Among the Halo games, Halo: ODST is considered one of the most unique in the franchise. It is a spin-off title released on September 22, 2009, and due to the things it tried to do differently, it was met with mixed reception by fans.
Aside from controlling an Orbital Drop Shock Trooper (ODST) named The Rookie rather than the Master Chief, the massive change that caused the game to be either loved or hated was how its story was handled in the campaign mode.
Before Halo: ODST, the games in the franchise followed a linear path in unfolding their respective narratives. This means that players had to follow a list of missions that must be done in order, wherein they witnessed everything happen in a proper sequence of events.
For the most part, this was not the case in Halo: ODST, as gaining access to the majority of the story-related content can only be done after finding it throughout the game's hub world. The reason this is the case is due to the plot involving The Rookie having to search for his squadmates after they all crash-landed in the city of New Mombasa, the area where the entire game takes place, and allowing for a campaign style that has never been done before.
The city acts as a hub world that players must explore in the hopes of finding beacons, which are items belonging to the other ODSTs. Upon the recovery of each item, a flashback occurs that shares the fate of its owner, who will be controllable until the end. These flashbacks are essentially the game's missions, and they're scattered throughout New Mombasa, allowing players to tackle them in any order they wish.
Love it or hate it, there is no denying that such a handling of the narrative is unique and interesting, and it actually helps Halo: ODST do what the other games prior couldn't: provide a sense of freedom. While controlling The Rookie in the hopes of finding his squadmates' beacons, you can explore every nook and cranny of New Mombasa, and the more you do, the more of the area you will eventually unlock to search around further.
Since there's no order to how you can tackle finding the beacons, it gives the game a sort of semi-open-world feel, allowing for a style of level progression that better immerses players in the world they're in. Also, using a hub world to tell the story was a great way of letting players see the side of the war that the other Halo games only covered in passing.
Being in the shoes of an ODST and having to wade through the dangers of the city, whilst seeing the devastation that the Covenant wrought, really puts a perspective on how badly the regular people's lives were affected. Instead of only having to care about objectives, the game forces you to take the time to see and worry about the fates of the people who become involved in the war, allowing for a story that can feel more meaningful than those of the other games and elicit more emotion out of a player.
Halo: ODST may not be as popular as the other titles, but it certainly merits a playthrough with the way it handles its unique way of storytelling alone. If you haven't already, consider purchasing the Master Chief Collection so you can fully appreciate what the masterpiece did differently at the time, and perhaps even come to enjoy it.
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