Dervish (later developed into the Arbiter) coming across a Forerunner tomb and opening it to reveal a human skeleton. Thus signifying that Forerunners and humans were one and the same. Which makes the whole purpose of the Human-Covenant war much more devious and tragic. The Prophets basically knew/found out that Forerunners were Humans but instead of sharing a revelation that would very likely completely destroy the society they created, they opted to try and exterminate the humans instead, so that they could maintain their power. All throughout the Bungie trilogy there are so many allusions and references to Humans and Forerunners being the same (in addition to Halo 2's cut content). Some will cite the Halo 3 terminals as counter evidence, but only a couple of those directly contradict the other allusions. I personally think the cut ending of Halo 2 speaks for itself.
343 Guilty Spark: "You *are* Forerunner. And yes, inheritors of all my makers left behind. But this ring... is *mine*!" That was the conclusion of Halo 3. It wasn't "intended" or "hinted". It was outright stated in game. Then 343 Industries went "Yeah, but Prometheans, Primordials, Forerunner... Ancient advanced humans who were aliens, but they were Human... Didact, Librarian, Promethean, Composer... But- but! But! We expanded the lore so much!"
I don't like the Library, but I respect it. I think it still works as a mid-campaign level. You've had enough time to become familiar with all the gameplay mechanics, and after throwing a curve ball at you with new enemies, the Library serves as a really challenging survival test for the player. I'll say this about The Library, which I also say about the most hated Doom level The Chasm: You may not like it, but you remember it.
I recently replayed CE on Legendary with a friend of mine, and this was BY FAR our least favorite level. Two Betrayals was a close second, with its similarly repetitive level design. I understand what they were going for, Forerunner buildings are unimaginably high tech, but completely artless and functional, with them just copying and pasting designs that work wherever they're needed. BUT WOW DOES IT MAKE FOR CONFUSING, REPETITIVE, AND AWFUL GAMEPLAY!!! The game would be significantly better if these repetitive sections were simply made about 60% shorter or so.
We’re you aware that the designer of The Library also designed The Maw?
I wasn't at all mate, that's really interesting - did each level in the game tend to be designed principally by one person? And if so, who was responsible for 343 Guilty Spark?
I honestly thought this mission was horrifying, when I was 5
Still a scary mission
@@BenPlaysGames Jaime Griesemer
@@TheMartyODonnell Top man, cheers.
@@TheMartyODonnell 343 Guilty Spark is the greatest Halo level ever created.
This level was a lot of fun in co-op with a buddy. Nothing says friends like shotgunning your way thru the library
100% better in coop!
FBI open up
Halo turns into a comedy when you play coop
I especially enjoy playing the Library on heroic or legendary difficulty but with the bandanna skull on. Super strong Flood enemies but unlimited ammunition on the shotgun and infinite grenades actually make it a lot of fun.
Hell yeah
Gotta love how they eventually went: "Yeah, okay, we'll give them extremely obvious arrows in this level so we can stop getting complaints about it being hard to navigate"
Arrows for the dumb dumbs like me who forget where they are meant to be going after a fight 😂
It may sound funny, but it’s genuinely one of the best things Halo Anniversary added.
@@devilmingy about the only good thing Halo Anniversary added
I still got lost despite that.
@@Book_Of_Essencenah I think the Maw was heavily improved by the new graphics
I love the level The Library. It literally shows you that The Flood are not to be fucked with _ever_
Can't argue with that haha, level contains more space zombies than the entire Dead Space trilogy.
@@BenPlaysGames funee.
There’s far more better ways to show the lethality of the Flood than the mind numbing level that’s called the Library.
This level teaches you to fear the Flood.. and level designers
@@blondbassistthe amount of water levels, and escorts missions
I personally love the Library. Really gets across how hopeless it is to fight against the Flood with the never ending swarms. As a fan of horror, this feeling of hopelessness is why I like the second half of Halo CE a lot more than the first half. How alone you are as the rest of the humans on the ring are quickly wiped out and finding nothing but hostility from the remaining Covenant trying to stay alive and the Flood as they spread across the whole ring. There's a really strong atmosphere in the second half of Halo and it's genuinely creepy. The Library gets across how much a threat the Flood are, which makes seeing them all over the rest of the ring and the realisation of how fast they are taking over all the more horrifying.
I played CE last of the original trilogy, and I loved the library. For the first time, you're completely isolated. No fohammer to bail you out or even Cortana to come up with an evac. You're not sure where you are just this suspicious orb to trust who runs away whenever danger comes around. The atmosphere is perfect.
Fun fact you can find a dead marine on the library that was also taken there to try and retrieve the index
In the books this dead Sgt gave Chief the will power to keep going. Chief was almost done by that point
That original trilogy of Halo novels, Fall of Reach, The Flood, and First Strike are all masterpieces imo. It really says something about the novelization of Halo in particular that it can keep up with the other two and include such memorable moments and characters despite being a story we already know.
This is true in SPV 3.3 but is it true in MCC or any retail version of Halo CE?
Staff sergeant Marvin Mobuto was his name, according to the Halo novels.
@@Seriona1 yes, I always stopped and payed my respects. Having ever only played The Library on Legendary that poor dead marine always seemed like such a badass to me.
the Library is probably Halo CE's 3rd best level, not for the reason people think. The Library serves a VERY important purpose in the game because it makes completing the campaign feel like much more of an accomplishment than if it did not exist. It's a relentless grind and conquering it makes you actually feel like a super soldier on a lone quest to save humanity. 10/10.
I actually agree with you to a certain extent, as discussed in the second half of the video - I do think there's a concept there, which is to show very clearly how much of a threat the Flood are. I just wish the actual level built around it was a lot more fun to actually play 😂
I had to complete the library 3 times on MCC because the achievement wouldn't pop. The third time around and once you know what you are doing it doesn't feel a grind at all. But yeah on the play through it serves a purpose in terms of story telling and grind. It needs to be there to set tone.
@@ErikLosLobos Yeah it’s really not that much of a grind and isn’t THAT difficult even on legendary. To me, Two Betrayals or Keyes are the most difficult levels in CE legendary.
@@alexschneider8494 Two Betrayals is the only mission in Legendary CE where the difficulty gets truly unfair. If you play it smart, you can still get one-shotted by the rocket Flood around the corner, or killed by a random squad of invisible Elites in the open ice field while you’re fighting other enemies.
Keyes is kinda random lol
@@guitar_jero Keyes is just too claustrophobic and there’s too much explosions for fighting the flood. It gets so ridiculous at times
It’s the level where Halo’s repetitive level design reaches critical mass.
Over the decades, I have warmed up more to the Library. From a gameplay standpoint, I love the visceral horror that the level can achieve and it’s one of the few levels where the Flood’s distinct trait as a faction: overwhelming the player through sheer numbers) can actually happen.
It’s not a Doom or Quake level by any means; most Doom and Quake maps have much better level design. However, as time goes on, I find it more tolerable than, say, Keyes.
I prefer it to Keyes as well, I think, as I at least sometimes feel like I'm enjoying myself during The Library 😂
Yep, it's the best flood map in CE. The hallways are repetitive, but at least you had a lot of room for crowd control and circle-strafing. The fights themselves are actually very fun and even the rocket flood is not too bad in this level. It's not as god-awful as later levels where they'd spawn (what felt like) an unlimited amount of Floods down very narrow hallways in your face (ESPECIALLY Keyes).
oh god the flood clown cars on Keyes.
Keyes is the true worst halo CE level. It's not the worst, but it doesn't really stand out aside from the AI battles.
At least the library was a unique level.
keyes is better
The Bandana Skull completely changes this level for me. Having shotgun ammo and frags on hand at all times makes the endless waves more bearable and turns it into a Doom-like gauntlet
Mods in general. Different weapons/encounters/vehicles make this level really fun.
@@guitar_jero I'd agree there. Ruby's Rebalance in particular
I rather enjoyed the cursed version of it too, it's especially frantic (and entertaining) with all the random elements included.
It also demonstrates just how utterly ridiculous that last locked door with the confined area is. Even with infinite ammo and the right weapons, on (solo) legendary there are SO MANY Flood that it's hard to deal with them without getting overwhelmed or blowing yourself up.
I like to play it the opposite lol, famine skull makes you grab weapons you otherwise wouldn't and makes trying to keep the flood back even more of a dance.
Yeah, the released storyboards for Halo 2's ending revealed that the Arbiter would discover the forerunner tomb and it would house a human skeleton. Forerunners were originally humans. That's why forerunner technology requires human touch to unlock.
When they changed Halo 2's ending they also changed guture games
It's odd though as the Halo 3 terminals make it seem otherwise too. I'm convinced no one really took the lead and made a decision, hence it being so ambiguous!
@@BenPlaysGames Ok, found it, They were human until Halo 2. There was a storyboard panel from the original halo 2 story that never got used where the arbiter finds a sarcophagus that contains forerunner remains and when he looks inside, it turns out to be a human skeleton.
As Halo 2's ending was changed so was Halo 3.
@@HotDogTimeMachine385 Ah okay, cheers for checking dude - that makes a lot of sense.
@@BenPlaysGames According to Paul Russel, an Environmental Artist for all of the Bungie Halo games, the intention of the Forerunners in Halo 3's terminals was that the Forerunners were not a separate species, but a selected group/subset of early humans handed-picked and uplifted by a more advanced civilization called the Precursors. Not all humans were Forerunners but all Forerunners were human. Thus Halo 3's terminals were hinting that the Forerunners were rediscovering their lost heritage/origins near the end of the Flood War that being the caveman humans on Earth.
This explanation makes sense as Mendicant Bias, the Forerunner AI from Halo 3's terminals and Iris ARG marketing campaign, called Reclaimers (humans) its makers in the 2007 novel Contact Harvest. Along with how both the Covenant and Forerunner Sentinals speak and understood the Latin language before encountering 26th-century humans in the Halo novels Contact Harvest and Ghost of Onyx.
Link to Paul Russel's tweet: twitter.com/docabominable/status/1603054539384524800?s=20&t=VdYtVkc1RA8uWF6rjioCpQ
@@s452_Gojisaurus343 Guilty Spark outright tells us "You are Forerunner" in Halo 3. 343i for some reason changed that.
The novelization of CE really puts this part of the game into perspective. John's Spartan training had left him almost immune to fear and yet throughout his battles with the Flood, he was fighting not to panic.
Thematically the library is one of the best moments in the campaign it shows how relentless the flood are, in the novel is stated that the master chief fought the flood for over 12 hours in the library making him feel painfully exhausted despite being an augmented soldier, I think in some ways does achieve the goal of making you feel painfully exhausted, gameplay wise it’s more long than it had to be even some og bungie developers admit that this level should have been shorter. Great video
This level on legendary was a true test of a man’s character
Then call me yellow, because I'm not going anywhere near that 😂
Tbh library isn’t that hard. Two betrayals and truth and reconciliation were much harder
There's many strats to speed run it on Legendary that make it very doable. Just a matter of toggling spawns and when to skip or sit out encounters.
@@oryxkingofchads2030 I contest that assumption. I beat every single mission on Legendary in the original Halo EXCEPT for The Library. The Library is hands-down the hardest mission on Legendary, and it is mostly because of that one damn stretch between the two rocket launcher flood, and the final doorway. You can legitimately run out of ammo in that segment, and can die instantly if you don't throw your grenades properly.
Reconciliation and Two Betrayals both require you to understand and use Covenant weapons, but otherwise aren't difficult outside of a few frustrating sections. Knowing how to prioritize enemies Reconciliation is the key, as outside of Elites most enemies you fight can be shredded with hit and run (elites require you to hit with overwhelming firepower, but you can bulk up needlers for that fairly easily). For Two Betrayals, the Sentinels are annoying but go down easily to the plasma pistol, and are a boon if you can learn to avoid them. In more heated fights they need to be somewhat of a target priority because if your shields are down they'll shoot you first before attacking other enemies, but otherwise there are just so many other targets (who are almost certainly going to win if you sat around long enough) that they can be reliably avoided in most sections. Just keep your shields up.
@@BenPlaysGames it took me around 2 1/2 hours to get through it on Legendary. It isn’t the hardest mission ever, that goes to Halo 2s ENTIRE campaign on Legendary lol!
The library suffers from “too much of a good thing” syndrome. CE’s gameplay loop is near perfect but absolutely requires vehicle, weapon, environment and enemy variation during extended combat to stay interesting. Like eating dessert for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Really the level’s only true flaw.
10:39 Can't say I agree. Each floor has a unique flavor. Also, those chapter titles man. "But I don't want to ride the elevator!" "But wait! It gets worse" and of course "Fourth floor: tools, guns, keys to super weapons". The first part is getting out of the core area, the second part is learning to master the s-halls, then there's the "last stands", and then you do the arrive through the sub halls, and finally there's the giant death hall and dias at the end.
THIS!!! This level is a gauntlet and every floor has it's unique flavor
If I remember correctly Rocket Flood first appear in the "Wait, It Gets Worse!" chapter. So yeah, it got worse.
That's fair mate - I can definitely see where you're coming from too. For me, there's not enough variety to call each floor unique, as they don't do enough to differentiate themselves from one another. There's no point during The Library when I think: "Ah, this next part is the good part."
@@BenPlaysGames That's a fair point. There are parts I enjoy relative to the level, but I wouldn't call them objectively good. Good for the theme you pointed out though.
and the god damn rocket launcher flood it sends at you right at the end. kill me 15 years ago
After having finally found a way to play Bungie's old Marathon games, the Library feels less like something out of the ordinary for Halo and more like Bungie returning to its roots. Marathon is FULL of levels that have the same sort of spirit that the Library captures; long, winding corridors, seemingly endless hordes of enemies, health packs and ammo spaced out just enough to make you sweat. All it's missing are a bunch of nonsense terminals tucked away in corners and you'd have a pretty faithful reimagining of Marathon's level structure.
I always liked how this level puts you into a Rhythm of sorts when pushing through it, with the occasional surprise to make you improvise
One way to fix the library: introduce the flood architecture from halo 3. As you progress the level the flood is taking more and more of the library over.
Another great one Ben, I think you sum up everything pretty great. Want a challenge? Play on Heroic and turn on the famine skull, Ammo conservation becomes such a key part of your survival.
I also wanted to note that the SPV3 mod (not sure if you ever got that working) fixes a lot of the issues with this level by adding in Covenant spread throughout to break up the slugfest with the Flood. Plus they add in a few sentinel Enforcers and a single Wraith to drive. Really does help break things up, while still using what makes the Library good to full effect.
Nice one, Luke! I do really need to get round to playing SPV3 - those changes sound great. In between work and making videos and life etc, I really struggle to find time to actually play games for long periods at the mo. To be 12 again...
ruby's rebalanced is also a good one
not sure if he said that in the video, i got distracted a little while watching and i dont feel like rewatching rn
@@BenPlaysGames I feel that one brother, watching a few videos before bed is as close as I typically get to playing games anymore. Great content as always!
Here's a great guide I've used time and time again for installing SPV3 if you're ever interested in giving it a go: ua-cam.com/video/4RCcaPMld-8/v-deo.html
@@Luke_H98 Ah sweet, thanks Luke. I've actually already got CE set up too, so hopefully should be a doddle.
The Flood is an enemy that me and my friends just spray. The first time I shot until it was on the ground. When I saw one stand back up after previously being dead, I changed my strategy to shoot it to the ground and then put in another 15 rounds to make sure it stays that way. I'm usually a very conservative guy when it comes to ammo conservation in video games, but the Flood is an exception
The library would have benefitted from having at least 1 elevator level being removed to shorten its monotony. Maybe one of the levels could've had covenant for a fun mix up
I like the idea of the covenant being a small enemy here but it wouldnt make sense. First off, guilty spark teleported chief to the library, so how would the covenant get there. And second they and the marines (not spartans) fight a losing battle to the flood, they would all be turned into flood (except maybe grunts and/or jackals). And lastly it just wouldnt make sense because guilty spark is the one leading chief to the index, not the covenant.
@@Integral_Abyss35
Yeah, I get it. Maybe some little segment about the covenant hacking/cutting their way into the facility, annoying the monitor and asking you to help clear them up with the sentinels or something, and/or the flood getting into the mix for a bit more chaos.
Oh well.
Halo SPV3 adds the covenant to a small section of the level.
I always thematically liked the level, and how it shows the Flood as a threat that they can overwhelm you even in large open environments if you're not careful, as well as building a little character for 343 Guilty Spark. I enjoyed the fish out of water feeling I think it tries to provoke, and the novelization of this level is great. Chief takes a snack break and when spark leaves Chief shares the same headspace as the player upon hearing 'this portal is the first of ten'
When playing this level on Legendary I remember what my Commander once told me,
“The Parasite is not to be trifled with, I hope you know what you’re doing”
I know this video is a bit of a remake of a previous one, but I just love these level review videos. It's pretty cool to see how much of the Halo series you've managed to cover over just the past couple of years. How does it feel to have done this kind of video on all of Combat Evolved's levels?
Cheers Korlinium! I try not to swear very often but... it fees fucking great. It's one of my favourite games of all time (I've a top five I could never choose between), and having something like the series I've just finished out there makes me feel like I've done it justice. Or nearly done it justice - still got the retrospective to go 😉
That's nice to hear! Out of curiosity, what are the other four games?
@@Korlinium if it doesn't contain Halo 2 and 3, I will be slightly worried
The thing is: The Library is Halo school. It’s what they’d call pedagogical - like learning JS Bach on an instrument. You’re fluent when you come out the other side. It forces you to learn agility, timing, usage of space, and accuracy. After this, dancing around with a Hunter while waiting him to lunge so you can pop him dead in his orange back feels as easy as killing a grunt. Fucking awesome exercise.
I like this mission because of the run and gun aspect and also the speedruning aspect and I love fighting the flood in CE out of all games because the combat dance is so good
Flood do feel the best in CE. It's also one of the only halos where they get back up if you don't kill the popcorns in the body specifically
@@bombomos Feels so good punching an extra shell into a downed Flood as it starts to get back up while never breaking stride
This level scared the shit out of me when I was young. My brother and I wouldn't play it often. We preferred two betrayals.
When i played this on legendary... I kinda loved it
Braver man than me!
I played this on original hardware with my daughter a few months ago, and was struck by how dark it is. With my hardware, the flashlight was absolutely essential for seeing into the dark corners of The Library, which put flashlight battery management at the very top of my priority list. It add a whole new dimension to the game. I wonder if anyone else has experienced, or if my Xbox console has a video output problem.
Loved this mission, so much fun with a friend.
Having to pause the game and run down stairs to eat the food my friends mum had cooked as quickly as we could, then running back upstairs to finish the mission
Honestly the Library has grown on me now that I am older.
I've developed less patience for it over the years, I think. Always end up wanting it to finish after 10 minutes or so!
It's actually pretty quick to run through too if you learn the tricks. I've never had much of a problem with it gameplay wise and I've always enjoyed its thematic contribution. Even doing LASO wasn't as much of a grind as some levels.
I can't believe I finally got recommended these videos on UA-cam, Halo CE was the first video game I played when I was a kid, having been introduced to it by my older brother. We beat a large majority of the Halos on Legendary mode together and nothing will ever beat the kind of nostalgia that was brought back when watching and learning more about the game I first played and the series that is forever one of the best video games to me. Incredible video.
And for the record, I got to play it on the original Xbox which I still have with the game for it. And yes, the Xbox still works which I'm happy about.
As much as I find the library mission in halo combat evolved to be repetitive, it taught me to respect the flood as an enemy. From a story standpoint with guilty spark, sharing details and information about the flood, and how they were studying them to outright, fighting endless hordes of the flood, it was apparent to me that they weren’t just some run-of-the-mill enemy, but a force to be reckoned with.
The Library is honestly my favorite level in the game, and i love that you came to the correct conclusion that it’s designed to wear you out.
To me, i see the dull-monotone environment as a means of both driving up the fear factor, as well as a logical design choice that the forerunners made. The library isn’t meant to be a showcase of art, like the rest of the ring; it’s meant to harbor copies of life, so that when the rings are activated, the Galaxy will still see repopulation.
This level is very easy to hate if you don’t appreciate thematics, especially because its theme is hopelessness as you struggle through overwhelming odds
Fun fact about this level, btw. Towards the end, you can cone across the uninflected corpse of a Marine. In lore, that was the first man that Spark tried to make a reclaimer, and, without the MJOLNIR armor and bio-enhancements of a Spartan, somehow managed to make it to the 4th floor before finally being completely overrun. If memory serves me right, he was only a sergeant, foo
I always love the aesthetics of this level but also hate confronting the flood. so I always have mixed feelings about this one.
great video as always. (happy new year btw)
I've always liked the library. It feels like you are traversing a cold, dark, and confusing purgatory filled with relentless and horrifying enemies. Which to me reflects the Flood pretty well
How the insane boredom, tedium, and difficulty without counter-play or even reason got through play testing and into The Library as well as Two Betrayals which is just as awful, I will never know.
The Library is probably the best level to use the Famine skull. The grinding, repetitive encounters are given some new life from the added pressure of careful resource management, target prioritization, and switching out weapons on the regular. Finding a full box of shotgun shells when you've been struggling to keep the tube full for a couple minutes feels like a huge relief and gives you the confidence to run headlong into the next wave.
I always found this level cozy for some reason. Guilty spark and sometimes sentinels leading you through the dark halls full of flood.
My two-cents on if I could change it, would be to make the first floor moderately lit (like in the redesign), and have the floors progressively get darker and darker as you ascend farther away from the main source of light on the ground floor, to the point that you have to rely on your flashlight on the last floor where the glowing Index is-- giving it the "light at the end of the tunnel" feel.
Would make it more relevant to be repetitive, sort of like training for the darker areas above, and also makes the vibe of the level feel like you're advancing to the less popular areas of a building-- like a dimly-lit attic or a utility closet, or in this case the restricted archive section of an actual library.
Yo that would be rad. The level gets more run down and spooky as you go.
@@ChristianTheChicken Exactly :D
Beating this on Legendary is hell. I am currently working on beating the game on Legendary deathless, while also streaming it. The beginning is always the hardest. Hordes of flood forms storm towards you with shotguns. There's also a lot of carrier forms which love to sneak up behind you like a creeper from Minecraft.
I absolutely love The Library right after The Silent Cartographer beach landing. I love sci-fi horror so I love the confusion, isolation, and being against the wall as you fight through The Library. My brother and I played this so much together as kids. And yes Bungie intended for humans to be the descendants of the forerunners but 343i screwed up a lot of the lore and canon.
I will say I didn’t like the Library but I do appreciate it with your part in video talking about it showing you what the Flood are about. An endless tide of space zombies coming at you from all directions, never relenting. Keep your head up or you’ll drown.
They are a force of (very scary) nature to be sure.
I LOVE this mission. So many happy memories playing on legendary with a buddy on split screen. Absolute madness. Good times. Also that eerie music, I still get chills when I hear it...
A way the level could’ve worked on its own is if the structure was varied with different architecture with verticality.
Mix that with maybe some spec ops covenant and maybe some flood operated vehicles and I think this could’ve been memorable. So it would now be a-bit if a reverse of how things played out in halo 2 where it was us playing as the Arbiter racing against the humans to find the key. Where now in this situation it’s us fighting alongside sentinels fighting against the flood and some spec ops covenant. Could’ve even been a better way to introduce the spec ops grunts and elites. Where in Keys it kinda felt they were thrown in at the end. Plus if we got them here, they would feel a bit more apart of the campaign than just being in the final 2 missions.
I get it. The Library has some very important things to add to the game. The problem with the level isn't that nothing about it is good, its that its a good concept, executed lazily and poorly. Yes, it makes you fear the flood. It is SUPPOSED to be long and grueling, arduous process. All the good things about the level could have been done in a much better way. I am currently playing through on heroic. Gave legendary up on Truth and Reconciliation. I don't have the patience right now, and want to play through all the campaigns, as its been many years and I haven't played 4 or Reach. I played through CE on easy as a kid, and I think I may have beaten it on legendary with a buddy on xbox a few years back.
Playing solo, The library was the least fun I've had in a video game ever. 343 Guilty Spark scared the hell out of me as a kid, and idk how long it took me to get past it. It is for that reason 343 Guilty Spark is the most memorable level for me. The Library just dragged on way too long. It's cool for a time being, but it stops being fun very fast. Playing the level casually, there is literally no strategy other than run around and shotgun the flood, hope for a checkpoint so you can take a small break every now and then. Over and over and over, for however long it takes to get out. Checkpoints make no sense half the time. I would die and get sent back 5 minutes, only to get a checkpoint right before the spot I previously died. I was just incredibly annoyed by the end of it, PRAYING for Two Betrayals already. Two Betrayals is so far a lot harder, but the covenant actually put up a fight and make me consider my plan of attack rather than running around like a chicken with its head cut off for hours on end.
343 Guilty Spark does a good enough job already, and in my opinion, an even better of a job of being creepy and showing what a threat the flood is. If the Library wasn't the same floor copy and pasted over and over and actually ended about halfway through, or at least some major redesign to make it feel like you are actually progressing as you kill endless waves of flood. It could be the best level in the game. As it sits, its just way too long and stops being fun after the first 2 rooms. Playing casually on heroic or harder, The Library is garbage. It's not hard, it's tedious. I made lots of mistakes and died often because I just wanted to get the fuck out of there already. The level certainly does its job, its just its job is to be as annoying and unfun as possible, and that is poor game design. I play games to have fun, not to experience the endless nightmare, and all the pain and suffering the main character endured. Let me go play diablo 4 and be forced to grind for eternity and never get any stronger because that's exactly what being in Hell would feel like so its good game design!
This is honestly my favorite Halo CE level. I have always loved playing it for the atmosphere and horror of it all. Though at the same time it's oddly calming to play
Fantastic analysis of The Library. I think you hit on all the key points with near perfect precision. However, I believe you just glossed over one-the most important one. That is the first-play perspective. Imagine your first time through the game. The Library is arguably a perfect design in many of the ways you highlighted. It did leave me feeling exhausted...and relieved; a feeling that still lingers some 20+ years later. That said, it is one of the least likely levels for me to replay, and for all of the reasons you so accurately covered.
For me, The Library was an excellent tone setting mission, while 343 Guilty Spark reveals the nightmare, The Library is where the horror really sinks in the dark corridors of a once great (human) civilization.
It's not the most fun, and gets repetatively annoying after a while, but always appreciated how the level made me feel from a narriative point of view
I've grown to really love this level because I always think, okay how fast and efficient can I get through this time? Not really in the speed runner mindset though just merely how much can I get better this time.
Great videos lately, the MW2 videos are a great compliment to the Halo videos. Keep up the great work!
Edit: Grammar corrections
Nice one Chase, will do!
Assault on the Control Room also has a similar story. In Halo:CE on xbox original the devs added arrows to the floors because they kept getting lost in the interior sections while designing it. They ended up leaving them in and got them presentable for launch.
When I was growing up my friend and I would play co-op in Halo CE and Halo 2 on Legendary. The Library was one of the standout levels because of how long it would take us to get through. So many hours of almost holding out and then getting killed. Or one of us getting killed while the other ran/jumped away while firing wildly. Attempting to find a place to wait and let the other respawn. It wasn't until years later that I found out that people didn't like The Library. I still do though. I think it's one of the few levels created that has a proper amount of desperation in it. Also, I've never had a problem navigating the surroundings unlike the "Cortana" mission in Halo 3.
Much as I dread the challenge of The Library, it provides an invaluable experience, both in terms of story AND gameplay.
In terms of story, it shows you just how relentless and unstoppable the Flood really are. There are actually sections where the Flood don't stop coming, no matter how many you kill. By the time you get back to the control room, activating the Halo to defeat the Flood seems like a good idea...until you realize what that entails.
In terms of gameplay, it drives home the idea of running as a viable, and sometimes necessary, strategy. Also, imagine, if you will, how you would feel playing Two Betrayals so soon after Assault on the Control Room. A lot of the complaints leveled against the Library would probably appear against Two Betrayals. Basically, it is the long, boring, monotonous break that makes you forget, and even reminisce over, the mess that was Assault on the Control Room. This actually makes Two Betrayals feel like a breath of fresh air.
honestly rethinking my views on this level because of this video, and it reminds me of the question "do video games have to be fun?" the library is a thoroughly unfun thing to play, but thematically it's probably one of the best bits of world building n environmental story telling in the game. there's tons of iconic n fantastic pieces of both throughout the game, but the library shows just how alien the ring world truly is. it has no discernible features inside aside from a few lights here n there. the halls r massive. the space has a completely foreign feel to it, even from other forerunner structures we had been trekking thru previously, and all of this ignoring the presence of the flood. them showing up here adds pressure and introduces u to the true power and advantage of the flood: their numbers. like u said in this video, they flood into an area and wipe everything out. they seemingly come from the walls, dragging the corpses of allies and foes alike around like marionettes, and the only way to stop them is at the center of this massive facility. this is supposed to be a long, hard expedition thru alien lands and an insurmountable foe, and that, I argue, is exactly what it feels like to play this level. it is an arduous task at best, and u do feel like ur lost, alone, and facing against never ending waves of enemies
As you said, the level perhaps is supposed to make you feel exhausted. I'd even dive head first to say that it was also supposed to be confusing to navigate, as that adds to any panic you might have due to the immense amount of Flood you are fighting each step of the way. Simply, if the intent was atmosphere paired with a stiff challenge that enhances that atmosphere, then I'd consider the Library successful at what it was trying to accomplish.
If anyone wants a new take on The Library (and CE in general), go play the mod Halo: Combat Revolved
Looks good! Particularly like the idea of Flood grunts.
I alawys thought that when you eventually got through all the Halo levels then your content regarding that would be exhausted forever. I’m very happy see this video proving me wrong! Another lovely analysis, I pretty much agree with everything (see bellow for details). So thanks for another great video!
One thing I find kinda fascinating for myself is that while I agree The Library can be kinda tedious, I actually find Keyes way more tedious, despite it, on paper, being way more varied. I‘m honestly not sure why.
-- SPOILERS FOR ONE FORERUNNER TRILOGY BOOKS AHEAD --
The Library is an interesting study into repetition as a creative tool. The thing it reminds me about the most is actually part in the Forerunner Trilogy where for very large parts of the book the human characters we follow are merely walking through a the forests (and other places) of a Halo ring. It‘s kinda tedious to read, but it also works brilliantly thematically. When they finally get throug their great jorney they get to the control room for the Halo and fly it. It feels like such a great pay off after following their long hike and it wouldn’t have worked as well otherwise. That definetely reminds me of the Library, even though it‘s literature and not gameplay.
Nice one Torb! Still got quite a lot of the rest of the series to go plus various retrospectives, lists, comparisons etc, so plenty more to come! I am going to space the Halo content out a little more over the next 2-3 weeks, as I've been going very hard on it recently and I try to mix things up every now and then both to give myself a break and to avoid the risk of repetition.
I do a lot of travelling, and have been meaning to pick up the books to read while on planes etc. Although that being said, I just brought a control pad kind of thing you clip your phone into to turn it into a handheld with plans to play through the PS2 Silent Hill games, so might be a while before I get round to it!
When the Chief really went to retrieve the index on 04, he had faced something he hadn't faced in a long time: exhaustion. I think that from a gameplay perspective, levels such as the library aren't stellar. If you look at the way the character would and will feel after certain events, then a level like this is perfect. Its raw; its real. John expressed surprise and admiration for the marine that had made it some part of the way through the library, because even he, as a genetically gifted/enhanced super soldier, struggled to traipse the depths of the facility.
You're supposed to be tired by the end of CE. John was.
I played through CE so many times on every difficulty that The Library was one of the only ones that felt challenging after a while. When I was young and could play obsessively like that, it was one of my favorites
I always found it amusing that people clamor for the Flood to return, yet the Flood heavy levels are some of the most hated in the series.
For me, The Library was one of the levels that made Halo and the lack of levels like it in subsequent games was felt.
The library was a time to stop and slow down, both narratively and in terms of gameplay. It is a long, methodical grind that occurs after a significant twist in the plot. Not only have you just discovered the flood, you have also met 343 guilty spark. The game drops some exposition via Spark, allowing us to think on what has happened and what will happen, while grinding through an, obviously, very big problem. The first half of the game wraps up, much of the mystery of Halo is stripped away, and the game heads off in a new direction where your job is to keep the flood contained.
We could argue it's the first 1/3 of the game, with the next third being the mission to take the control room and the third to destroy halo/isolate the flood - but the library is where the game changes. It's not about tactics or strategy, it is about putting down a horde of monsters.
People talk about the library more than they talk about all of halo 2 and even 3's campaign (or reach, for that matter). Remove the library, or even worse, shorten it, and I doubt Halo would have been as popular as it was. For some, it reminds them of how amazing the game's open and dynamic environments are. For others, it is a return to classic shooters. For others... it's both.
That, and CE was absolutely excellent at re-using levels in general. Fighting back through locations you had been through, before, gave you a sense there was an ongoing contest for supremmacy and made it worthwhile to remember how things were laid out. The lack of this in subsequent installments was a significant error in my estimation. Almost none of the campaign levels from 2-reach are all that memorable because you blow through them in a flash and are off to your next objective. By contrast, The Library is the very antithesis of this. Hurry up and wait... to get to the next floor of a cavernous monument to brutalism.
6:12 It's the same in halo 2 and 3. They originally intended for there to be a forerunner device on the ark that was created to repopulate the planet when the halo rings were activated. Basically, a forerunner would place themself inside and the device would guide evolution to recreate the forerunners. The prophets sought it out, and were shocked to find a human inside of it. I don't remember all the details, but that was more or less the idea.
Also I love the library. And I enjoy how relentless it is.
3:11 that is a solid grande throw
A rare moment of brilliance in a sea of mediocre gameplay 😂
@@BenPlaysGames Its ok, i've gotten older too.
This is probably the most infamous level, but (out of the bungie levels at least) I have to go with Cortana as the worst.
When I played this back when the original Xbox was still current, I eventually gave up on the game after trying and failing to get through The Library probably dozens of times. Problem was I just never had enough ammo to hose everything down. I kept the Xbox and Halo though, so I decided to give it another try last year and this time I hit on a different strategy, which was not to even try to shoot the floating heads. Instead, when you meet a swarm of them weave in and around them and intentionally allow them to hit your armour one or two at a time - when your armour force field starts to get a bit low, dodge around for long enough to let the armour energy level recover and then repeat until all of them are gone. In this way, you can take down an entire swarm of floating heads without firing a shot. If you meet a mix of floating heads and other enemies, back away rapidly - usually the floaters will follow you much further than the others, at which point you can just let them hit you one or two at a time until they are all gone. That was how I finally got through the Library more than ten years after I gave up.
The Library on Legendary difficulty is an ICONIC level in halo and single handedly ingrains fear of them for all subsequent games. Plus it made me mourn the unsung marine hero that was lead to his death by 343 priority to your arrival to the library. Not even SGT Johnson would have made as far, this marine was a true badass.
true!
Its such a challange on its own, but on legendary its even more!
Then we have the achievments on making it without dying on heroic or harder
I remember this level being my only exposure to Halo lore and it delaying my fandom into my pubescent years, where i rediscovered Halo. Back then i believed it to be the first mission 🙄
I remember Me & my Granddad also hated this level, every time when we played togather and this level shows up, He always said "Just Run".
he always complains about how much flood there was, how easy it was to get lost, and looking this up, im glad we're not alone
I follow a guy who runs a blog that is mostly about the classic-style family of FPSs like Doom and Dusk, and he tried to dip into Halo for a bit and said that the Library is actually one of his fav levels due to the wave after wave of Flood you get to mow down with a shotgun.
Mfers CLEARLY didnt play on legendary. I didnt pay a bit of attention to level design, I was too busy screaming and popping caps
Check my streams 😉
Man, I really liked those 60 round mags.
Great video as always, thanks for the content. Just picked up the MCC on sale, excited to play 1 and 2 back through over the next few weeks! Any recommendation on controller vs mouse/keyboard?
Strongly recommend the controller. Modern shooter button schemes were practically coined singlehandedly by Halo CE and the game is built to accommodate the fluidity of movement you get with the sticks. There's tons of areas in Halo that look like you're not meant to traverse but the game won't limit you if you manage to get on them. And jump crouching for additional midair clearance becomes pretty important in later CE levels.
@@junioraltamontent.7582 gotcha, thanks for the info!
No worries pchurch! As Altamont says, controller is the way to go. I prefer aiming with a mouse and keyboard, but Halo is a controller game no doubt.
I agree with most of your points however there is one thing I do genuinely like about the library. the flood are mindless, they gun you down with very little strategy. but just as they do, you can do the same. instead of having to constantly think of new strategies, you can just exist in a simple state "see target, kill target, hunt for new targets" it's a more primal form of combat that's mind-numbing and redundant but satisfying as hell.
I see The Library as a sort of flood marathon level.
I can occasionally be in a mood for it if I just want to fight hoard after hoard of flood.
I can absolutely see why many people dislike the level, but personally, I like it, and how it portrays the flood.
Always thought this level was supposed to be a fear check just in case anyone was having trouble with 343 Guilty Spark's spike in scare factor. But honestly by 30 minutes into the level ofc you're like, "okay I can just beat the game now."
I remember distinctly being so relieved to have soloed the Library on legendary, after so many tries. It felt like a monster I managed to conquer for my fears
Shotgun, your best friend throughout this level.
Like bug spray for Flood.
Then right after the library you get rewarded with arguably the best level in halo
It's not a Bungie game without an _evil_ level.
Some of my favorite gaming memories are from playing the Library and listening to "Click Click Boom"
You should check out my latest video, it's basically the same thing.
@@BenPlaysGames Thanks for the recommendation, 12/10 video
Despite the level's genuine issues, I still like it. Gunning my way through a near endless horde (that severely punishes mistakes at higher difficulty) is the joy of it.
It wasn't until the Flood came to Firefight mode that you'd get to experience something similar.
Ive never hated this level! But my love for it started after i read the book,every reason people hate this level is all the same reasons the master chief hates it you and the chief are both at the ends of you limit. I love that
Playing through this level with my friend was stressful. The seemingly endless amounts of Flood was agonizing. Both of our hands were sweating like crazy. We were breathing heavily too. It was lots of fun
While i can concede all the points people cite for it being a bad level, i still absolutely love The Library and genuinely enjoy playing it.
Sometimes i just want to grab a shotgun and run around shooting things, and back when Halo CE was the only game, it was the closest thing you got to Firefight
Also before all the other lore and games took it in a different direction, CE gave the impression that The Flood were a lot more centered around just being parasites that create zombies. I far prefered that simple concept to the mess of Precursors and Graveminds they eventually followed it up with. It was so much scarier to just have these mindless alien creatures trying to infect you and consume everything without much of a plan
Very late to this, but I really think you could improve the Library with a few things:
-Less flood and even some sections where there's none at all, and instead replaced with some environmental storytelling of some dead elites/marines. Just to make the place more interesting.
-A set piece or cutscene in the middle to break it up. Like grabbing a ghost/warthog to speed up the middle part of the level
-Remove the sections waiting around
The Library established Halo as a space horror. CE did a great job at making it challenging, fatiguing, and deeply unsettling, yet still achievable and rewarding for young me.
The video basically says the flood are dumb and not very tactical in that level, which is true. I think there was some neat tactics performed at the big rush at the end. But there's no known gravemind here yet to coordinate or provide measured or aimed attacks. Once Keyes gets taken the true horror of the flood starts to emerge. But for its part, The Library takes Halo to the next level and shows you what you should be scared of and why.
I liked the maw, its confusing nature and the relentless enemies scared the piss out of my child self, it was like Halo was confirming we weren't in Kansas any more. Great breakdown btw
The Library can be pretty fun in co-op but even then, it gets boring after awhile. That's how I woukd describe the level overall, is boring.
I remember being in a really bad mood after work some days and taking my frustration out on Library on Legendary.
I remember when I was like 11 me and my uncle who was like 28 finished the whole halo 1 campaign on legendary without both of us dying throughout the whole thing ,so if both of us died at any point we would restart the whole campaign and if one of us died the other would have to clutch till the next checkpoint and the library was the biggest challenge I remember lol we would have to drag basically all the guns from the beginning of the level to where you get locked into the room towards the end … we beat the whole campaign like 2-3 times this way,good times man
I actually never hated The Library and only found out about the general dislike of it years after I played "Halo: CE." It's definitely not my favourite level in the game, but I think it's fine. I don't mind the lack of variety and I do enjoy the intensity it can have sometimes. I can also appreciate the intent of it to make you feel alone and overwhelmed. My main problems with it are just that it goes on somewhat long for me (maybe an entire floor could've been cut) and on legendary/LASO it can sometimes be frustrating with the flood coming from every angle.
There's an achievement for passing this mission on Heroic or Legendary WITHOUT DYING. I'm proud of having gotten it lol. There's a few tricks that help here and there but you gotta know the layout by heart. Which is incredibly difficult considering it's like 4 floors of copy-pasted rooms and corridors.
My biggest gripe about the library is being taken by surprise by flood that have a rocket launcher.
The Library was probably one of the most difficult segments I've ever played through. The constant Flood appearing out of nowhere was unbearable. Let alone trying to find a medical supplies while you're at 1 health bar with no shield.
One thing no one else has said is that The Library makes sense in the context of what it is. Halo is the mother of all doomsday weapons crewed entirely by robots, and the Library is where the launch key is stored. It makes sense that it would be difficult, confusing, and unpleasant for living beings to navigate.
Rings are built for and maintained by machines: the Sentinels and the Monitor. A series of identical, confusing hallways are going to be at worst advantageous for them and at best decisive in preserving Halo's combat effectiveness. A series of identical hallways would imply to living intruders that there's nothing of note in the Library. It also means that it _is_ easy for an intruder to get lost and thus not find the Index, the key to Halo's function, especially when dealing with creatures with potentially compromised cognitive abilities like an early-stage, pre-Gravemind Flood outbreak. They'd have to navigate a series of identical hallways with multiple elevator rides where they have to pick the right identical floor and the right identical hallway to proceed, and that's before they hit the security doors. Imagine trying to find the Index without 343 Guilty Spark. It would be impossible. And, in the event someone does find the Index, they can't reach it without the Monitor and would probably not remember how to get back a second time, so if they were infected then their memories of the Library's layout would be of little use. It also makes maintenance easier. The Rings are designed to last forever, and having one set of components, and thus one manufacturing line, for the whole station makes that a lot easier.
None of this affects the Sentinels or the Monitor. Their internal navigation systems ensure that they will never get lost. Their ability to fly means that they are able to take advantage of elevated or small passageways that living beings would find difficult to access, so their freedom of movement throughout the structure is not compromised they way living intruders restricted to the corridors on the ground would be The Sentinels are little more than flying guns and the Monitor is programmed to be all business and no fun, so the samey environments aren't going to drive them nuts after a while like it would a person. The habitat layer on the surface is fine for visitors, but the lower levels are the world of the machine, Halo's only true permanent inhabitants.
I'm not sure how to describe my feelings on the Library. I guess I'd say that it's a story mission. When you play Halo for fun, you don't play The Library, because it's not really very fun. But when you play Halo for the _story,_ you absolutely play the Library, because it really sets up just how dangerous the flood is. In less than 24 hours a handful of preserved samples were able to turn the entire Ring into a zombie apocalypse where the zombies use guns. It shows _exactly_ why the Forerunners went to the lengths that they did to ensure that a mission kill via the capture of the Index is as difficult as possible.
One of the best levels in CE. Didn't like it when first played, but now it is one of the favourite co-op legendary levels.
I had more "fun" playing the entirety of Dead Space 2 on Hardcore than I did playing this level solo on Legendary.
Dead Space 2 is a bloody amazing game to be fair.
Dead Space 2 on hardcore is easier than the library on legendary. In dead space 2 you have chances to catch your breath. In the Library, you do not.
@@bombomos It's the three saves throughout the entire game, and if you die without saving you restart the entire game again, that gets you.
6:04 Humans and Forerunners being distinct is is definitely a 343 era retcon. I don't know if you've seen the recently revealed original Halo 2 storyboards but in the cut "Earth Ark" level, the big reveal of the game was supposed to be the Dervish (later developed into the Arbiter) coming across a Forerunner tomb and opening it to reveal a human skeleton. Thus signifying that Forerunners and humans were one and the same.
Which makes the whole purpose of the Human-Covenant war much more devious and tragic. The Prophets basically knew/found out that Forerunners were Humans but instead of sharing a revelation that would very likely completely destroy the society they created, they opted to try and exterminate the humans instead, so that they could maintain their power.
All throughout the Bungie trilogy there are so many allusions and references to Humans and Forerunners being the same (in addition to Halo 2's cut content). Some will cite the Halo 3 terminals as counter evidence, but only a couple of those directly contradict the other allusions. I personally think the cut ending of Halo 2 speaks for itself.
343 Guilty Spark: "You *are* Forerunner. And yes, inheritors of all my makers left behind. But this ring... is *mine*!"
That was the conclusion of Halo 3. It wasn't "intended" or "hinted". It was outright stated in game. Then 343 Industries went "Yeah, but Prometheans, Primordials, Forerunner... Ancient advanced humans who were aliens, but they were Human... Didact, Librarian, Promethean, Composer... But- but! But! We expanded the lore so much!"
I don't like the Library, but I respect it. I think it still works as a mid-campaign level. You've had enough time to become familiar with all the gameplay mechanics, and after throwing a curve ball at you with new enemies, the Library serves as a really challenging survival test for the player. I'll say this about The Library, which I also say about the most hated Doom level The Chasm: You may not like it, but you remember it.
I recently replayed CE on Legendary with a friend of mine, and this was BY FAR our least favorite level. Two Betrayals was a close second, with its similarly repetitive level design. I understand what they were going for, Forerunner buildings are unimaginably high tech, but completely artless and functional, with them just copying and pasting designs that work wherever they're needed. BUT WOW DOES IT MAKE FOR CONFUSING, REPETITIVE, AND AWFUL GAMEPLAY!!! The game would be significantly better if these repetitive sections were simply made about 60% shorter or so.