Halo Infinite’s campaign offers two distinct paths for the player; that’s one of the biggest things that sets the game apart from its predecessors. When I watched the three-hour demo of the campaign, it became clear that Master Chief’s latest adventure offered the option of a familiar action-packed “golden road”. Like nearly all previous Halo games, Infinite’s linear main story gameplay aims to provide a satisfying and tightly paced adventure, a defined and engaging story, and Clear objective markers take you to the next big encounter. Based on the extensive demo I’ve experienced, players looking for that classic Halo campaign structure won’t be disappointed.
However, the alternate path through the game sets Halo Infinite differently than what happened before. Following an introductory sequence that establishes the gameplay and stakes of the story, Infinite opens up and allows for much more free-form exploration and development than previous games in the franchise. There’s an entire loop of character enhancement, discoverable loot, armor upgrades, and optional battles waiting for players who choose to stray off the main path. While the developers at 343 Industries continue to resist the term “open world” to describe the experience, there is no doubt that what I witnessed borrowed liberally from world trends. Open world in action and shooting games of the last decade. The difference, of course, is that those open areas are filled with the kind of intense Halo action and gunfight that the series has always been famous for, and that makes all the difference.
One of the reasons why Halo Infinite isn’t a traditional open world is the way it’s partitioned when you first appear on the surface of Zeta Halo. Most open world games give you the relative freedom to explore completely wherever you want, even if some areas can be particularly difficult to confront in the first place. Instead, Infinite divides its discoverable content into specific regions, each filled with a series of encounters, a list of discoverable items to follow, and a play area. is determined. Players progress the story to unlock new areas and eventually return to previous areas to complete further explorations and conquests.
At its highest level, Master Chief is fighting against the forces of the Banished (a devastating faction that was once part of the Covenant) on Zeta Halo, while rallying the UNSC forces that landed there after the disaster. the terrible devastation of UNSC Infinity. If that sounds like a familiar narrative loop, it should be. 343 Industries has been public about how Halo Infinite is inspired by the original Halo: Combat Evolved.
For players who choose to explore, the game arranges back and forth between large open areas where you place terms of engagement and more narrowly defined sequences that take you inside Halo – space which the developers openly describe as a dungeon. Together, the give and take between the large open areas and the tighter interior create a feel reminiscent of the early games in the franchise, even if some of the activities you’re after along the way. Optional paths to conquer and control an area.
To complete his part of the mission, the Master Chief must constantly fight for territory. While there are many factors that lead to conflict, the most important starting point in any new sector is the local forwarding operating establishment, or FOB. These UNSC outposts have been overtaken by Banished and the player needs to clear them in order to retake the FOB. Once control is regained, the tactical map will update relevant points of interest. In addition, FOB becomes a quick commuting point. Finally, controlling the FOB turns it into a supply point where you can refill your ammo and requisition more supplies, troops, and even vehicles.
The ability to wield a weapon or other help you need is a game to let you shape your approach to combat, but it’s not entirely freeform. Instead, the player must build a resource called a hero, which determines the level of items you can call down. First, let’s do some basics if you want to bring a Scorpion tank on your next sortie.
Valor is obtained from many activities around a certain area. For example, the banished propaganda towers can be destroyed to gain courage. Or, track down a team of captive UNSC marines, and rescue them for some bravery. Activities like these boost your bravery and, therefore, give you more options for claims at FOB.
That’s not the only way to get something new at the FOB resupply point. High value objectives allow for another interesting diversion, resulting in unique weapons you can’t get anywhere else in the game. We saw battle against a high-value target named Okro’ Vagaduun, an Elite Blademaster who wields a distinctive high-energy sword. If you follow his location on the map, you can defeat him and pick up his sword. Thoroughly clear his army with him, and you can requisition the intense energy sword back to FOB, carrying it into future battles. The game includes many named minibosses like this, each with a different section to add to your growing arsenal.
You can also spend time in a certain area tracking discoveries, all of which serve different purposes. Audio recordings are scattered across the Zeta Halo, each helping to define the story, including details of what happened to Captain Lasky and the rest of the UNSC Infinity crew. You may also want to try to find the always elusive and gameplay-changing skulls, but like in the previous games, they will be hard to find.
Another major discoverable item is Spartan Cores. These optional upgrades allow you to gradually improve your device. The main item for your armor is found along the critical playpath, but it may not reach its full potential when discovered. Spartan Cores can be used to improve your shield strength. Or you can enhance the new featured gra image, which can add an electric shock that stuns enemies. Once you get your piece of the threat sensing device, you can use Spartan Cores to increase the number of deployable sensors you can put into the field at any one time.
Whether it’s an increased claim from your controlled FOB, a special weapon gained from defeating high-value targets, or improved gear from the Spartan Core you’ve discovered, your development of options of the Master Chief and powering all the incremental options for the big battles you will face. In addition to the activities already described, Halo Infinite has many larger bases, some of which are mission critical and others that you can optionally choose to try and conquer. .
These primary expelled structures are unique free-form encounters, built to allow you to take them in in your chosen matter and use the tools you’ve developed and enhanced through discover. The team at 343 Industries informally described these types of encounters as “attacks on super soldier bases”. The idea is to give players ample freedom to engage in a massive multi-part battle. In one scene, Master Chief loads a mare with a selection of rescued marines and rushes into the thick layer of a walled base. But as an alternative, he could have used locomotive shots to get to a vantage point and open the fray by sniping multiple targets before stepping in. In another option, he can use the graphic to get himself through the walls in the less protected back soft spot and progress from there. Or perhaps he might have been brave enough to call out the VTOL Wasp, and fly into the central tower from above. At the end of the base we see, Master Chief has gone up a floor far above and confronted a named (and lurking) Elite, adding punctuation to the end of this large-scale fight. Battles of this kind promise to be huge and melodramatic, especially in the face of higher difficulties. The potential for chaos and creativity is high.
After a few hours with Halo Infinite, it’s clear that 343 is trying new things, especially in regards to optional exploration and upgrades. But I’m also amazed by the pace and flow of the battles, and how much they recall the first games in the Halo classics. The flow of personal exchanges with banished enemies has a distinct “feel” for the Halo encounters I remember facing in the early 2000s. It’s a mix of an interesting battle loop with more open explorations that excite me most about Halo Infinite. Even after just those few hours, it seems clear that this new release will offer the most expansive and selectable Halo experience to date.
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