Halo Infinite is showing promising signs of having a strong, captivating story, and while its combat is basic, it’s still just as fun and satisfying as ever, especially with the introduction of the Grappleshot. I’m a little sceptical about the generic open-world segments, but at the very least, they offer welcome breathers between each action-packed linear level that provides the classic Halo experience.
Disclaimer: This is just a preview of Halo Infinite, having only played the opening four missions of the story campaign and so therefore does not reflect our final thoughts.
Introduction
Halo Infinite may have been pushed back beyond the launch window of the Xbox Series X and Series S, but it’s still clear to see how important this new shooter is to the success of Microsoft’s next-gen consoles.
Just like Breath of the Wild for the Nintendo Switch and Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales for the PS5, Halo Infinite has the potential to be a serious system seller, despite also being available on PC and Xbox One.
But with so much pressure on the Master Chief’s shoulders, can Halo Infinite live up to those expectations? Microsoft kindly gave Trusted Reviews early access to the story campaign to check out the first few missions, while I’ve also been taking part in the free-to-play multiplayer beta. Here are my first impressions:
Campaign – Story
- Continues the Master Chief story
- Features some fantastic new characters
- Dialogue is gripping, even for series newcomers
Halo Infinite is the sixth mainline entry in the Halo series, continuing Master Chief’s story. Cortana is missing in action, with rumours suggesting she may have been captured and deleted off screen – although I highly doubt that’s the case, with Infinite already teasing that Cortana could have a bigger role to play further into the campaign.
Instead, Master Chief’s main focus is on the Banished, a brutish alien species that debuted in Halo Wars 2 that are the latest threat to humanity.
Master Chief sets out to defeat his new foes with the aid of an unnamed pilot and a new AI called ‘The Weapon’. I was pleasantly surprised by the character depth of these new companions, especially considering how Halo Infinite thrusts you straight into the action from the get go.
The pilot is evidently fatigued by war, with a clear desperation to return home following the near destruction of the UNSC Army. It’s a refreshing viewpoint for the Halo series, reminding us of the emotional toll that many soldiers have been burdened with – we can’t all be as resolute and unflinching as the Master Chief.
Meanwhile, The Weapon has been designed for the sole purpose of containing and destroying Cortana, yet Master Chief has acquired her to help out with his fight against the Banished. Despite her somewhat dark reason for existence, she comes across as being very optimistic and inquisitive, which is a great contrast compared to her more war-weary companions.
The Master Chief of course returns as the chief protagonist, and while he’s hardly a chatty character, his motivations are clearly illustrated by his actions and body language during cutscenes. The pilot frequently begs Master Chief for permission to return home, yet the Spartan repeatedly ignores his requests, fuelled only by his obsession with duty.
After playing the opening few hours of Halo Infinite, I haven’t delved too deep into the story just yet, but the fantastic character interactions in the quieter moments already have me gripped, and I can’t wait to see how the story unfolds.
Campaign – Gameplay
- Simple, yet incredibly fun shooting mechanics
- Grappleshot is a fantastic new addition
- Open-world segments feel generic
The first two missions take place in various spaceship corridors, occupying a similar linear structure to previous Halo entries. But for Infinite, 343 Industries has also introduced an open-world hub area which is a major departure for the series.
Set on the ringworld Zeta Halo, the open-world map is littered with mission objectives, from taking control of enemy bases to assassinating specific targets. Completing such activities will gain you access to new weapon loadouts, as well as increasing the strength of your shields.
Fortunately, there are no fetch quests or story-focused side missions here that would conflict with Master Chief’s status as a super soldier, at least judging from my time with the preview. Most of the content here is optional too, allowing players to power up Master Chief if they’ve been taking a beating during the campaign.
I do have early reservations about this open-world format, as it looks and feels very generic, with very little incentive for exploration. However, it does at least provide more variety to Infinite’s gameplay, proving to be a nice palate cleanser in-between the story-centric cutscenes.
Fortunately, the open-world sections don’t intervene with the more traditional linear levels that Halo is renowned for. Towards the end of the preview, I was set on a mission to infiltrate a huge tower, which is normally locked off from the open-world. This provided the more familiar Halo experience, as Master Chief blasts his way through tight corridors and self-contained arenas, rounding off with a challenging boss encounter.
The core gameplay is hardly innovative here, using the same shoot-and-repeat loop as previous Halo entries. But I really don’t mind this, as the shooting feels great, with a superb variety of weapons from the bruising shotgun-pistol Mangler to the Pulse Carbine that can fire plasma bolts across the battlefield.
Infinite also introduces the Grappleshot, and while grapping hook mechanics are hardly new to the first-person shooter genre, 343 Industries has managed to seamlessly integrate it into the Halo combat with some outstanding results.
I absolutely loved grappling onto far-away enemies, which would reel me in for a super-satisfying elbow to a grunt’s face. While the Grappleshot’s main appeal is for reaching high places or escaping gunfire, it can also be used to stun enemies, knock aside shields or even pick up a weapon that’s just out of reach. It’s great to see how many inventive ways this tool can be used.
It seems like Infinite will be introducing additional tools for Master Chief to use further into the campaign, but honestly, I can’t see myself replacing the Grappleshot anytime soon as it’s just so darn fun to use. In one of the opening missions, 343 Industries has even tried to create some platforming sections that require you to use the Grappleshot for traversal. Unfortunately, this pales in comparison to the free-flowing platforming found in the likes of Titanfall 2 – Master Chief is better off sticking to combat instead.
Halo Infinite features automatic health regeneration, so you don’t have to worry about acquiring health packs or the like. This arguably makes combat fairly easy, as you can simply hide behind a pillar to replenish your health bar and shields. But on the positive side, this encourages you to play aggressively and repeatedly jump into the heat of battle.
I enjoyed the combat in Halo Infinite, although it’s admittedly very simple. Other modern first-person shooters such as Doom and Titanfall 2 arguably require a little bit more strategy, as you need to be more mindful about health and ammunition. But if you’re craving a shooter that’s fun to play and doesn’t demand too many mental gymnastics, then Halo Infinite fits the bill very well.
Multiplayer
- Lots of games modes available to play at launch
- Shooting feels great, with lots of weapons to use
- Progression feels needlessly slow
Halo Infinite’s multiplayer is free to play, so can actually be experienced without paying for the single-player campaign. Nonetheless, I’ve included my thoughts on the multiplayer mode here for convenience sake.
There are two main multiplayer modes available here, split between Arena and Big Team Battle. The former sees two 4-player squads face off against each other, but instead of just having team deathmatch (called Slayer here) on repeat, 343 Industries has varied it up a bit with Capture The Flag, Strongholds and Oddball modes, with the latter requiring a team to rack up points by having a squad mate hold onto a ball for as long as possible without dying – it sounds silly, but it’s great fun.
And then you have Big Team Battles, which sees you playing on larger maps to accommodate the 24 player count. These larger scale skirmishes feature similar game modes such as Slayer, Capture the Flag and Total Control, but also throw in vehicles for even more carnage.
I’m impressed by how many game modes there are on offer here, especially since the multiplayer is free to play. There admittedly isn’t anything very innovative that will redefine online multiplayer, but Halo Infinite still excels thanks to its fantastic shooting.
I had a lot of fun playing the various modes on multiplayer. Players have just enough shield strength to be capable of reacting to a sneak attack, and there’s a great range of weapons to choose from on the battlefield. I personally like the fact every player spawns with the same starting weapons, but still has the chance to equip other guns or melee weapons by scouring the map.
Abilities such as the Grappleshot, dashing and active camouflage can all be picked up on the map to make the action a little more unpredictable, but 343 Industries has clearly nerfed these upgrades compared to the single-player experience. Not having the Grappleshot at default felt really jarring when swapping between single-player and multiplayer, but I can appreciate the decision to make it a temporary power-up since it’s such a powerful tool.
There are no pay-to-win unlockables here, but paying £7.99 for the battle pass will grant access to additional cosmetic upgrades to make your Spartan stand out that little bit more. Unfortunately, you can only gain experience points by completing daily and weekly challenges, so you won’t necessarily hoover up XP points by performing well in a match, which can make progression feel like a chore.
On the plus side, you’ll still be able to continue unlocking rewards in a battle pass once a season ends, which I’m very happy about. I’ve often purchased a battle pass in the likes of Apex Legends, only to run out of time to unlock all the new items, which has put me off future purchases.
Just like with previous Halo instalments, I can see Infinite acquiring a huge player base for the long term. There are basic mechanics here with nothing particularly innovative compared to other online shooters, but Halo Infinite’s simplicity is arguably its greatest strength, making it more accessible for newcomers and a great multiplayer option to jump into after a stressful day at work.
Graphics
- Looks great, even on the Xbox Series S
- Supports up to 120Hz in multiplayer mode
I played Halo Infinite on the Xbox Series S, and while I sadly missed out on a 4K resolution, I was still impressed by the visuals.
Reflections on Master Chief’s helmet look fantastic, and character models have an impressive level of detail whether it’s individual strands of facial hair on the Banished, or the flashes of emotion in the pilot’s eyes.
Is it the best looking game on the latest Xbox consoles? Probably not, but I’m still a big fan of the slightly cartoonish art style here, resulting in bright and punchy colours that look far more appealing than the dark, gritty colour schemes of Gears.
You also get the option of 120Hz for multiplayer mode on the Xbox Series X, so if you’ve got a compatible display with a HDMI 2.1 connection, then you’ll be able to boost those frames for a faster screen performance.
First impressions
Halo Infinite is hardly a ground-breaking entry in the series, but the shooting still feels fantastic – especially when paired with the new Grappleshot – so it still provides a stonkingly good time. The story also looks very promising at this early stage, with character interactions proving to be just as gripping as the combat.
I do have reservations about the open-world design after a few hours of play, but that fortunately hasn’t had a negative impact on the more traditional linear levels so far, which still offers the classic Halo experience that fans have been craving for.
