*The following article contains full spoilers for Forward Unto Dawn: Episode V*
PR teams worldwide: take notice. 343 Studio's Forward Unto Dawn web-series is at once an effective ad campaign for Halo 4 and a touching standalone narrative that hits a somber, yet heroic note.
The episode picks up where the last left off as Lasky drives a commandeered Warthog towards an awaiting pelican for extraction. Accompanied by Master Chief, his love interest Chyler, and the last surviving members of Hestati squad, the group confronts heavy resistance from Covenant forces.
The final installment sheds the series' slow-burn storytelling approach in favor of tense action scenes, but wisely singles out important character moments that sow the seeds planted in past episodes.
En route to the Pelican, the team bests a squad of jackals with the help of Chyler's sharpshooting skills, but in a poignant turn of events, she is wounded by a stray needler bullet. The moment Chyler dies in Lasky's arms is impactful and provides important context for the character, who appears in Halo 4's single player story.
Emboldened by his recent loss, Lasky risks his own life as a decoy to distract a Hunter and gives the Chief an opportunity to take the beast down.
When the squad reaches the extraction point, the short series reveals two Spartans that Halo fans will recognize, Kelly and Frederi.
Episode V concludes the series' story just a week before Halo 4's November 6 launch date and folds Cadet Lasky's tale into the franchise's larger fictional world.
Forward Unto Dawn echoes the tone, aesthetics, and acoustics of Battlestar Galactica, but remains recognizably set in the Halo universe.
As a skeptic who had little desire to play Halo 4 prior to viewing 343's series, Forward Unto Dawn fired me up for the new trilogy's narrative. Even if you are disenchanted by the endless stream of sequels in the industry, give this Halo web-series a shot. You may be surprised with the results.