'Halo 5: Guardians' characters and plot details surface ahead of release date

Screengrab from the upcoming Halo 5: Guardians game from 343 Industries.halowaypoint.com

An early look into "Halo 5: Guardians" bared details about the upcoming fifth installment in the highly successful "Halo series. 

According to reports, the upcoming game will feature familiar enemies such as the alien Covenant and the Prometheans, last seen in the previous "Halo 4" game. Other recognizable characters will also make a return, such as The Arbiter and Cortana. However, since Cortana has sacrificed herself toward the end of "Halo 4," she will make an appearance in the upcoming game only as a memory. It is unclear yet on whether Cortana will be featured via flashback cut scenes, or if "Halo 5" will incorporate missions and quests based on what transpired in "Halo 4." 

In terms of the general plot, "Halo 5" will pit one fireteam against another. The Blue Team, composed of Spartans gone rogue, will be led by the franchise's main protagonist, Master Chief. Players will be assigned roles as members of the team in the co-op campaign, and will have their own specialty, HUD, and interface. On the other side of the coin is the Fireteam Osiris to be led by a new addition to the "Halo 5" Spartan family, Jamison Locke. 

"Halo 5" will both feature single-player mode and co-op campaign. For the single player, directing the actions of the members of the fireteam will be much more fluid, since the members themselves will also be run simultaneously by AI. 

Meanwhile, a new feature — the option to revive and help injured team members — will be introduced in the co-op campaign mode. However, playing with other gamers will require an Xbox Live account, since there is no LAN support for the game. In addition, gamers would need to pay the subscription fees for keeping an active account.

"Halo 5: Guardians" is scheduled to be released on Oct. 27 for the Xbox One.