Halo 3 ODST: Use of Contrast

I just finished Kikowani Station last night. At this point, I'm noticing how Bungie uses light and dark. Night time New Mombasa mirrors the obscurity of the events that the Rookie is trying to uncover. Meanwhile, the flashbacks take place in the daylight where objectives and courses of action seem as clear as day (pun intended).

I also like how the flashbacks inject a bit of variety in the gameplay, where one has you sniping, another focuses on the SPARTAN laster, a Scorpion and a Banshee. Another flashback gives the player a taste of firefight by having you defend against waves of Covenant. In each of these, progression is very linear, but fast-paced and intense, providing just enough motivation to keep me moving forward through the level. Between those segments, I'm happy to be reeled back into something structured in a way that I can move along at my own pace.

I had my misgivings when Bungie interviews touted a more open-world feeling in the Mombasa hub portions of the game. However, the action-packed flashbacks provide just the right contrast to bring out night time Mombasa's slower, more open feel. There is some exploration while searching for the audio logs and hidden armories. I can choose to engage every single Covenant I meet, or opt to avoid their patrols while on my way to the next beacon.

There's another point of contrast I wanted to mention. During flashbacks, I always felt like I was part of a bigger battle. When my character wasn't with other marines, there was chatter in his ear to drive me to the next objective. On the flipside, I as the Rookie always felt utterly alone on the Mombasa streets.

Light versus dark, fast versus slow, linear versus open, team versus stranded. The contrasts create a tension that ultimately serves the unconventional telling of the story. From a narrative perspective, it's an interesting format that keeps me wanting more.