For many of us, while enjoying our favorite video games, the music that plays through our speakers as we run, jump, and shoot is one of the most essential elements of the experience. It helps set the mood and atmosphere, providing a textured backdrop to the gameplay while also evoking emotional resonance in cutscenes. When thinking about Halo, it’s difficult to imagine the game without its iconic soundtrack. With its brilliant orchestra, haunting Gregorian chants, wailing electric guitars, and thunderous percussion, Halo’s music is just as much of a critical component of the series’ DNA as the Master Chief himself.

Just Getting Started

When developing Halo: Combat Evolved, the first game in the series, Bungie enlisted the help of composer Martin O’Donnell to work on the game’s soundtrack. O’Donnell had previously scored games for Bungie including Oni and Myth. Bungie’s director of cinematics, Joseph Staten, instructed O’Donnell and his musical partner, composer Michael Salvatori, that Halo‘s music should “give a feeling of importance, weight, and sense of the ‘ancient'” to the visuals. O’Donnell and Salvatori set upon this daunting task and ended up creating the best-selling video game soundtrack of all time. Fun fact: O’Donnell had met radio DJ Steve Downes while working on an earlier project, and later recommended him for the voice of the Master Chief.

Halo: Combat Evolved managed to perfectly integrate the vibrant music to compliment the smooth gameplay. From the soft, mysterious strings that play during the opening shot of the ring, to the urgent drums that furiously beat in the background during the final escape run, the game is full of epic moments that are only enhanced by the masterful musical tracks that accompany them. O’Donnell had a ‘less is more’ philosophy when composing for Halo, strategically placing backing tracks at key points in the game, often to solicit an emotional response from the player. This method of musical choreography worked to great effect, accentuating the total immersion of the experience.

Music To My Ears, Commander

Acknowledging the importance of great music in a videogame, Bungie upped the ante with Halo 2. Once again headed by O’Donnell and Salvatori, the master composers took what was great about the previous game’s audio and expanded upon their proven formula. The sound was mixed to utilize the maximum advantage of Dolby 5.1 Digital surround sound, and more ambient audio was added to the game as O’Donnell didn’t want any part of the game to be completely silent. With longer cutscenes, more visually stunning setpieces, and more complex theatrical aspects at play, the music department had their work cut out for them to create an equally compelling sonic component.

Two volumes of CDs made up the Halo 2 Original Soundtrack, the first of which contained the main tracks from the game as well as music inspired by Halo from outside artists. Guest artists include Breaking Benjamin, Incubus, Hoobastank, and legendary guitar god Steve Vai. O’Donnell and Salvatori pushed the envelope with this soundtrack, capturing the feelings of tension, loss, and hope found within Halo 2’s campaign. Their work paired perfectly with the epic story and gameplay moments, and helped propel Halo 2 into the exciting early 2000s cultural zeitgeist.

Send Me Out With A Bang

Halo 3 pushed the series in new directions, along with the music. O’Donnell decided to strip back the guitars and feature the piano quite prominently. This time, instead of synthesizing the majority of the music by computer, the soundtrack was recorded by a 60-piece orchestra with a 24-voice chorus. This somewhat analog approach allowed Halo 3’s music to retain some of the same themes from previous games, while also giving it its distinct voice to stand out from the pack. In a game where the stakes were higher than ever, the music delivered on all fronts, carrying players through the surprising twists and heartbreaking turns of the wonderfully crafted story.

Halo 3: ODST’s soundtrack was a radical departure from what came before, featuring no Gregorian chants or returning themes. Instead, ODST heavily incorporated jazz-influenced music, reflective in the detective noir feel you get while exploring the streets of New Mombasa at night. Similarly, Halo Reach eschewed the choir for more of a somber, ‘all hope is lost’ kind of feel, which suited the tragic story of Noble Team aptly. With these five incredible pieces of audible art, Martin O’Donnell and the audio team at Bungie created some of the most memorable and emotional scores to ever accompany a video game.

The Other Installations

When 343 Industries acquired the rights to the Halo franchise, many things changed, including the music. Since O’Donnell remained a Bungie Employee, new composer Neil Davidge was commissioned to work on Halo 4’s soundtrack. Known for his work with English trip-hop band Massive Attack, Davidge was challenged to take Halo into a new sonic direction and thus incorporated electronica and dance themes into the game’s score. This produced a very different but still captivating soundscape that matched the intensity of the game’s story. Halo 5, on the other hand, brought in composer Kazuma Jinnouchi who gave his interpretation of the main Halo theme as well as brought back the choir.

Ensemble Studios’ Halo Wars and Halo Wars 2 similarly did their own thing by hiring Age Of Empires composer Stephen Rippy for the first game, and a trio of composers for the second. Halo Infinite did the same. Halo is a series that has accomplished a great deal in its 23-year-long lifetime. It revolutionized first-person shooters, emphasized telling excellent stories on an epic scale, and highlighted the colossal impact that a great video game soundtrack can have. The music that comes with them is often overlooked. Take the time to listen to the audio and absorb every horn, monk-like chant, and appreciate these sounds as just as an essential part of Halo.

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