It’s a leap of faith, and the halo is infinite. 343 adopts the ancient and reliable halo formula, formerly the well-established golden triangle of combat magic, and dares to spread it to an open world. It may have gone horribly wrong. Based on what the campaign looked like a year ago, I think it’s done. But I’m happy to report that the 343 is stuck on the landing site – just like the Master Chief slammed into the new mysterious halo ring set on Infinite.
I think Halo 5: Guardians does a great job, but I think 343 is trying to leave it behind because it charts the future of Halo. Infinite is a spiritual reboot of the franchise, set chronologically after the controversial events of Halo 5, but taking inspiration from Bungie’s seminal Halo: Combat Evolved, not only in the feel of the game, but also in tone, aesthetics, and setting.
It was confusing at first too – I said this as a Halo fan who had read one of the books. Infinity begins with the Master Chief floating in space near Zeta Halo, one of the oldest and most mysterious halo rings in the galaxy. A pilot dragged him into the Pelican and dusted him off. “Status report,” the Master Chief asked in typical factual fashion. Infinite procrastinated for the next 15 hours or so before seriously trying to provide an answer.
Six months have passed since the war between the UNSC and the Outcasts took place on Zeta Halo, a branch of the Covenant alien force led by a particularly grumpy war chief named Escharum. It’s unclear what happened, why or to whom, but the Master Chief eventually fought his way from a banished spaceship and landed on Zeta Halo to spark a counterattack.
Halo fans will feel at home here – a setup that mimics Halo: Combat Evolved’s iconic opening quest. Silent Cartographer, one of the greatest first-person shooter missions of all time, runs through the veins of Halo Infinite – and it all gets better.
The Master Chief’s initial mission is to retrieve the weapon, an AI used to defeat Cortana, and then delete itself when done. For some reason this didn’t happen. The weapon became the Master Chief’s companion, chirping relentlessly in his mind, and often popping holographic projections from his hands to open doors.
It won’t be long before Halo Infinite settles down and you’ll understand what kind of game it is. You are placed on the wreckage of Zeta Halo, filled with unscrupulous outcasts. Comparisons to Ubisoft’s open world are only valid if there are objects on the map to hover over, but Halo Infinite’s play space is nowhere near what you’d get from Assassin’s Creed or Far Cry. Nor is it a true open world. The various “islands” of the ring are initially disconnected – there’s an element of Metroid Prime here, where you’ll unlock new abilities and new areas to explore as you complete key story missions. Ultimately, the whole world becomes what you see fit to traverse, but the journey there isn’t exactly Breath of the Wild.
I think it’s a good decision because Halo Infinite relies heavily on its good fights. Oh fight! It’s as good a fight as Halo has been since Bungie left the franchise for Destiny. This is easily 343’s best work, a back-to-basics approach to fighting aliens that relies heavily on delightful physics systems colliding with each other. The vast majority of weapon feel and sounds are in the sandbox and have a place in the sandbox (even the much-maligned saboteur has its uses). The Master Chief’s signature assault rifle fires bullets at enemies like a drummer banging a snare drum. There are even some fan-favorite weapons that have made a welcome return from previous entries in the series.
The best way to explain Infinite combat is to say it makes you feel like a crazy super soldier. Battle Bowls are spread out across the map so you can pick and choose your battles and how you approach them, but Halo Infinite is at its best when the Master Chief jumps into battle, overcoming insurmountable odds and clearing the house. Halo Infinite is brilliant, reassuring, and satisfying to fight in this brave new world. What did Rorschach say in Watchmen? “You’re imprisoned here with me.” Like that, but through the shards of the halo instead of the prison.
I think the 343 subtly spreads different power coils around the Zeta Halo. These exploding barrels are free for you to shoot, lob, and generally explode. Mix one of these into a group of outcasts and watch the sparks fly. Infinite has lots of sparks! It doesn’t even make sense that these coils should be here. If I were an outcast and I knew the Master Chief was coming for me, the first thing I would do would be to hide everything he might use to blow me up – maybe even accidentally.
There’s a purple coil over there – I’m going to pull it towards me like a scorpion does his famous “come here!” move. Yes, the Master Chief has a fun new toy: a grappling hook. This elaborate toy turns the Master Chief into a tank Spider-Man. Pull yourself toward the enemy, pull the gun toward you, throw yourself into the air, and fire rockets at the victim. Better yet, grab the vehicle, activate its pilot and destroy the battle bowl below. Jump out before the vehicle explodes and grapple a brute for a melee finisher’s face. It was a heroic death that Craig deserved.
The combat shooter is so good, it’s easy to forget about the Master Chief’s other new toys like thrusters and threat sensors. They’re always available at the push of a few buttons, but I almost never use them because the grapple feels so important, and simply put, it’s more fun. Interesting is the name of the game.
It’s also a good thing, as the event can feel repetitive at times, and during the final third, it’s a bit tough. I think a few things contributed to this. The first is that Halo Infinite is limited to one biome. The American Northwest setting, with its classic halo and of course trees, streams, hills and cliffs, is only broken by the Forerunner-built interiors you visit during the main quest mission (be sure to love the Forerunner doors, though !). 343 adds variety with custom banishment outposts, but these play spaces don’t set the world on fire. Infinite is set on and inside the Halo ring, and you get the desired effect from it.
Then there’s the issue of rhythm. Halo Infinite includes side quests and collectibles that unlock weapon variants, new vehicles to spawn, and more powerful abilities (for example, you can improve your awesome grappling shots), but aside from the excitement of the game, they’re not fun or Exciting. Rescue a group of UNSC prisoners, liberate a Forward Operating Base (FOB), and kill a high-value exile target – these optional targets are just a quibble.
The main mission missions offer a more traditional linear Halo campaign experience with some great positioning, but these are mostly set in internal locations. Some major tasks feel like busy work. Infinite’s campaign has a lot of “go here and do this”. At one point, you must repeat the same objective four times within four identical Forerunner structures placed on the map. It’s a shame that 343 didn’t create a truly memorable Halo quest outside of the open world.
This story is also complete nonsense. Alas, this is the halo! Ancient aliens and rampant artificial intelligences who whisper in riddles while the Master Chief barely speaks. Big Bad Escharum regularly appears in giant holographic form, taunting the Master Chief like a bulging WWE wrestler talking trash before a match. It’s kind of funny that the Master Chief never responds. There’s a cutscene where one of the key characters reveals their soul to the Master Chief. All the Master Chief does in this “conversation” is keep the schtum, but the silence is enough to trigger a dramatic confession. I’m a bit impressed – I think the Master Chief would make a good reporter.
Infinite has something that some games have, and everything you do in the story is basically the work of an engineer. The Master Chief has a lot of guns as he asks, but you do spend hours listening to weapons tell you she doesn’t quite understand why a thing is doing what it’s doing, but you should definitely blow it up as her anyway When trying to solve a problem. The Master Chief always agreed without a word, plasma grenade in hand.things are sure Do What happens in the story, but aside from the challenge it presents, the spectacle of the surroundings and the thrill of the battle, I’m not bothered by it. I found the ending a frustration, failing to properly answer the pressing questions Infinite asked, opting instead to set up story DLC that I suspect will come later. This aura is infinite, remember.
After playing Halo Infinite, the key question I had about Halo Infinite’s campaign was whether it justified the move to an open world. Why explore if there is nothing interesting to discover? Thankfully, I think the spark is in Halo Infinite, although you’ll have to work hard to find it.
On a few occasions, amid the hum of map icons, I stumbled across unmarked areas of interest: caves and Forerunner rooms that required a closer look. 343 dabbled in environmental stories in some of these spaces, and they made me wonder what else the ring might offer. I’m not going to spoil any of these here – the magic lies in their discovery. But the point is that they are there. There are also some hidden surprises for Halo fans, which are lovely.
That’s also the main reason why I jumped right back to the Halo Infinite campaign when I was done. Somewhere in between these map icons is a seductive mystery, and that’s what Silent Cartographer is all about, isn’t it? In a strange world, not knowing why or how or who. Solve problems while completing battles. Halo Infinite, under it all, is just that.
And, if nothing else, you can always count on that golden triangle — the Master Chief and his guns, grenades, and gravity hammers — this time on your own terms, the best it’s been in a decade.
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