6 years. 6 years since the Master Chief last appeared on our Xboxes as the main character of the game that landed him and the name “Halo” into the pop culture landscape. In the 6 years since Halo 5: Guardians, the last mainline Halo game released, the FPS genre has shifted considerably. Lootboxes were out and battle passes are now the trend. Call of Duty went from wall running and jetpacks to World War 2 elf-themed Christmas events. Battlefield went back in time and jumped a bit from the first World War to the year 2042. A new generation of consoles and PC graphic cards released. A lot’s changed since Master Chief last got up to finish the fight. But there’s a new fight he’ll have to face with the release of Halo: Infinite. Whether classics really do stand the test of time.
This cave is not a natural formation…
Halo: Infinite finds Master Chief and his newly discovered friends on Zeta Halo, a brand-new Halo ring overflowing with the savage and brutal Banished, led by the Brute Atriox. After defeating humanity’s greatest soldier and leaving him for dead, Atriox has disappeared, and his Banished forces work to finish what he started as they occupy every corner of the ring. The Master Chief must return and put a stop to whatever plans the Banished have in place, and in doing so, try and figure out the deep mysteries of Zeta Halo.
After the somewhat disappointing reveal of the world in 2020, Halo: Infinite returns with soaring colors (literally) as Zeta Halo is not only vibrant and detailed, but simply gorgeous to stand in. It is truly breathtaking, standing on a cliffside looking out onto the ring. Whatever updates 343 made to the engine or the graphics clearly worked because the environments on Zeta Halo are stunning. It’s crazy to think that we went from the flat, plastic-y textures and look of the first Halo: Infinite showcase to something so magnificent. Characters look great, the new AI The Weapon’s facial expressions are so detailed and lifelike they’re almost scary. There are weird textures and pop-ins here and there, but overall, even on a lower end machine such as the one I have, Halo: Infinite’s looks impress.
This review will avoid major story spoilers, but I don’t need spoilers to talk about how enthralled I was in Halo: Infinite’s main campaign. Although I am a bit disappointed that more characters didn’t make an appearance, the building blocks and rumors/soft confirmation of story DLC makes me excited to keep playing. The main story explores Master Chief’s journey as he, alongside his pilot Echo-216 and new AI The Weapon, take back their little piece of Zeta Halo from the Banished and face off against the Banished’s new leader, Escharum. It felt like a return to form, being the underdog on an unfamiliar Halo ring. I got flashbacks to Halo: Combat Evolved’s second level, where the only objectives were to explore the ring and rescue Marines. The story itself is not much longer than any other Halo game, but the different collectables, skulls, and side missions that populate Halo: Infinite’s semi-open world kept me going hours and hours later. For new players, Halo: Infinite’s world will entice them the same way it did me in the early 2000s, and for veteran players, it’s a perfect mix of the old and new.
Insert cliché about being as wide as the ocean here
Obviously, no game is perfect and Halo: Infinite does have some rough patches. This is a review of the campaign for Halo: Infinite, not its multiplayer (you can see my multiplayer review here) so any qualms I may have about the battle pass and store will not be here. However, there are some things in the campaign that can sour what is already a very sweet package. The open world, like many other open world games, can feel empty and lifeless. Marines and Banished forces are the only inhabitants of Zeta Halo so far and the sparse wilderness that separate UNSC FOBs from Banished strongholds act only as a way for you to practice your sick driving skills and not much else. Zeta Halo also suffers from a lot of the same environments. Those environments are beautiful, but it does get a bit old when 20 hours later, you’re driving across similar mountains and fighting through same-y looking Forerunner hallways. Here’s hoping that whatever DLC we get for Halo: Infinite’s campaign, new and radically different locations are added. Give us the deserts of the Ark or the damp jungles from Delta Halo. Any change in scenery would be greatly appreciated.
Finishing the Fight
There’s honestly a lot here to love and I’ve barely even scratched the surface. The thrill of loading up 5 Marines with explosive Skewers and rocket launchers to go insta-delete bosses, playing the floor is lava by grappling everywhere, the upgrade system allowing for incredibly unique and interesting approaches to gameplay, the main boss fights forcing you to approach combat in creative ways, I could go on.
Halo: Infinite is easily one of the most fun games I’ve played in a while and that’s saying something. For a 20 year old franchise, it can be hard to find ways to innovate, to keep your fans in love with your game while at the same time bringing in new fans. 343 has tried a lot of different tricks but Halo: Infinite proves that all you need to bring Halo back to the present day, as a flagship iconic title, is just making it fun. I’ll be waiting with anticipation for what’s to come with Halo: Infinite. There’s still quite a bit of fight that needs to be finished.
9/10
For more information, please visit: https://www.xbox.com/en-US/games/halo-infinite
Related: HALO Infinite Multiplayer Review
My name is Matt Tran and I have been playing video games since I could remember holding a controller. I've always been a hardcore gamer growing up, from the hectic MW2 and Halo 3 lobbies, my many journeys through several Halo clans and my current exploits with my Destiny 2 clan. I love shooters and RPGs and overanalyzing every component of every game I've played, from weapon stats to ideal perks. When I have time to play other games, I currently play Genshin Impact and Star Wars Squadrons.
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