343 industries is back, bringing us a Halo that they call a “spiritual reboot” for the series. After two iterations of Halo following the transfer of the IP from Bungie, 343 has released the long-awaited Halo Infinite. Since the release of Halo 4 and Halo 5, the fan base has been split on what they do and don’t like about the changes made to the classic formula. With Infinite, 343 wanted to bring the series back to what we love, a Master Chief story, and a polished multiplayer that is true to the series it comes from. Having sunk hours into all these aspects, it is looking to be a great start.
NARRATIVE
Halo campaigns are always something to get excited about and I was anticipating Infinite’s after the very far deviation that was Halo 5. Infinite brings the focus back to its story, giving Master Chief, Cortana, and the fight for humanity on a Halo ring the spotlight. There was a clear attempt to bring us back to basics while still continuing the story they had created in 4 and 5. The humanity behind the soldier side of Master Chief is touched on which is something I enjoyed in Halo 4 but had missed in 5. We get a story that ties up loose ends of previous storylines better than I thought it would and still leaves way for a future for Master Chief’s journey. It comes together well and delivers a decent story with a fight against formidable and ruthless foes in the form of The Banished.
The problem that comes with the story is when it just seems too small in scope. The halo ring and this universe are massive but it never feels like the story takes advantage of this. We get supporting characters but never do we have that moment when the UNSC arrives and we see humanity’s perseverance. It didn’t feel like humanity is fighting for its survival like it was stated by Master Chief. We get Chief and some marines, but no overarching military side. Even characters I liked in 4 and 5 get no return here and while sequels of Infinite may see these returns it felt empty without it and a bit unrealistic for Chief and a single pelican to be taking down a faction of enemies that rivaled the Covenant and Prometheans, who both took a large chunk of humanity’s resources to beat.
Campaign gameplay is another story. Taking the place of the regular linear missions is an open world/hub space halo ring to explore. While you can blast through the campaign altogether there are plenty of outposts to take down and side missions to complete. It’s all about taking back control of the ring from the enemy. Neutralizing outposts makes that base yours, where you can spawn in weapons and vehicles. Taking out marked spartan killer targets grants you that killer’s hefty power weapon, and finding spartan cores allows you to upgrade the different pieces of equipment that Chief can pickup. For example, upgrading the grapple shot will add an electrical element to it that shocks your opponent, or use the cores on the drop wall that gives suped-up shock bullets as they pass through it. Exploring the ring was a blast and a welcome addition to the series by bringing an extra reason to extend campaign play-through time during or after completing it. The campaign overall was a big improvement from the last couple of games we have seen, and I hope we get more variety to an open world ring going forward to further improve that new idea and a story that welcomes the scope of the universe we have come to love.
MULTIPLAYER
Halo multiplayer changed the console first-person shooter gaming space when it originally launched in 2001 and continued to do so with each following sequel. While online FPS gaming has seen drastic changes in what and how it is presented, Halo’s arena-style gameplay still has its place. Infinite commits to its roots, giving us exactly what we expect from the series. A vast and viable sandbox within the weapons and equipment, and fun well designed maps to use those tools on.
Most weapons, returning or new have their place in Infinite’s multiplayer. The assault rifle, battle rifle, rocket launcher, energy sword, etc. are accompanied by newcomers such as the heatwave, bulldog, shock rifle, and mangler. All of these, and more are viable for in-game scenarios, but there are a few that fall through the cracks and leave more to be desired. Though, with Infinite being a live service game I am sure along the journey we will see plenty of buffs and nerfs for weapons.
Equipment makes a return from Halo 3 but plays a much larger role here, both in casual and hardcore matches. Select equipment is placed around the map for pick up and these items play more like a new type of power weapon as they can be used to help lock down areas of the map for your team in the right hands. In-game, it creates this new choice for players and teams, do we push for the power weapon off spawn, or do we push for the over-shield/camo or grapple-shot? It allows for more strategy and planning when it comes to the type of “leg up” you want on your opponent.
Speaking of maps I am glad to say they are pretty much all fun to play on. All have different looks to them that help them stand out, and it’s great to see some with a symmetrical layout for hardcore competitive play. Even maps that aren’t symmetrical are great, like Live Fire which has teams fighting for power positions to lock down the map.
The biggest downside to multiplayer is the lack of modes to queue into. At launch, we have quick play, big team battle, and ranked arena. Within those are different modes, but the lack of options for players who just want to play Slayer or want a filter on the type of modes they play, whether objective-based or not is disappointing and is a much more stripped-down version of the multiplayer suite we have grown accustomed to. Again, with live service, we will see updates and additions but for launch, this was a missed opportunity for early player investment.
Another issue is with the battle pass progression. A slow grind flow of progression with no regular level progression was a very strange route to go. 343 made a nice move by never letting the battle pass expire, but by making it so slow with no other form of progression, it feels like time invested is not time rewarded in any way. I hope changes come for this and we get back on track with modes and progression very soon.
WRAP-UP
Halo Infinite packs in a full campaign that lives up to the halo name even with a few small gripes and issues here and there. Exploring the ring and taking out The Banished was a fun side job to test out weapons and vehicles while unraveling the main story. Multiplayer is the best in the series for me since Halo 3 and hopefully, there are only good things to come with more modes, options, and progression opportunities to enjoy the experience. In the end, there is still work to be done and not many things in this world come without their issues, but for fans of the series new and old, this is a promising start and revival for the Halo franchise.
Score: 8/10
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