The original Halo: Combat Evolved is one of the most important games — if not the most important — that Microsoft has ever published, and it looks like one of the company’s upcoming titles will pay tribute to it. Forza Horizon 4 will reportedly include a mission based on the “Silent Cartographer” level, and we couldn’t be more excited to race around in a Warthog again.
An image, which appears to be a leak from Forza Horizon 4, was posted on Reddit over the weekend and shows a Warthog from the Halo series driving along a beach. To the left of the Warthog, you can clearly see a Halo ring in the sky, and a large Covenant ship looms overhead, partially obscured by clouds. Given the amount of driving found in “Silent Cartographer,” it seems like the obvious choice for a tribute.
In July, an icon for a showcase race in Forza Horizon 4 seemed to suggest the Halo series’ Pelican ship would also be making an appearance. This event is likely the same as the “Silent Cartographer” mission, as the Pelican is heavily featured in the original Halo. The mission opens with an enormous battle on a beach before eventually making its way indoors. It was a technical marvel on the original Xbox 17 years ago, and we’re excited to see what Playground Games can do with it in 2018.
“Silent Cartographer” isn’t the only mission in the original Halo to heavily focus on driving. The final mission, “The Maw,” features a tense escape sequence as you race to escape the Halo ring before it’s completely destroyed. A similar mission was also included at the end of Halo 3.
Forza Horizon 4 has much more going for it than just a Halo mission. The game features dynamic seasons that can completely change how you race, as well as an online open world, 4K resolution and 60 frames per second on Xbox One X, and more than 450 cars. Though you’ll have the option to play with real racers in an online open world, Forza Horizon 4 will also support a more traditional offline mode. The game comes to Xbox One and PC on October 2, and it’s part of Microsoft’s Xbox Play Anywhere program.
