That feeling of surgical precision when aiming the Battle Rifle 75, the intensity of jumping over half a map when piloting a ghost, the feeling of power when jumping off a mountain and half a team with a well-placed SP4NKER and that Rush blows adrenaline as you and your entire team destroy a flag without giving your rivals time to know where the air is blowing.
All of this and more has been and is the cornerstone of the Halo online experience since the first game was released. When it came, it took us in completely and from then on it was like love at first sight. A swarm or a ball that hasn’t moved from our hearts in 20 years. Since then the battles have become more extensive, additional features, modes and functions have been added; but above all it has gained rhythm and dynamism.
However, when Bungie turned the baton over to 343 Industries, the team didn’t seem to know how to find the key. Halo 4 had problems with both the campaign and multiplayer, many of which rightly thought there were too many coincidences with Call of Duty. Then came Halo 5: Guardians, which continued with a campaign that wasn’t quite on the Master Chief’s level, but had consistent multiplayer. The problem this time? For many players, very little remained of the basics that made Halo special, especially because of its fast pace.
We’ll talk about the Halo: Infinite campaign later. Now let’s focus on the multiplayer part. From the start, 343 Industries assured that Infinite would be a fresh start, albeit a smooth one. Most assumed these words were aimed at the single player campaign, but the truth is they also thought of multiplayer, because Halo Infinite’s multi-mode is the closest to Halo 3 since … yes, since Halo 3 .
In practice it means that the 343i eschewed weapons that have no real purpose, created maps to match the game modes, and reduced the speed significantly. The latter is especially important as it reinforces that unique halo feeling you get from being hit full and hard, but you still have enough life to take revenge or at least try. You take time to kill a Spartan, and it is important to rely on both weapons and grenades to kill your rivals. Victory in duels is often determined by tenths of a second, a last minute gesture or a well-fought scrum.
Infinite currently offers the option to play four versus four or in Team Warfare, a 12 versus 12 mode. It lacks a free playlist that will be fixed over time, but it’s good to be aware of its lack. Both of the current lists contain multiple game modes, which means you can’t play directly in Slayer, for example. This is another thing we hope will fix over time, but currently there is one caveat that is taking points away from the experience.
Aside from these limitations, fortunately, 343 Industries has been playing it safe with game modes that work very well. There are variants of Capture the Flag, Crazy Ball, Control and of course Killer. The most notable novelty on this front is hoarding, a mode in which you have to transport energy seeds to your base. There are many, however, and it is important to be quick to avoid the opponent taking them too. Additionally, if you manage to install them into their base, you can steal batteries from your rivals, creating a fun loop that encourages teamwork … and shooting.
The pace, on the other hand, is a bit slower than in Halo 5: Guardians, especially for a sprint that doesn’t feel as fast as before. The grapple, so important in the campaign, becomes an object that you can find around, which makes the fights feel like they should be in a halo. They are incredibly intense, are accompanied by very well designed cards, and are packed with points designed for confrontation. One of our favorite cards is Bazaar, heavily inspired by Halo 2 and with an approach that suits almost any style of play. On the flip side, War Between Teams Fragmentation sounds better, legacy of classic Valhalla from Halo 3. It has everything you need for the most classic battles in the franchise, with vehicles, missiles, snipers, secrets, and even locations perfectly aligned Close combat. . In addition, the stages are the perfect size so that you don’t get lost and are always in the middle of the action. Most of the time, the war around the corner will be waiting for you.
As of this writing, the first Halo Infinite event, Fracture: Tenrai, is also underway. An initiative to unlock samurai-style armor pieces in a party-like playlist that mixes weapons with each rebirth. This is a good starting point for understanding the pros and cons, as well as the game mechanics, especially if you’re new to Halo. However, the training mode is also useful for this, which allows you to customize everything and even play against bots to warm up. It comes in handy even if you’ve been playing the Master Chief for years, especially to test out new weapons or the new behavior of classic weapons.
Halo Infinite’s configuration options are great. There are sections for almost everything, so you can switch to the classic red-on-blue setting. You can use a more intense or lighter red, or even a pineapple yellow, great for the enemies to give more edge on the stage.
With all that said, the biggest novelty in Halo Infinite multiplayer is that it is free to play. You can download and play it for free on both PC and Xbox without any type of subscription. This has brought with it several things, including a huge legion of players, but also an economic system based on season cards and micropayments. Fortunately, there is no pay to win, there are no signs of P2W in Infinite, but it’s rare for a business to be so integrated into a halo. With all of this, this change to F2P will be positive for the franchise, we’re sure of that.
However, there is still one clear negative point in the multiplayer part of Halo Infinite, its progression system. It’s true that they are constantly working on it and making changes as we write this, but leveling up is not solely tied to your performance in the game, it is based on challenges that change daily and weekly. This affects game development and sometimes challenges like “Kill X enemies with the flag in capture-the-flag mode” can make you desperate after playing five games in a row without exiting this game mode.
This, along with other challenges that lead players to use certain weapons and abuse them to level up, makes the experience suffer. Sometimes it can even cause your team to lose from an obsession with leveling up and advancing through the Battle Pass. “Camperos” tries to do certain streaks, gamers abuse the hammer, ways that don’t appear … This needs to be changed, and as soon as possible.
Another negative aspect is the melee attacks. While they work better than many other things, the system is inferior to previous installments and something that the 343i desperately needs to review. In Halo Infinite, you can cut through other players and sometimes turn what looked like a slap in the face into a slap in the neck and that’s an instant kill. That you do it is fun that they do you, not so much.
One of the new weapons in Infinite is the shredder. It’s kind of a gun that is devastating. It’s not the only novelty, many guns have been retouched and appear new. One of our favorites is without a doubt the VK78 Comando. Think of the DMR, which was always a worse version of the assault rifle. The VK78, on the other hand, is automatic and precise, which makes it very useful at close range and at a distance. The problem is that it has a major setback. Also of interest is the Spike, a hybrid of the Brutes rocket launcher and precision rifle, the design of which is reminiscent of the flagship weapon of Gears of War. It only fires one shot and its reload time is hideously slow, but it’s deadly to both humans and vehicles. Not to be overlooked is the small Minion MK50, a pistol that does the “small but bully” even at long distances.
Halo Infinite’s multiplayer is a joy, after all, even in this beta phase it is in right now. Knowing that it will get even better over time, it will likely be one of the games we spend the most hours playing in in 2022. 343 Industries did a remarkable job making Infinite feel like a fresh new game, ideal for engaging new players, but at the same time able to retain whatever most seasoned fans wanted. The icing on the cake would have been a more balanced tier system and separate playlist for Team Killers, but these are little things that can be fixed in days or weeks, especially considering the team is constantly working on changes.
Its final version will arrive on December 8th, hand in hand with the campaign of John-117 and Halo Zeta, but for now, Halo Infinite multiplayer can be defined as the game that brings together everything that makes Halo so wonderful. If you are looking for a multiplayer shooter that is far from realism, deep, approachable and addicting, the 343i has something perfect for you here.
