Is The Library Halo's Worst Level?
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- Опубликовано: 12 сен 2024
- Is there any level in Halo: Combat Evolved, or in the Halo series as a whole, despised quite so much by fans as The Library?
Grey, repetitive and often fairly boring, at first glance there doesn't seem to be much going for The Library, especially when comparing it to other standout levels in the series such as The Silent Cartographer or 343 Guilty Spark.
But there are some positives. And in this video, I examine the good, the bad and everything in between, taking a closer look at the design behind what is without doubt Halo's most notorious level.
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#Halo #HaloCombatEvolved #TheFlood
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If you enjoyed this, I've got a much larger analysis of Halo: Combat Evolved in the works, so do consider subscribing. Much love!
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Thanks mate, can't believe how quickly it's risen over the last few days!
real men who passed this level in legendary, great soldiers were left with PTSD
My 12 year old self being one of them haha.
Extra honors to those who beat it on LASO
I played it on heroic an now I have mild ptsd from it
@@Hyperfoxeye thats Medal of Honor type stuff
Legendary. solo. All the levels in CE
At least The Library is somewhat self-aware, one of the sections is called “but I don’t want to go on the elevator”
And the chapter after that is called “wait, it gets worse!”
Bungie definitely knew what they were doing with the sadism of the library.
Ride the elevator, not go on the elevator. Smh amateur
@@Hotomato they really didn't, watch the Halo speedrun commentary on ign, they acknowledged that its a poor level.
@@MMCV963 You can know that you were doing a poor job and poke fun at it, the two aren't mutually exclusice
@@dsdy1205 so what's your point here? They know it was poorly done now but back then they didn't, the comment I responded to implies that they knew what they doing with the mission at the time when they literally explain in this video that they didn't.
Fun fact: The Library was initially supposed to have been a lot more open visually, where the core was visible at all times to give you a sense of progression through the level. Ultimately they had to box in the level because they couldn't keep the frame rate above 30 on the original Xbox.
That would definitely have helped! Anything, anything at all to stop it feeling like the same encounter 20 times.
Plus the flood was meant to be jumping from level to level the whole time too. What could have been a grand stage you make your way down to was ruined by technical limitations and time crunch.
Source, and also a great video: ruclips.net/video/9ndZbg8Mr-Q/видео.html
I remember playing this level and being so exhausted that I didn't play Halo for 2 days after this. This level was just so tedious and repetitive that it became frustating instead of fun.
"Frustrating instead of fun" - I couldn't put it an better than that! It goes on for way too long and is way too repetitive to be enjoyable. Cut the length in half and I think it wouldn't have been so bad, or stick it at the end of 343 Guilty Spark as an extra chapter.
I just played this level and I thought to myself " this is the worst level in any video game I've played in recent memory". I almost quit and said fuck it cuz it felt like it was never going to end!
I literally googled after "halos worst level all time" and this level came up 😂😂😂😂
@@Dadofboiii lmao 😂
@@Dadofboiii After I gave up on this by the fourth level because of the frustration that I had, I searched in youtube for 'halo sucks' and i found this video :) I hate this neverending level.!! Why would the creators do such an annoying level? Before the Library I had so much fun and I thought this will be until the end of the game.....ohh boy, i was so wrong :(
@@stoneoliver1577 you literally can't even rush through it either. The further you go, the more the fucking flood spawn
The worst part about this level is actually making progress only to then get instantly killed by some rocket flood from the other end of the hall.
Truth!
True. One time I was just walking through a hallway when all of a sudden...boom, I got killed by a rocket. From the back. At least there’s a room to flee when an enemy throws a Plasma Grenade, but Rocket Flood can be like RKO outta nowhere.
Rocket Flood were the worst aspect of this game.
Like- you'd finish a firefight, then you suddenly get rocketed by these fuckers and you gotta do it again because the checkpoint didn't process!!
Walking around a corner and getting instakilled before you even see the guy
Haha, you died because some Flood fucker 50 yards from you sniped you from the other side of the hallway near instantaneously and you just so happened to walk directly into its line of sight without knowing it! You should have know that fucker was waiting for you and positioned to get a cheap kill the first time!
holy shit you nailed on point about it being the most alien structure. in fact you nailed it mentioning the marines too. It felt like a "at home" feeling being with the marines or even battling covenant. But being locked alone in a structure with ONLY flood was truly felt other worldly. Just foreign.
It's a really unsettling level in that regard and I love that for both 343 Guilty Spark and The Library you don't have Cortana with you, so you really are alone a lot of the time.
I get the library's intent but the execution is really, really bad. Even bungie devs while watching a speed run of the library said watching someone play this level was painful. To put it in their own words "We didn't know how to self moderate. The level felt over 30 minutes ago"
Ago?
@@ABoxIsMyHome They said that about halfway through the level, implying that even the halfway point is way too far in, even if it's only like been like 5 minutes.
I would love to see a mod that recreates Bungie's original intentions with The Library. Wasn't it originally meant to be a metaphor of descending into the 9 levels of hell?
@@DoomieGruntVentures given how Sadie's story is exactly that, I wouldn't be surprised.
@@DoomieGruntVentures
Yeah, they said you'd be able to see the Index the whole time while descending a spiraling ramp or something like that
When I was younger, I never noticed any of its flaws, but even now I really don't mind it. Whenever I feel the need to blast through hundreds of enemies with a shotgun, with hardly any interruption, then I play this mission. Honestly, it's cathartic.
I didn't mind playing it through once or twice to make this video, but that'll probably be the last time for a while!
Same for me, to be honest. Back in the day when I would start up halo, I would either play through the whole campaign again or I'd just play one level, and if it was just one level, it would probably be either Assault on the Control Room or The Library.
Finally someone that doesn’t complain about endless enemies to body with the sexiest sounding shotgun in gaming. The range omg Imma play rn.
Plus if you’re trying to reach the index which is supposed to kill the flood . I wouldn’t expect nothing more from overwhelming army of trying guard it.
Oh absolutely, I just wish it was a little shorter or a little more varied during the level.
I remember the first time I played Halo CE back in 03. I remember how cool and intelligent the Covenant were. How funny and awesome the Marines were. The sense of Awe as I walked out of the escape pod and saw Halo. The excitement of getting to drive a Warthog around. The terror of seeing all my Marines get turned into Flood. The sense of pride and accomplishment I felt as I raced the Warthog through the exploding Autumn and escaped Halo.
But what's funny is, I have absolutely no memories of playing The Library, which leads me to believe that it was such a terrible experience for me that my brain has outright blocked those memories.
You know... now that you mention it, I don't either! Halo CE is my favorite game of all time. I remember being like 10 years old, landing on the ring, thinking about how this game was so much different, above and beyond than anything I played prior. I remembered the Needler being so unique and badass. I remember the Truth and Reconciliation. I remember discovering the Floor on 343 Guilty Spark. But virtually no memory of The Library. Odd. Unless I had my brother beat it for me out of fear of the flood. Possible, but again no memory [shrug].
I distinctly remember getting lost the first time I played The Library
One things for sure though. When I opened the control room door at the start of Two Betrayals, I've never felt so relieved when I saw the Covenant again. XD
Excellent commentary, Sir. I agree with all your points. The Library isn't a fun level, but it has it's place in the story. 👍
Cheers Carlos mate! And I agree, it's such a shame the gameplay isn't a little better, as it's a really important level.
I feel the same with Cortana in halo 3, by far the weakest level, but has one of the most powerful cutscenes when Cortana is rescued
I dont dislike this level. For me is really interesting because its like a test of endurance and aim. You need to be able to kill the enemies really fast or they will overwhelm you. I got the achievement for not dying on this level on legendary by accident. I didnt knew that achievement existed.
I found it quite challenging on normal, probably the most challenging level where I actually knew what I was doing. Enjoyed the first half, but it does get quite repetitive. The themes were quite cool, and the feeling of being overwhelmed in a facility designed to contain the flood was awesome. Just needed to be cut down a bit.
The level seems the same for me, from start to finish, nothing really changes in my opinion
It's the same encounter 20 times!
It really is I mean it’s the same four floors throughout the level just to get a small key
@@BenPlaysGames I like to see it more as one huge encounter. Kind of like a race to the index. I think my favorite thing about the level and fighting flood as a whole is the fact that you’re forced to keep moving no matter what
The Library is a rouuugh one but I’d say it’s hard to beat “The Breaking” from H5 in terms of “bad level concepts and design”
I'm dreading analysing that game 😂
Halo 5 is overall bad it's not a fair comparison
@@BenPlaysGames get ready for lotttttts of shooting galleries, poor encounter pacing, messy sandbox design and hallway-like missions
@@LateNightHalo atleast Halo 5 looks pretty. If you're gonna have repetitive levels then the game might as well be pretty
Ive been a massive massive Halo fan since CE and can name each and every campaign level and multiplayer map of every game.... Until Halo 5. I cannot even remember a single level name from that game except Swords of Sanghelios. God that game is disappointing
I still can't forget 343 casually humming like it's a boring Tuesday while space zombies overwhelm you in endless corridors
He’s been doing this forever. Like this is his job. Even in the level at the end of 343 guilty spark he’s not even that upset someone opened the flood. 😆
I honestly liked the library. I played it with friends and it was funny when we got lost or got killed by rocket flood.
This video perfectly encapsulates my thoughts on the Library. Thematically it’s beautiful, and shows just how terrible the Flood are how they keep swarming you. But gameplay wise it’s absolutely atrocious, and the worst part of the game. Definitely one of the high points in terms of story.
This is a list of things that I think could have improved the experience: You know how sometimes at the end of 343 Guilty Spark you can save the marines, well it would be cool if they joined you at the beginning of the Library and fought alongside you. They would then be mowed down by the Flood and are mostly there to give you a false sense of accomplishment for saving them in the previous level. They would also act as a destruction for the Flood, and help you past the first floor of your lucky. For the carrier forms halfway through the level you would start to occasionally see ones with Jackal shields like the ones that were cut from Halo 2. This would add some challenge, and show that the Flood aren’t just using the humans and elites. They could have had a few sections where there’s Covenant barricades with Shade turrets, and troops who are also after the index like in spv3. This would be a good way to break up gameplay, and act as a distraction for the Flood that you can slip past. These would have to be sparse, and wouldn’t make much sense in certain areas that are currently locked down. Other stuff from spv3 like throwing in Wraiths, and Sentinel Enforcers to the Library simply doesn’t work because the level wasn’t designed for that, and it doesn’t fit with the overall theme of the level. There’s this mod for CE called Combat Revolved that changes the lights color to red to show it’s on high alert.
What would you have done to improve this level?
Halo CE has 9 missions and 1 mental stability test
Ha! That is a great way of putting it.
3
Recently bought the MCC for nostalgia, remembered the library being hard but I thought it was just because I was horrible at the game...boy was I wrong its almost as worse as cramming for my college finals. Great vid!
Cheers Jimi mate, appreciate that!
It’s worth appreciating how finely tuned the flood was in CE. There’s subtle nuances in how they fight with different weapons, like how elite combat forms with shotguns and plasma pistols charge you so you have to deal with them right away, while others shoot assault rifles and needlers from range just to keep your shields from recharging. You end up having to learn all these nuances to beat the Library on legendary and it’s actually very satisfying once you master it. That said it’s still a grind.
I think this level would be perfect if the had sprinkled a few, memorable, flood, boss types, throughout, to break up bullet hosing the same 3 enemy types over and over and made you have to plan ahead, save ammo, collect power weapons, and have strategy, so the flood really felt challenging and not just endless. Here's hoping Infinite learns.
Agreed - it needed something to mix it up, it feels like the same encounter played out 20 times.
does rocket flood count as a boss?
@@Windjammer19 Rocket Flood is the same as Sniper Jackal.
@@gordistador Not really, the rocket flood can be dodged, the jackal cannot.
@@Cynwale It can't be dodged if it's right in front of you like in that one mission of Halo CE
Personally, I understand all the reasons why people don't like this level... but I still love it on a canonical level, which helps me enjoy it more (as I stated on one of your previous (fantastic) videos)
Cheers for watching mate - I agree, it's not the most exciting level to play, but really important in terms of the story.
It needed more memorable things
I think the problem with The Library is actually that what they were going for just can't make everyone happy. The goal is to wear the player down and make them exhausted from the battle, but not pissed off and bored. It's just something that cant be nailed with everyone. I think shortening the level by 25% would have made it better for most people. I was wore out but I actually enjoyed it a bit
I say no, as much as I hated the length, I’d say the visual indication of progress was the issue, I could persist through for a while, but at some point it just became a chore and not fun.
I didn’t feel tense, stress, sad, or such, the main problems was the that it was the same thing, again and again, with little change, no progress shown, I went from actively wanting to win to actively bored and frustrated that it was taking so long to end since I could not tell how close ai was to finishing.
I'm twisted somehow, it's my second favorite level in all of Halo.
From a plot perspective The Library does a good job at making the Flood feel worse than the Covenant which is the point, but it is to long and there are a few other levels in that game that are to long as well. So it feels like a slog on the later half of the game. Halo 3 has the best level design. For example, Flood Gate and Cortana could have been like the Library, but I think they got the length just right. So, as a player having just played through those games back to back I didn't come out of Halo 3 slogged out like Halo 1 and even Halo 2.
I'm in the same boat as you - aside from 343 Guilty Spark, which is my favourite level featuring the flood, I found Halo 3 to be the game in which they were most entertaining to fight.
Halo 2's levels are the worst for me, other than Quarantine Zone, which is pretty unique. Just didn't enjoy any of them particularly when I played them through the other week.
@@BenPlaysGames 343 Guilty Spark is a great level, but it is more than just fighting the Flood. The fighting really only takes place in the later half of the level. The majority of that level is the atmosphere building sequence which is why I think it is such a good level.
Playing this level on legendary with a friend was amazing back in 2001. It scratched the same itch that Left4Dead eventually would.
Me and a mate used to stay up all night and play it coop legendary start to finish - very fond memories!
As much as i genuinely always enjoy playing through the library whenever i run through H:CE again i certainly see why not everyone would enjoy the slog described so well throughout the video
at least the video wasnt a slog to get through!
Ha thanks Dragon mate! I do think it has a place in the game as much as I dislike it. I guess it's just a little bit uninspiring following on from 343 Guilty Spark which is such a great level in comparison.
I feel the same but one things that makes the library enjoyable for me is the what seems like an infinite supply of ammo but it is annoying due to how easily you can get lost and go the wrong way
Idk if I’m crazy, but I absolutely love this level. The Flood are much easier to deal with than the Covenant in Halo 1 on higher difficulties, and I feel like I’m playing a souped-up version of Doom when I play this level. I even like how long the level is.
Haha not crazy, I'm actually surprised at how many people have said they enjoy it, so maybe there's something wrong with me!
My reaction when people tell me that fighting Flood is easier than fighting Covenant in Legendary: The fuck?
@@Cynwale the key with the flood is to use their relentless aggression against them: find areas to make them come around a corner or get them bottlenecked in a single direction. NEVER get surrounded. With a shotgun, pistol, grenades, and strategic killing of carriers to kill combat forms around it, you can defeat them efficiently.
@@OrangeSodaKing It's always what I try to do but I get usually os before I can do anything.
The only way I found to beat the library in Legendary is to play with my brothers, the same for the infected space ship.
@@Cynwale you shoot the flood with the shotgun. They die. you mag dump into an elite. He kills you in 2 shots from 50 feet away.
Good on you to see the good in any situation!! Yeah I never thought it was THAT bad. Is it a slog? Yes. Did I feel like a hero at the end of beating that slog? Yes.
Ha always look on the bright side of life and all that!
@@BenPlaysGames Yeah dude, looks like your mama taught you well. Some people and their negativity though
I unironically love this level.
There's no other experience in Halo quite like waiting for Guilty Spark to open a door ... all while the flood pour out endlessly, forcing you to fight harder than you've ever fought before.
Because you've got no cover to hide behind. No way to easily recharge your shield before poking your head back out. No way to retreat and look for a health pack. All the guns and ammo are in the hands of the monsters hunting you down. And they're not afraid of death. They're going to pursue you relentlessly and throw themselves at you until they have you.
All you can do to withstand the onslaught is to pick up that shotgun and mow those motherfuckers down before they can overwhelm you, and you're not allowed to stop. Keep fighting, killing, running, looking desperately for ammunition and grenades - until you make it out of that hell.
It's a brutal experience, especially on legendary. But holy shit, it really makes you understand that the name "Flood" isn't a joke. That humanity, the covenant, everyone, is totally fucked if these things escape the ring.
Same i just look at it as CE's firefight mode, if i want to play ce and have fun i load up the library on heroic lol
Me too
I think it's one of the best levels following the glowing blue monitor through the labyrinthine library in the darkness very atmospheric the gameplay is about endurance you are homing your timing with reloading your ammo
An amazing short story: in the novel “The Flood” when chief is navigating his way through the Library he comes across a dead marine near the end. His name was Marvin Mobuto and he was teleported in by Guilty Spark before Spark had contacted chief. Mobuto had fought his way to almost the end but was overwhelmed and according to the novel was mutilated to the point that not even infection forms could make use of him, and the only way chief could identify him was through his dog tags. Chief compliments the marine by saying he wish he knew him and that he was “one hardass son of a bitch”.
Even if it's technically impossible, I really like those kind of story, at least they make it realistic and made the marine die.
I used to hate it as a kid but as I age I come to appreciate it. It truly is a gauntlet, and if you do or don't like it will probably be the determining factor as to whether or not you like the level. That said tho, while the encounters are repetitive, the truth is they do slowly escalate as the level progresses. The ambushes become more and more difficult, enemy numbers increase, and the quality of weaponry increases as well. For me I play on legendary with a few skulls, and the thrill of constantly having to be on top of my game while not fighting bullet sponge shielded enemies is extremely fun. They kill you fast, but you can kill them fast. If you're pushing your knowledge of Halo's mechanics to the max then you make it look easy, despite the adrenaline as once you make a mistake, it can snowball out of control. It exists solely as a challenge and that challenge to me is the source of the fun. I do think some small encounters with the Covenant would've been nice, but as it is I do enjoy it.
I must be the only person on the planet who actually enjoys this level, once you know what you're doing its quite fun while making it clear how overwhelming the flood is
You're not alone. I fucking love this level the most. So intense
The Library is a bad level because there are no books.
0/10 didn't hear a single "sssshhhh".
@@BenPlaysGames That's because there is a flood of screaming corpses running at you.
I don't hate the library I kinda like the endurance test it provides. But, I would like it better if it was only 3 floors and on the second floor there would be a trapped covenant scouting force the player incounters to mix things up.
I'm like you Arthur, I don't mind playing it every now and then, but definitely also think it could have been made a little more interesting!
One small detail I feel contributed to its reception was the addition of "rocket flood". There would sometimes be a flood at the end of the hall with a rocket launcher firing at the player without any hesitation, so little in fact that it would fire a rocket point blank if killing itself in the blast would mean killing the player. Given thought, this shows how scary the resourcefulness and relentlessness of the flood is, but ultimately it feels like a source of grief towards the player. Those things certainly remain on my list of hated enemies, and I feel reluctant to face them again for just how ruthless they are
Even with its short comings I absolutely love this map, it show cases a true flood experience.
I sometimes play the Library on legendary just for fun. I think it's really good and a lot less stale than, for example, Truth and Reconciliation.
That was even worse
Truth and reconciliation btw
After watching this, I think back to the previous reclaimer before Master Chief, Marvin Mobuto, a random UNSC marine transported to the library by 343 Guilty Spark and who makes it most of the way to the index (without any energy shields) before being killed by the flood. Semper Fi.
Also his body was so mutilated that the flood left it alone, god only knows what happened to him
I played through ce the other day
When I got to 343 I was thinking of skipping it and the library but I played through both 343 was easier than I remember
but the library was just a slog and i enjoyed it a lot more now than then it was challenging but rewarding and I understand it's place in the game if every level was a halo or assault on the control room they would feel flat you need lows to achieve highs
the library is the best level and the most difficult, I hate that 343 placed arrows because the sense is; either you do it well or you fail and you appear at the last point saved, and it makes you see the powerful rival that is the flood, you end up mentally exhausted and you are very happy to finish it
I was definitely happy to finish it! I don't like the anniversary graphics in general, way too much going on in a lot of the levels.
I bet the level would be even better if the enemies changed
Honestly the arrows aren't even really needed because you can just follow guilty spark around most of the time
My memories of the Library carried over into my first play through of Halo 2, specifically the point where I'd just gotten off the gondola and entered Installation 05's Library my response was "oh god please no!". I thought I was going to have to fight my way up through that mess all over again. I'm really glad Miranda had the big brain moment of just grabbing the Index from the ground floor instead of having to deal with that mess again.
I enjoyed the level, not in a fun way but it had that tense feeling the full way through, fighting hordes of the flood in a maze like structure seeking out this object that you have almost no idea where to go, it had that back to the wall thrill which makes it rememberable for me, although people say I'm a masochist and like pain a little too much sooo who knows lol
Haha a masochist indeed!
I don't hate this level, I actually have fond memories of it, as a seven year old playing this in legendary each friday with a couple of friends and pizza for weeks until we managed to finish the level, the satisfaction is engraved in my memory forever
Late to this but I just found your channel. I gotta say I absolutely LOVED The Library. One of my favorite levels across all the Halos. Right next to silent cartographer and 343 guilty spark (which another of your videos had me see in a whole other light). Unpopular opinion I know but fighting wave after wave of flood was awesome. They are my favorite enemy in the games. Fighting all them on Legendary, man what a rush for 8 year old me.
yup you're definitely not alone with that opinion. Great level and I guess I understand the arguments to why it's apparently so bad but it's definitely not like that when I'm playing it. The idea that it's an attrocious level really isn't backed up considering how many people love it and play it still
@@adroharv9213 yeah plus I watched this HiddenXperia video about some library lore and apparently at the final door before the index there’s a dead body of a single marine and apparently 343 Guilty Spark pulled that marine into the library to try to retrieve the index before chief. A normal marine got that far. Made me love the library even more.
@@fckkngio wow never knew that. Very cool
I beat the library in under an hour (~59:45) on legendary and the arrows you get on the ground in anniversary graphics kept me from going mental
Just had a look, nice work! The arrows are perhaps the best change in the entire anniversary edition haha.
I remember playing this level for the first time when I was 10. I was so exhausted by how confusing this level could be
There's a reason they added arrows on the floor in the anniversary edition haha, it can get super confusing on the original.
One of the main problems with the level is that they couldn't cut it out or shorten it or anything. It was originally meant to have a large open area in the centre so you could see the other floors and see the Index but they couldn't do it and had to have the floors enclosed as the engine couldn't handle it.
the library was the most painful experience ive ever had playing halo, though it does truly make you fear the flood
Painful experience sums it up pretty well haha.
Is The Library Halo's Worst Level?
Halo 5, The Breaking: Are you challenging me?
Oh God, Halo 5... I found that game such a slog to get through, 4 wasn't much better either!
Halo 4: Shutdown: Pathetic.
This is what happens when you enter the library, without a library card.
😂
It was a huge accomplishment finishing the Library on legendary. It’s a real bonding experience that I had with close friends in 2001.
Same here mate! A friend and I got stuck on one of the last hold out sections forever, until we realised there were two health packs hidden behind a pillar. Was an absolute gamechanger and we managed to finish it first try after, to much celebrating.
@@BenPlaysGames that’s a great story. I agree with your criticisms of the level being repetitive and frustrating at times, but it’s indispensable to Halo CE plot and it holds a special place for it’s nostalgia.
Fun fact on the library, it's length was actually an accident. They wanted it to be long and oppressive but they were overworked and pushing hard to make a release so they wound up stacking assets more times than they realized and ultimately made the travesty that is the library as a result. I want to say the dev I heard talking about this said the level wound up being about 3x longer than they wanted it to be initially haha.
Very funny to me to hear all the kids theorizing about it (myself included) when i was younger about their goals and what they were trying to convey with the level design and the length and the fact that it was just a simple mistake still cracks me up. Great vods man, I'm watching these to get myself hyped for infinite.
Thanks dude! And I'd never heard that before, make sense actually. Travesty is good way of describing it too haha.
Small nitpick:
But the drumming sticks of the background music stands out a lot compared to your voice.
This is fair, I'm absolutely terrible at picking out the right music!
Subbed. Been loving the breakdowns you have. I hope you stick to your guns and grow your channel.
Thanks mate, and cheers for your support!
I just got past the Library for my first time about two weeks ago. I’ve decided to take a break from Halo until October to recover.
Sounds about right 😂
aside from the tiny room where you get locked in and flood pours out of vents above you while Guilty Spark goes off to unlock the door, it's not a bad level.
while you are right that adding some covenant would improve the level for variety, i argue that the lack of covenant inside speaks of how deep and isolated this part of the ring is, and that adds a lot to the atmosphere, so i'd keep it that way.
I've made this comment in other threads, but I thought I hated The Library until a friend pointed out that it is full of space zombies, you have a shotgun, and the zombies bring you more shotgun ammo. Zombies + shotgun = awesome fun. I'd love it if it were twice as long!
Before the remake, The Library was truly a challenge, between all the flood and everything looking so similar ... but the remake with the cheater arrows and adequate lighting changed it a lot.
Just the anniversary edition ruining the game's tone completely.
Yeah while i was going through this level on the part where it says "floor four: tools, guns..." i found a hidden room where the guilty spark starts talking about preperations and stops in front of one of the doors, you can just walk through the wall to find 2 flood dead wirh a health pack and rocket launcher
Oh and it also shows the entire level
My friend and I were trying to beat Halo CE on Heroic in one night, but we got so demoralized by the Library and my friend blamed me for it despite the fact I hadn’t played it since I was 7
This hits home for me dude and I actually have a funny story about similar. A mate and I used to meet up and do full playthroughs of Halo on legendary overnight when we were younger. We got completely stuck on one of the sections right at the end when you have to hold off the Flood while Guilty Spark opens a door and just couldn't get past it. That is until about an hour later we discovered two health packs hidden behind a pillar at the back of the area. A welcome discovery but also a lot of time wasted prior because we didn't bother to look around properly 😂
Everybody who has ever peed on a fire will tell you that it results in an unpleasant experience, but there's no way to truly understand it without actually peeing on a fire. So thank you, Bungie. Thank you for making us pee on a fire, now we understand that the flood are unpleasant and should be resented.
To use an similar analogy, for me, The Library would be the equivalent of it burning when you pee haha.
The Library definitely made an impression on me. Just like those Flood Rocket Launchers made an impression on me... all over the nearby wall.
But to be real. I like what the Library does for the _story_ of Halo, I just hate the feeling of having so *slog* through the seemingly endless hallways.
Once again, I hated turning a corner only to get a rocket launcher to the face.
By the time it took me to complete this mission Pluto would’ve done a full orbit around the sun
I've just started playing through the Halo franchise, finished Reach and beat CE a few days ago. This level right here nearly made me go nuts. I had to stop playing it in the middle, relax for a few hours, and then try again.
I understand the point of it and what the intention was, but as the developers themselves have nicely put, "this level feels like it was over 30 minutes ago" - while still being halfway through.
The addition of the rocket launcher wielding enemies to the flood roster doesn't do much to help either. I believe the main focus of games should be to challenge and entertain in equal amount, and that's a fine line to walk.
"Library" was the level that went from "oh, a challenge - I like it!" to "Jesus Christ, I've got the point, can we just move on now and stop killing me?" really damn fast.
But hey, it's an old game. Not everything about it is gonna be perfect. Pretty much all games have that one or two - questionable - levels.
That's awesome Andrii, how are you finding the series so far? I'm the same as you regarding The Library, it goes on and on and on for what feels like forever and the only time things are mixed up at all is with super unfair enemies like the rocket Flood you mentioned. It's fine the first time through I suppose, but these days I find playing it to be like pulling teeth 😂
@@BenPlaysGames I really enjoy the series overall so far, and I think the developers made an interesting, but kinda smart choice by starting the MCC with Reach.
Not only does it make sense from the story perspective since it's a prequel of sorts, it also gently introduces newcomers to the series with modernized gameplay and somewhat more "grounded" set pieces instead of throwing them into Combat Evolved completely unprepared.
As in, the premise of Reach is fairly simple: we're humans, we're under attack by aliens, you're an elite team of super soldiers, gotta fight back and defend / evacuate / etc. Nothing too complicated, and gameplay is familiar.
Also, playing through Reach first with absolutely no prior knowledge of the universe was an interesting experience as well.
Where lifelong fans saw a nod to the original, or a cool piece of fan service - such as when you deliver Cortana to Keyes and the intro to Halo plays out for a couple of seconds.
I experienced these scenes for the very first time and only realized who Keyes was and what I was seeing later, once I started playing through Combat Evolved.
Which, in my opinion, felt even more awesome, because I had this epic moment of realization, like "Oh, so THAT's what I was doing! That was the whole point, and this right here is Keyes, and... now it all makes perfect sense!".
Seeing things in this order also helped to feel even more for the sacrifice of Noble Team and your hero's fantastic last stand, because i had no idea how this whole thing would end.
Throughout Combat Evolved I kept thinking back to Noble 6... "He never lived to witness Chief's epic adventure going forward, damn".
Of course, as I mentioned earlier, it's clearly evident that Combat Evolved is an older title, but I'm a big fan of classic games, especially shooters, so it's nothing I can't handle. There are frustrating moments here and there (looking at you, warthog), but overall - I like it.
So much so, in fact, that I bought pretty much all the mainline Halo games available after finishing CE - I must see this story through and get to Infinite.
It's kinda funny how I have Infinite just sitting there on my dashboard, waiting for me to go through everything else. Not touching it until I do :D
I've beaten The Library on every difficulty, probably more than 10 times. I *hated* it at first, but I have now reached a place where I enjoy it as much as the rest of the game. I know *exactly* why everyone hates it, but I can't bring myself to anymore. I enjoy killing the flood, I enjoy The Library, even though I know why everyone hates it.
I enjoy it for the first 5-10 minutes, and then I begin to slowly die of boredom 😂
@@BenPlaysGames fair enough, I also happen to be the biggest CE stan in the universe so
Rip Marvin Mobuto, the only marine that had chief like “that’s one tough SOB”
An excellent video! Thanks for the insightful comments about the pros and emotional beats that the library supports in its design.
Some other interesting things I feel I should add, there is *some* variety in encounters, and you do get much more of a sense in this level of the flood as intelligent and dangerous.
For example, there are at least two sections where you are required to pass through tight underground tunnels, after you’ve spent the rest of the level trying to desperately hold off these enemies, you know exactly how dangerous they are up close. This combined with the tight quarters inherently makes the player very nervous because they know, if I get jumped right now, I’m screwed/it’s going to be a tough fight. The first time you go underground I believe they don’t actually throw anything at you, they just let you sweat. Another time, they let you get around the corner, and then you walk right into a ton of infection forms just hanging out on the walls, (which you can’t see because the walls are indented, and they sit behind the indent, you may be able to see them on the motion tracker but I forget). But in this case you see the flood laying a trap. In another instance in the tunnels you fight multiple carrier forms, and another time in the tunnels you make it to the end only to have a combat form drop down right in front of you.
This level is also the first time we see flood with rocket launchers which, while admittedly a little BS in that they can one shot you with virtually no warning, are absolutely terrifying for that reason; you start paying a lot more attention to what each combat form is wielding after that. Also, I can’t remember if the flood wield weapons at all in 343 guilty spark, but I believe they definitely have them more often in the library, which is another shift.
Lastly, a lot of the libraries encounters essentially function as a wave defense, and you hit it right on the head, you feel why they’re called the flood. Moreover, this contrasts with the design of the previous level, where the idea was for you to continually run away from the flood, or to escape. Now, the enemy that you’ve been programmed to be afraid of, to run away from or avoid at all costs, you have to stand and fight, you can’t run. It gives the encounters this immense psychological pressure of facing the fear you have of this enemy. And it makes beating them so cathartic and triumphant a moment for the player.
The tone of the library is also a little different from halo’s levels previously, in that you are *attacking* an objective, or at least, preparing to fight back. As you point out, halo is a mystery in terms of its genre. And those elements of mystery and the reveals are very important for creating the tension and stakes in the game. In the library, we know what we’re dealing with, (or at least we think so) we have a plan for how to fight back, for what to do. before this most levels were, survive, escape, rescue, prevent the covenant from getting to something first, figure out what the heck is going on. Most other missions up to this point have been a desperate recovery or escape, you were on the back foot in some way, or dealing with a lot of unknowns, there’s a certainty the player has in this level about how to deal with their enemy (which is again, very well upset by the end of the level when we find out what halo *really* does.) but it’s emboldening in a way, which is a very different feeling tonally, and a welcome one.
Lastly, yes definitely, you can get lost in this level. I also got lost in guilty spark, (it was so bad I legit couldn’t finish it the first like 2-3 times I played it) and I hated It at first, but now, I kind of like it. I honestly think it’s like, almost on purpose. The feeling of having to figure out where to go can be annoying yes, if you’re just here for straight shoot em up action, I get that. But like, it also creates this feeling of being lost, which you point out, which is incredibly important, because it adds to the fear you experience when fighting the flood, giving them a new quality, disorienting you, as you point out. It also adds to the mystery, and the mythos of the world, the fact that you can’t find your way around elevates the forerunners who built the place, and makes them seem more foreign or alien to you. After all, they probably knew how to get around this place, even if we don’t.
Library on Legendary is by far my favorite speedrunning level. 15 minutes of high adrenaline with three big breaks.
I mean being honest you die a lot more in assault on the control room then you do in the library
I feel like some covenant enemies or extra allies would help make the level fun, or some extra power ups, idk
Yeh definitely agree, it needs just a little something extra.
spv3 mid has them even a wraith at the end.
I liked the Library. It was the first level I got to use the shotgun. Very iconic.
Definitely agree with your conclusion. Whether loved or hated or just remembered as an unnecessary difficult chapter, the library is memorable to every halo fan and that in and of it self is a bonding point for all fans of the game. You’ll never understand a true love for halo unless you’ve endured this level like everyone else.
I wonder if in 2001 having all the flood spawning including the popcorn, it was a technical challenge to add too much detail to the surroundings. With all of the flood + popcorn that is a lot of moving parts. Just wondering.
I dont know , i always liked the library and that ambience, the unknown alien facility, being overwhelmed by the flood, and seeing how they reproduce so fast that in less than 12 hours as cortana said, they have spread so much. Just a memorable level. Thats what i also love about two betrayals, how it starts with covenant and how trough the level the flood starts to surpass them more and more, and the nostalgic and melancholic feeling it gives to you.
Man, the library on heroic is my all time favorite halo mission. Killing limitless flood with a shotgun hits differently.
In that case, I apologise for my somewhat harsh time during the video 😂
In all the years I've played Halo games I've played the Library exactly 3 times: Once when I first had Combat Evolved back in 2002, once when I played the game through again on Steam a few years ago and one final time on legendary (To get the two achievements, one for not dying and one for powering through it in under an hour). I don't have plans to play it again.
Haven't yet watched through the video, but I firmly believe the whole purpose of The Library was to leave you with an undisputable fear of The Flood. The PTSD kicks in on the second floor when the rocket flood start to come out.
Thematically, it's a great level and it definitely gives you a good idea of how terrifying the flood are. Unfortunately, however, I'm not sure it's actually that fun to play through!
@@BenPlaysGames I felt worn down the first time I played through it.
@@BenPlaysGames I was watching a RUclipsr doing a blind play through of CE and when he got past the first portal he was surprised to understand out that there were ten. I thought, “oh yes, now let the level long whimpering commence.”
@@BenPlaysGames Honestly, as much as I like the anniversary graphics, I don’t think 343 Guilty Spark and The Library should be played on the new graphics. Part of the atmosphere of those levels included the dark ambience of the lighting. That dark ambience plays well with The Flood.
@@JAGraptor if you read the lore some poor marine managed to fight his way near the end of the library.
Ahhh The Library. The nostalgia is hitting hard right now, I loved playing hours of continuous Flood swarming over me with no reprieve in sight. I finished this on Legendary + with a healthy dose of trauma.
I know that the Anniversary graphics aren't that popular among Halo fans but I personally think the graphic update did absolute wonders for this level. Being able to see properly and having the ability to tell which way I'm supposed to be going to progress through the level made the Library actually quite a bit of fun to play.
Despite not at all being a fan of the anniversary graphics, I actually do agree with you on this point. The way pointing during The Library really does massively help things.
@@BenPlaysGames This sounds silly as hell but I like the lighting in the updated graphics a lot because it looks like it would be fun to actually read books in there like a real library lol
The Library is loved by many and for good reason. It's very different in feel and refreshing compared to the other levels. The manic action from constant flood is exciting and fun in a Doom style way and the arguments I read are puzzling to me. Certainly one of my personal favourite levels for sure and I know plenty feel the same. I'd also very much disagree that the LIbrary feels cold. In terms of it's atmosphere and presence there's a definite warmth to it especially as Spark is with most of the time. The fact there is always an abundance of flood and Sentinels later on, and Guilty Spark himself, this level is far from cold. The level 343 before it is though for good reason
But yeah a level very much loved and still played by many because it's all out action is simply a lot of fun
This level made me want to throw my controller at my tv today as I went through it in the MCC for the very first time
I played it on heroic recently and did not enjoy myself haha.
I agree with a lot of these points, but i still hate this level. It's still just basically the same floor 12 times in a row, it's a very tedious level. I get the themes, and the themes and what they do to the player is great. But it's just not FUN to play. All the other levels in Halo are varied and unique and interesting, most of the time you can take a look at the screen and know immediately what level the player is on and even from what game that level is and even relatively where in the level you are, because all the places are so unique and varied. And then this level comes around and is just a super long dark hallway, most of the time you don't even have a clue where you are, since every corridor is pretty much the same anyway.
I get what they were going for and all the feelings you describe make sense to me. But it will still always be the wors level to me just because of how boring it is to play this level. It doesn't help that there's nothing but the flood going on either. At least usually, when you are going through samey areas then there's interesting setpieces, be it a battle of Flood vs Covenant or Marines following you and the like, and here it's just you and the flood. Which makes for an interesting experience since it's rather rare, especially in the first Halo, that the Chief is completely on his own. But it's just not really fun to play. Especially since we have already met the Flood by this point. This could have been a good point to introduce the flood in the second floor or something. But the way it is it still is a very meh level.
Agreed - it's an important level story-wise, but unfortunately it's marred by repetitive gameplay and encounter design that far outstays its welcome. Like you said, even just throwing in a few set pieces would have at least added a little variety!
Aside from the instant rocket kills, I consider this level a masterpiece. It stuck with me from the day I first played it. It's repetitive a relentless, and the whole time you want to get out of there, but that shows you what you're up against and what the stakes are.
Thematically, it's awesome because it makes you feel despair. In terms of gameplay it's also brilliant, because it puts a shotgun in your hand and forces you to fight and think differently than you have the whole game against the Covenant. And it's hard as nails.
I personally really love spv3’s take on the library! Battling flood with their weapons and then stumbling across a small camp of covenant with honor guards and brutes fighting side by side trying to survive. And on top of that there were wraiths and other vehicles that just give it some difference and makes encounters very creative and different! If 343 were to do another kind of library mission in halo infinite I hope they would do something like the mod creators at SPV3 did!
Got spv3 on my list of games to play, looking forward to running across this scene now!
@@BenPlaysGames it’s really good! Definitely more enjoyable! However for me, idk, but all the levels are really dark. Can’t seem to fix on mine. Hope it doesn’t happen to you too!
How does one play this version of the game?
just played this level for the first time ever with a friend. we did it on legendary.
we thought it would never end. we weren’t prepared in the slightest for this absolute chore of a mission
it took us 52minutes LMAO. Maybe doing it on legendary was a bad idea, but im glad that it will be my first and last time i’ll ever have to do that.
but weirdly enough, i felt so happy and relieved after I finished it. flood with weapons was so cool and I loved how aggressive they were. made u play differently
Best mission honestly, I love how you are constantly getting ammo for the shotgun and how it's also one of the most useful weapons in that situation
The Library is simply a cool idea that overstayed it's welcome. The feeling of the massive threat the Flood is, the feeling of an endless exhausting gauntlet is pretty genius. And I felt everything Bungie wanted you to. The biggest issue is that I felt this halfway through the level. 15 minutes in, I was like "Alright you've made your point can we please move on?" I can't even remember how long it took me to beat the level, it wouldn't surprise me if it was an hour. When a level stops being fun and becomes worse than homework, it just sucks ass. Honestly at first I thought this would be a rush type level, where trying to fight off all the Flood would be pointless and impossible. So you rush to get the key as soon as possible while escaping the endless hordes. But I quickly realized that would be impossible. And the best way to get through the level...was to take it slowly. Kill every enemy, and only then proceed. In an already stupidly long level, this does not help at all. Genuinely do not think I would want to replay this game again solely because of how much of a drag The Library is.
3:35 - I completely agree. I think it can get a bit monotonous, but at the same time the Library's design is so unyielding and alien and inhuman that it almost feels uncomfortable to be in. It almost feels dead. Like a giant tomb. The flood pooring in at the same time really emphasizes that idea of alienness and it being this giant tomb. It's hard to put into words exactly, but it being unyielding and inhuman and the flood being unyielding and inhuman works so well together, imo. In that sense I agree that it is both kind of a weakness but also kind of a strength.
This is actually my favorite level in CE. I never skip over it and I love every second playing it, even on Legendary. The atmosphere is great and I have a lot of memories playing it as a kid as well. I remember thinking the entire level took place suspended in space because there's "windows" that look like they have stars behind them.
The only thing I don't like about this level is getting turned around and lost. I think they could've done a better job of programming Guilty Spark who could've been more of an active guide, stopping more often in order to show you which direction you were supposed to head, instead of disappearing off as he often did. Would've been a useful waypoint. The remastered Halo CE had it's "arrows" which were better than nothing, but it also ruined the atmosphere of the older game.
I remember I was playing this game in one sitting without using any glitches or anything like that, and I was already mentally exhausted before playing this mission. By the end of this mission I was more than just mentally exhausted, I was also physically exhausted.
What I like about the Library is how consistent it is across difficulty. It plays much the same way on Easy as it does on Heroic and while that would be boring on another level, I feels it plays into the Library’s strength. Compare to levels like Truth and Rec, Control Room and Two Betrayals, where there are sections you can spent 15-20 minutes dying in basically the same spot and in the Library you always feel like you are making progress. On harder difficulty you will obviously die more, but you never feel like you’re banging your head against a wall. Silver’s Guides has had no views from me on getting past the Library, (although I haven’t LASO’d yet so that may change.)
It might be because i've been playing for 20 years now, but i still love the library. I enjoy loading the level up and just playing the shooting gallery, and i guess having the layout memorised means getting lost isn't an issue. It's pretty much the closest thing we've got to a flood themed firefight, mixed with Halo CE's flood which i feel was the best itteration.
It might still fall as the worst level in Halo CE, but only because it has to contend with 9 other levels of near perfection. Something has to come last
nicely put
Having just played it for the first time, I think I can agree with the general points being made here. The fact the level essentially copy pasted the corridors and encounters and kept it going for so long was a real slog. Near the end of did start to break up with the one room you get locked into with streams of Flood pouring out of the vents, and the section just before you got the index. Just cutting a few of the copy pasted sections and replacing them with fresh level design could have done wonders.
I hate SPV3, but I'll admit that one of the few things that mod gets right is that Covenant encounters are added to this level, it really makes a difference
7:14 All of the best CE campaign mods add Covenant to the Library and at least one vehicle section. It really does make it better.
I'm playing through CE for the first time and I just completed this level on heroic(not brave enough for Legendary lol)
All I gotta say is Holy Hell, what a level. The relief when you make it to the end is unreal