Halo 4 Forerunners ViDoc Reveals New Enemy

343 Industries rolled out another ViDoc for Halo 4 tonight. This time they're taking aim at the Forerunners, the mysterious and ancient race that will play a big role in Halo 4.

The Forerunners, once a dominant species throughout the galaxy, have always had a background presence in Halo 4. They're the ones who made the titular halos throughout the galaxy. They're also responsible for containing the parasitic aliens known as the Flood. The race was believed to have eradicated itself during its fight against the Flood, though.

In Halo 4, Master Chief and Cortana encounter an artificial Forerunner world. The world is inhabited by remnants of the Forerunners. The Prometheans, once the greatest warrior-servants of the Forerunner empire, will be the main enemy of the game. How they've survived and the purpose of this world they live on will no doubt be central mysteries in the plot.

The design of the Prometheans turned out to be a huge challenge for the development team. After several games' worth of anticipation, many team members had strong opinions on what the race should look like. They had to carefully steer the designs away from looking like a monsters or demons or robots. The ultimate goal was to make them appear like a deadly, advanced alien race that makes the humans and Covenant look primitive.

A few images of the Promethean varieties and their weapons were leaked earlier this week. You can check them out here.