Introduction
Picture it. It’s E3 2018, you’re watching the first announcement trailer for Halo Infinite, but at the time you didn’t know it was for Halo Infinite. 2 minutes later, you hear the iconic Halo chime and Master Chief’s helmet. HALO INFINITE shows on screen; Halo is back!
Serving as the sixth main game in the Halo franchise, Halo Infinite takes place in the year 2560, six months after the Master Chief is hurled off the UNSC Infinity by Banished leader, Atriox. A pilot named ECHO 216 eventually finds Chief floating in space, and thus begins your journey into the new generation of Halo, and the Chief’s fight against the Banished which takes place on a Forerunner ring known as Zeta Halo (or also known as Installation 07). Infinite is the first game in the franchise to include an open world environment filled with side missions, new gadgets and gameplay elements; so, how does it hold up?
Story
Continuing after the events of Halo 5, Infinite was a long-awaited game (6 years!), and fans, old and new alike, were eager to know what direction the franchise was going to take. Right off the bat, Infinite’s story is good- for the most part- however, some aspects weren’t developed enough or didn’t flow as well into the story as I hoped. Without dipping into spoiler territory, there are a few things you see/encounter that can be a little confusing and even feels missing. Even as someone who has played since Combat Evolved, remembering everything about the Halo universe can sometimes be a little tricky to remember. The ending of Infinite raises more questions than answers, and players are left wondering. While I’m still excited for the sequel and where this direction will go, some answers and clarity would be good.
After being rescued by ECHO 216, Master Chief immediately wants to stop the banished once and for all (of course). While the unnamed pilot is reluctant to at first, eventually they travel to Zeta Halo which has been damaged. While searching on the ring, Master Chief finds an A.I named “Weapon” and retrieves it. Throughout the story, the new A.I is your companion that helps you navigate the open world and discover Zeta Halo’s secrets, while your other companion, Echo 216, delivers you vehicles at captured FOB’s to assist your journey along the way. Both new characters brought a significant presence into the story, which intertwined well with both side missions and main missions. While I liked the interaction with all three characters, it left me wanting a little bit more character development, and with more interaction with Master Chief. We know that Master Chief, John, is the ultimate super solider human that is capable of taking down an entire swarm of enemies, I would have personally liked to have seen a bit more of his humanity through his interactions with ECHO 216 (Fernando).
Gameplay
Speaking of taking down an entire swarm of enemies, Infinite’s new gameplay mechanics allows you to do more than just jumping and sprinting. You can upgrade these gadgets by looking for Spartan Cores that are scattered throughout Zeta Halo. You can now; and I cannot emphasize how much I loved using this gadget; a grappleshot that you not only zip around and climb cliffs with, but you can zip and throw explosive coils at enemies, and it is so much fun and satisfying. You also get access to upgrading your shield core, using a threat sensor that highlights where enemies are in red, a drop wall and a boost thruster. Each of these gadgets were perfectly crafted for this experience, though it can take a while to get used to using the D pad to switch between. Fighting enemies is still the same as previous instalments, just with more gadgets to use.
The open world aspect: Oh I’m just gonna say it; is very, very good. Though I felt the flow of the main story can throw you off a bit with this aspect, once you get back to the linear main missions it shifts back into gear. There are plenty of open world side missions for you do to (and achievement hunting!). You can help secure the UNSC’s presence on the ring by capturing FOB’s, helping squads in distress, taking down banished groups/areas, shooting down propaganda towers, collecting Spartan Cores to upgrade your gadgets, exploring new structures, and searching for Mjolnir cosmetics for multiplayer. Included is also environmental storytelling elements with UNSC and Banished audio logs that are dispersed on Zeta Halo. Though they are not all in the open world area, some are located in linear mission areas. So, if you’re looking to get all the achievements for finding audio logs, you’ll have to get them in one go as the game, as of writing this review, does not currently have any replay options like previous Halo instalments. For me I didn’t mind the audio logs as it did provide an interesting insight into what had to other Spartans, however I was hoping to hear more about previous characters such as the Arbiter.
Graphics
Incredibly smooth, even from my current TV that is so old, it has a 720p option (don’t worry I’ll be getting a new TV soon)
Soundtrack
Digging into what you hear, Infinite’s soundtrack is composed by Gareth Coker, Curtis Schweitzer and Joel Corelitz. They beautifully crafted the hopeful sound, while also capturing atmospheric tones of previous Halo games, while blending it flawlessly into Infinite’s own distinguishing soundtrack.
Level Design
However it doesn’t stop there, as soundtrack isn’t the only thing that that blends a homage into Infinite’s world, as the open world and building designs are very reminiscent of Combat Evolved levels, including levels such as Halo and The Library.
Replay value
Infinite has enough replay value to draw you back in if you’re wanting to go back to start mopping up or picking up the rest of the achievements. Story wise, replay value is up to you and whether you liked it. Personally, I know I’ll be jumping into it again at some point (and mop up the rest of the achievements because I missed a few audio logs)
Conclusion
Overall, what stood out as strengths for me was 343’s ability to pull off a marvelously, well-crafted open world aspect to a Halo game. I honestly applaud them, because it really could have been a hit or a miss-but I’m so glad they knocked that out of the ring. While I am also incredibly impressed with the fun, stylistic variation of gameplay mechanics (throwing explosive coils at enemies anyone?) the story itself was the only thing I found most issue with. As I mentioned it is still a good game and there were a lot of genuine fantastic story moments, however I wish some story elements flowed just a little bit better. A fine addition to the collection of the Halo franchise, and a welcome to old and new players experiencing the new generation of Halo.
Picture it. It’s E3 2018, you’re watching the first announcement trailer for Halo Infinite, but at the time you didn’t know it was for Halo Infinite. 2 minutes later, you hear the iconic Halo chime and Master Chief’s helmet. HALO INFINITE shows on screen; Halo is back!
Serving as the sixth main game in the Halo franchise, Halo Infinite takes place in the year 2560, six months after the Master Chief is hurled off the UNSC Infinity by Banished leader, Atriox. A pilot named ECHO 216 eventually finds Chief floating in space, and thus begins your journey into the new generation of Halo, and the Chief’s fight against the Banished which takes place on a Forerunner ring known as Zeta Halo (or also known as Installation 07). Infinite is the first game in the franchise to include an open world environment filled with side missions, new gadgets and gameplay elements; so, how does it hold up?
Story
Continuing after the events of Halo 5, Infinite was a long-awaited game (6 years!), and fans, old and new alike, were eager to know what direction the franchise was going to take. Right off the bat, Infinite’s story is good- for the most part- however, some aspects weren’t developed enough or didn’t flow as well into the story as I hoped. Without dipping into spoiler territory, there are a few things you see/encounter that can be a little confusing and even feels missing. Even as someone who has played since Combat Evolved, remembering everything about the Halo universe can sometimes be a little tricky to remember. The ending of Infinite raises more questions than answers, and players are left wondering. While I’m still excited for the sequel and where this direction will go, some answers and clarity would be good.
After being rescued by ECHO 216, Master Chief immediately wants to stop the banished once and for all (of course). While the unnamed pilot is reluctant to at first, eventually they travel to Zeta Halo which has been damaged. While searching on the ring, Master Chief finds an A.I named “Weapon” and retrieves it. Throughout the story, the new A.I is your companion that helps you navigate the open world and discover Zeta Halo’s secrets, while your other companion, Echo 216, delivers you vehicles at captured FOB’s to assist your journey along the way. Both new characters brought a significant presence into the story, which intertwined well with both side missions and main missions. While I liked the interaction with all three characters, it left me wanting a little bit more character development, and with more interaction with Master Chief. We know that Master Chief, John, is the ultimate super solider human that is capable of taking down an entire swarm of enemies, I would have personally liked to have seen a bit more of his humanity through his interactions with ECHO 216 (Fernando).
Gameplay
Speaking of taking down an entire swarm of enemies, Infinite’s new gameplay mechanics allows you to do more than just jumping and sprinting. You can upgrade these gadgets by looking for Spartan Cores that are scattered throughout Zeta Halo. You can now; and I cannot emphasize how much I loved using this gadget; a grappleshot that you not only zip around and climb cliffs with, but you can zip and throw explosive coils at enemies, and it is so much fun and satisfying. You also get access to upgrading your shield core, using a threat sensor that highlights where enemies are in red, a drop wall and a boost thruster. Each of these gadgets were perfectly crafted for this experience, though it can take a while to get used to using the D pad to switch between. Fighting enemies is still the same as previous instalments, just with more gadgets to use.
The open world aspect: Oh I’m just gonna say it; is very, very good. Though I felt the flow of the main story can throw you off a bit with this aspect, once you get back to the linear main missions it shifts back into gear. There are plenty of open world side missions for you do to (and achievement hunting!). You can help secure the UNSC’s presence on the ring by capturing FOB’s, helping squads in distress, taking down banished groups/areas, shooting down propaganda towers, collecting Spartan Cores to upgrade your gadgets, exploring new structures, and searching for Mjolnir cosmetics for multiplayer. Included is also environmental storytelling elements with UNSC and Banished audio logs that are dispersed on Zeta Halo. Though they are not all in the open world area, some are located in linear mission areas. So, if you’re looking to get all the achievements for finding audio logs, you’ll have to get them in one go as the game, as of writing this review, does not currently have any replay options like previous Halo instalments. For me I didn’t mind the audio logs as it did provide an interesting insight into what had to other Spartans, however I was hoping to hear more about previous characters such as the Arbiter.
Graphics
Incredibly smooth, even from my current TV that is so old, it has a 720p option (don’t worry I’ll be getting a new TV soon)
Soundtrack
Digging into what you hear, Infinite’s soundtrack is composed by Gareth Coker, Curtis Schweitzer and Joel Corelitz. They beautifully crafted the hopeful sound, while also capturing atmospheric tones of previous Halo games, while blending it flawlessly into Infinite’s own distinguishing soundtrack.
Level Design
However it doesn’t stop there, as soundtrack isn’t the only thing that that blends a homage into Infinite’s world, as the open world and building designs are very reminiscent of Combat Evolved levels, including levels such as Halo and The Library.
Replay value
Infinite has enough replay value to draw you back in if you’re wanting to go back to start mopping up or picking up the rest of the achievements. Story wise, replay value is up to you and whether you liked it. Personally, I know I’ll be jumping into it again at some point (and mop up the rest of the achievements because I missed a few audio logs)
Conclusion
Overall, what stood out as strengths for me was 343’s ability to pull off a marvelously, well-crafted open world aspect to a Halo game. I honestly applaud them, because it really could have been a hit or a miss-but I’m so glad they knocked that out of the ring. While I am also incredibly impressed with the fun, stylistic variation of gameplay mechanics (throwing explosive coils at enemies anyone?) the story itself was the only thing I found most issue with. As I mentioned it is still a good game and there were a lot of genuine fantastic story moments, however I wish some story elements flowed just a little bit better. A fine addition to the collection of the Halo franchise, and a welcome to old and new players experiencing the new generation of Halo.