This, Is Halo
A return to form for one of gaming’s biggest and best franchises of all time. Halo Infinite finally got the gameplay reveal that fans and gamers have been waiting to see for months. 343i showed off a massive open world, improved gameplay, a return to classic art styles and more!
First, what is Halo Infinite all about? Well it turns out, that it isn’t a prequel or a spiritual reboot of the original trilogy at all. Infinite actually takes place years after the events of Halo 5: Guardians. Cortana is rampant, she’s disappeared and Master Chief is left to float in space for eternity.
Eventually, as seen in the initial reveal trailer, he’s found by a pilot who got left behind after the battle with Cortana. They didn’t tell us the name of the pilot, but said that it would be revealed over the course of the game.
The main villains of the story will be the Banished. A rogue faction of Brutes that left the alien Covenant to follow their own rule and decree. Banished were also featured prominently in the Halo Wars games, but the developers assure that you don’t need to have played Wars to understand.
“We don’t want a game where players have to do homework to enjoy this game.”
War Chief Escharum is the leader of the Banished inside of Halo Infinite. The developers didn’t give much more detail than the name, and honestly we’re good with that. Leave some mystique for players to discover on their own.
How will Halo Infinite be different but familiar to veterans
So what about the gameplay? How will Halo Infinite be different but familiar to veterans of the long running FPS franchise?
As mentioned in the opening, Halo Infinite is a semi open world game. Meaning that Chief can choose to tackle any objective or mission in the manner and way that he sees fit. He can jump in a Warthog or hoof it on foot to wherever he wants to go.
“There’s a lot of open gameplay in those previous games, but they’re always in these linear levels. This time players will have the freedom to explore the ring. But we are telling a story with a beginning, middle, and end that we want to carry the player through as you go.”
Chris Lee
Players will have the freedom to explore the Halo Ring at their leisure as well. Scouting for upgrades, collectibles and potential. There was also a soft tease that exploring could yield some RPG like side missions that reinforce Chief as a character.
If you were worried that areas will be timegated in relation to the story, the developers said that is not the case. If you stumble across a video or a buddy tells you about something you should go find, just backtrack across the Halo Ring and go find it. Nothing is stopping you from backtracking.
Will the Chief be getting new weapons?
Master Chief himself is also getting some changes inside of Halo Infinite. While 343i didn’t go full RPG on us, Chief can now equip and level up different types of upgrades for his equipment. Details on that are scarce at the moment, but the gameplay showcase gave us a little glimpse at it.
What about weapons though? Will the Chief be getting new weapons? Oh, you bet that he will be.
Banished weapons got shown off a little bit; Mangler, a slow firing but high damage sidearm. The Ravager, a burst fire weapon that uses Plasma energy.
CQS48 Bulldog, the replacement for the standard shotgun that looks way more mean and lethal. Boasting a drum magazine and a 12 gauge firepower compared to the 8 gauge previous gun.
VK78 Commando, a variable fire rate weapon meant for medium to long ranges.
As well as an updated Carbine, simply called the Pulse Carbine.
Obviously there will be more than just these five, but those are the ones that we got teased a little bit.
Overall, this gameplay reveal and the various interviews from the developers have shot us through the roof with excitement. Growing up as massive Halo fans, we’ve been excited for Halo Infinite ever since the initial announcement.
Admittedly, I failed to follow up on information about the story for a while and I was annoyed that it might be a reboot of the franchise. But, hearing now that it’s an official sequel and more of a gameplay reboot, I’m all about it!
For more details and updates on Halo Infinite, stay tuned here at Geekhash!