Halohas always been a very visually unique game series. When making the firstHalo, Bungie drew design inspiration from many sources despite the graphical limitations of the technology in 2001. The firstHaloheld within it three distinct and clashing visual styles that have remained in every subsequent game in the series. First and foremost,Halois described as having a military sci-fi aesthetic which refers to a lot of the game’s human made equipment. From the guns and vehicles, to Master Chief’s iconic green Mjolnir armour, most of Halo’s human equipment is inspired by militaristic designs.
Halo’s second iconic visual style comes from theenemies and equipment that make up the Covenant forces. These alien devices work similarly to the human made equipment but have a clear cultural disconnect from anything human made.
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The third main visual style present in theHaloseries is in the design of the Halos themselves. In the game’s lore these planet sized rings were built by an ancient Forerunner race, and so contain a mix between alien Forerunner style architecture and distinctly Earth-like environments. When using Earth as inspiration for an alien world it is common for designers to use only its most visually striking locations and phenomenon. One such real-world inspiration forHalo Infinitehas been pointed out in a clip by Reddit user LouisVchinchila.
Originally posted by a Reddit user named mb557x the clip shows Fingal’s Cave in Scotland, one of the world’s rare locations for naturally formed hexagonal basalt columns. These columns were used as inspiration in designingHalo Infinite’s ZetaHaloas a way of introducing alien Forerunner architectureinto the otherwise natural looking environment of the game. Real basalt columns such as the kind found in Fingal’s Cave are formed from rapidly cooled volcanic rock, and thus have become a commonly used visual element for volcanic areas in videogames and other media.
The Volcano Manor area inElden Ringfeatures these columns, as doesDark Souls 2.MorrowindfromThe Elder Scrolls, which is the location of the series' famous Red Mountain volcano, also has these basalt rock columns. The design features most prominently in fantasy games; this likely has to do with the most famous real-world sight of basalt columns, The Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland. The Giant’s Causeway is the subject of a famous legend about a giant building a bridge to Scotland, which supposedly connected to Fingal’s Cave before being destroyed.
Having a fantasy legend concerning these basalt columns as a real-world precedent is likely why the striking geological design features so prominently in fantasy stories, especially those likeThe Hobbitwhich feature giants and lore inspired by Celtic mythology. Its use in a sci-fi game such asHalo Infinitewas also likely meant to add a fantastical element to the game’s alien architecture.
Halo Infiniteis available on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
