Halo prototype game had Master Chief with a retractable sword, a microwave gun and more

Marcus Lehto, co-creator of the Halo universe, the artist responsible for the design of Master Chief and former creative director at Bungie shared some interesting files from the Halo prototype game, or more specifically, “his old 2000 Halo PC build” this past weekend. The files include Covenant weapon prototypes such as the Concussion Gun, the Excavator, the Particle Beam Rifle and the Microwave Gun.

Here Lehto provides a look at the Spear Gun, whose spear “sticks to its targets” and the “almost naked” Elite models, named such because the Elites in the Halo prototype game at this point have a glaring lack of armor compared to their finished versions. (Are those their rib bones or do they just have different colored musculature along their obliques? We might have to consult Catherine Elizabeth Halsey, MD, PhD for the answer.)

Finally, a look at Master Chief’s original back design in the Halo prototype game, which included a “single hump backpack” and a retractable sword he could unsheath from his lower back. (That’d probably come in handy for the Yoroi Samurai Spartan armor in Season 1 of the upcoming Halo Infinite, wouldn’t it?)

What did you think of these unreleased weapons and designs from the prototype Halo game? Does it make you wish the creators would release a version of Halo: Combat Evolved with these weapons and features implemented in the game somehow? Let us know in the comments.