It's hard to overstate just how dedicated gamers can be to a single, seemingly insignificant, cause. However, sticking to a self-implemented challenge within a game always provides a feeling accomplishment once it's seen all the way through. Such is the case with a group of players that managed to break one of Halo 3's skyboxes – and it only took 13 years to do it.
In a 10-minute video, YouTube channel Termacious Trickocity broke down the steps to access the 'Picture Room' in Halo 3's final level, 13 years after the game first released. It's about as complicated of a process as one could imagine, which explains why it took so long for players to figure it out. It involves numerous steps, weapons, players, and some precise timing to boot.
The video itself makes it no small wonder why it took so long to figure out how to access the Picture Room, as players have to complete steps as complicated as launching a Mongoose from a specific point in the level onto the top of a tunnel, which is mostly undeveloped.
Once all the steps are completed, players are able to explore Halo 3's Picture Room, which is essentially a white space with art assets scattered around. In and of itself, the picture room isn't all that impressive, though the fruit of years of labor likely makes it worth it for the team involved. Not to mention, it's a fun look at what's really happening behind the scenes of games as they're being played, which is neat on its own.
Halo 3 is one of the defining games of the Xbox 360, so it makes sense that players are dedicated to unlocking everyone of it's secrets. According to the video's description, this is one of the "final challenges" in the game, with the team originally assuming that the Picture Room was exclusively located above the level. The team closes out its video with "What's next?" implying that there's still more to come for fans of the shenanigans.
The first three games in the trilogy have found new life thanks to Halo: The Master Chief Collection, so there could be plenty more from the community in the future. The Termacious Trickocity team itself has earned a break after this accomplishment, though they may decide to crack some more secrets rather than take any time off. Of course, there are plenty of newer Halo games too, likely with their own few years of secrets to discover.
Halo 3 is available now for PC, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.