I’ve always considered myself a closet Master Chief apologist. With his helmet always firmly attached and his habit of “getting it done” without one-liners or a glimmer of humor, he embodies everything that today’s gamers sourly gripe about. Heck, he spawned the faceless space-marine archetype that’s flooded Xbox’s shooter landscape. And yet, I’ve always felt Chief was markedly different from the other grunting, non-descript space cowboys; throughout every Halo since 2001’s Combat Evolved, I suspected there was more to this scientifically engineered alien-killing machine than Bungie was letting on. And it took 11 years and a complete change in development studios to prove me right.

From an opening prologue that immediately dunks you deep into the game’s engrossing narrative to the moment Cortana murmurs “Wake up Chief, I need you” as the UNSC Forward Unto Dawn comes under attack, 343 Industries’ approach to the series is crystal-clear: storytelling is Halo 4’s shiny new weapon. With a brand-new trilogy underway and Chief’s return to active duty after lying in cryo-sleep for nearly five years, adrift in the deep reaches of space, there’s probably no better opportunity to really show what this universe and these characters are made of. And what a difference it makes.

From the minute you pop the latch on your cryo tube, your journey becomes a mystery filled with questions: Where are you? What’s this planet you’ve crashlanded on? Will Cortana’s rapidly deteriorating state (she’s succumbing to a seemingly terminal fate where an A.I. literally “thinks itself to death”) keep you from saving her and escaping the planet? As an interactive, action-laden riddle of sorts, Halo 4’s narrative makes for compelling stuff. Between Chief’s cool, calm demeanor and Cortana’s increasingly slippery grip on reality, there’s plenty of meaningful interchange — and it serves as a convincing emotional anchor for the numerous subplots and new faces that surface throughout your quest.

From scoped Light Rifles to solid boomsticks like the Incineration Cannon, Promethean weapons kick all sorts of ass.

You'll pilot all manner of vehicles throughout Halo 4's campaign.

Soon enough, a new villain emerges in the form of the Didact, a powerful Forerunner weirdo obsessed with Chief’s (and humanity’s) demise. His motivations slowly take shape through your interactions with the crew of the equally stranded UNSC Infinity as well as another mysterious newcomer, The Librarian. With so much story to squeeze into the campaign, events unfold and introductions happen at an often relentless pace, sometimes sacrificing clarity for constancy. Players without a good knowledge of the broader Halo-verse (from books and comics) are sure to shake their heads at the scrolling list of names and terms that unspool during the game’s setup. Reclaimers? Ascendancy? What? And the contents of discoverable Terminals — beautifully arted video logs (only viewable via Halo Waypoint, which sadly pulls you out of the immediate experience) that flesh out the series’ fiction — may befuddle franchise newbies as well. But at its core, Halo 4 remains Chief and Cortana’s story — and it’s an immensely smart and satisfying one that grants nuance and depth to two characters we might’ve known for 11 years but never had the chance to understand until now.

To hammer that point home, some of the series’ most basic features have been highly polished. 343 completely retooled the audio, including sound effects and score; the music by new composer Neil Davidge combines orchestrated swells with subtle electronic blips and bleeps to great effect. The overhauled graphics are similarly impressive: jarringly detailed character faces (in and out of cutscenes) lend emotion to dialogue, while most of the environments trade the glum browns and dark purples of past Halos for brightly lit outside arenas, lush jungle locales, and shiny, futuristic indoor spaces — all peopled with intelligent enemies who’ll dodge, snipe, and power up their Plasma Pistols to best you. If anything, the change of scenery never lets up, taking you through creepy space stations on foot one minute, before placing you atop a lumbering Mammoth tank to destroy gravity wells the next.

Of course, graphics and story take you only so far — in a game like Halo, what’s really important is how it all feels. Thankfully, series diehards will find little to raise an eyebrow over. 343 managed to keep the familiarity of firing on a horde of Covenant goons with a scoped-in DMR a treat, while mixing in the new tactics of dealing with Promethean horrors like intimidating Knights or swarming Crawlers with a new arsenal of Forerunner-type weaponry. These new enemies aren’t easy to beat, especially when they’re coming at you en masse.

Improved enemy A.I. makes for tough, interesting battles with Covenant and Prometheans alike.