As you might expect, a lot of the art you’ll see here depicts the worlds, vehicles, weapons, and other objects of the Halo universe. Most of the time, this is what you’ll be looking at in the game, so this makes sense. However, if you’re looking for a lot of character art, you won’t find much "under the helmet" art here. The main human and alien characters of the game find a place in this book as you’d expect. However, with few exceptions, you’re mostly going to see their armor and outer suits, not their faces.
There’s no doubt that cosplayers and fan artists will be picking up this book to get a good look at details on weapons and armor, and The Art of Halo 5: Guardians doesn’t disappoint. As you’d hope, most characters and weapons are shown in a front, side, and rear view. There are also lots of goodies like the alien hieroglyphics, which are shown in crisp 2D lineart. There are also those great little tidbits about things like datapads and how they break down, how the key fits in - you know, those really hard to find prop insights. Everything from UNSC weapons to Covenant vehicles is covered in this book, so there’s going to be something for every fan here.
It’s not unique to this book, but there is also something valuable to an artist to see large format prints of art. Too often, we’re looking at a compressed, low resolution of the art we love. We can sometimes forget that most art is painted in a larger format. For example, the way a column takes shape with light and shadow becomes clearer when we can see art close enough to make out the stroke marks. At about 12" by 9", The Art of Halo 5: Guardians is large enough to show the small details of each work.
Art by itself is enjoyable, but stories behind the art are what make the best art books. The Art of Halo 5: Guardians tells the story of the concept artists of Halo 5 and how they built the world and molded it as it took shape. Why put a cape on Master Chief? What was the thought behind a lone hologram of a tree? Why put Vale in red armor? Sure, you can always make educated guesses and have your own treasured theories, but it's always interesting to know the artist's original intent and point of view.
It’s worth mentioning that most of the art in this book is concept art. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but if you’re looking for finished, or in game renders, this book is not necessarily going to have everything you need. This mostly applies to the background and scenery art, as many characters are shown in what looks like final artwork (rather than a "sketchy" concept form). It’s also important to note that there are many breakdowns of items and armor that probably only exist in this form, so you’re not really being deprived here in any sense.
As an added bonus, the book also comes with a code for a REQ pack, which opens up content for use in Halo 5’s Warzone mode. 208 pages filled with lore, insights, and art make The Art of Halo 5: Guardians a great book and a gorgeous art book. You can feel the love that went into producing this game, and this is just from the art side alone. This book is an easy recommendation for Halo fans and the Halo fans in your life.
