Love it or hate it, no one can argue that Halo: Combat Evolved was not important to gaming history. The modern Xbox brand would be unrecognizable without it, and the game’s influence appears in many modern first-person shooters.
It’s also a game that many fans hold close to their hearts. This appears to include one Reddit user who uploaded a time-lapse of himself painting an impressive piece of Halo: Combat Evolved fan art.
The landscape depicted will be immediately recognizable to any longtime Halo fans, drawing inspiration from the second mission of Combat Evolved. It shows the titular ringworld stretching into the distance beyond a range of snowcapped mountains. Beneath them, a recognizable Forerunner structure sits amid an assortment of trees and boulders. The Master Chief’s iconic helmet rests on a rock in the foreground, with a few subtle red splashes hinting that The Chief’s day might not be going perfectly.
The artist goes by JosePablotoscano on Reddit and Two Ruru on other platforms. He initially posted the time-lapse on r/wholesomegifs before another user posted it to the Xbox One Subreddit. Impressive as the painting is, it attracted a bit of criticism from the users of both subreddits. Various commenters thought the Master Chief’s helmet did not fit in well with the rest of the piece. Some felt it clashed with the painting style, with another comment complaining that it screwed up the artwork’s perspective. One commenter on the Xbox One Subreddit went so far as to say it turned a classy and subtle piece of science fiction art into a Game Stop poster.
Still, it remains an impressive piece of fan art. It’s also not the only video game-inspired painting by Two Ruru. A quick trip to his Gfycat page reveals a beautiful alien landscape inspired by No Man’s Sky. He also has a gif of himself creating a tribute to Animal Crossing and Doom Eternal. The creative piece depicts the adorable animal characters from Animal Crossing sitting down for a forest picnic in the Doom Slayer’s silhouette. It’s just one of many fan-made works humorously referencing Doom Eternal and Animal Crossing: New Horizon’s shared release date.
Other gifs show paintings paying tribute to games like Ghost of Tsushima and Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020. Those paintings are a bit more subtle, however. Fans might spot the inspiration, but non-gamers might not make the connection unless someone told them. Still, the clips are worth checking out regardless of one’s opinion on correct helmet placement.