All hail Halo – the boss is back
LATEST IN THE SERIES IS INFINITELY BETTER THAN LAST OUTING
Halo Infinite XBOX X/S, XBOX ONE, PC HHHHI
IT’S 20 years since gamers were first introduced to Master Chief and the world of Halo.
With the passage of time and a mixed bag of titles now under the franchise’s belt, it’s easy to forget just how ground-breaking that first game – Halo: Combat Evolved – was.
Created by Bungi, it was a launch title for the new XBOX, Microsoft’s first foray into the gaming console market.
It looked great, and it played even better with critics declaring it to be “the most important launch game for any console, ever”.
It was an instant hit, selling alongside nearly 50% of the XBOXs sold – its protagonist, Master Chief Petty Officer John-117, quickly gaining cult status among fans.
Two decades on and a lot has changed in the gaming world. Microsoft is three consoles along from the original XBOX, and Halo is in the hands of a new developer – 343 Industries.
Halo Infinite should have been a launch title for last year’s XBOX X/S, but with the world still in the early throes of Covid-19, delays saw the game’s release pushed back nearly 12 months.
The sixth main entry in the series, it’s set 18 months after the events of 2015’s Halo 5: Guardians – which were divisive to say the least.
Drifting in space, Master Chief is picked up by ‘The Pilot’, a survivor from the conflict on Zeta Halo between the United Nations Space Command (UNSC) and the Banished.
And it’s that gorgeously realised ringworld we return to, ready to lead the fightback.
Infinite feels very much like a ‘soft reboot’ of the series, as it deftly sidesteps some of the lingering questions left by the troubled writing in Guardians.
The opening minutes of gameplay feel both fresh and wonderfully familiar, mirroring the tone and early setting of 2001’s Combat Evolved.
The game’s open-world map leaves you free to explore, although the first few hours of action take place indoors. I’ll be honest, that felt about right for me to get back into the swing of gameplay, and get to grips with the newest weapon in Master Chief’s arsenal – the Grappleshot – which is a thing of absolute beauty.
As well as helping you to cover the vast distances in the new openworld map, it also adds some extra flare during combat, allowing you to slingshot round corners, or reel in enemies.
There’s a wealth of great weaponry here, and it’s a lot of fun picking and choosing between the best ones to help you clear enemies from the forward bases scattered across the landscape.
Enemies themselves are compelling, myriad classes posing varying degrees of difficulty that force you to choose how to approach and engage them.
I can’t remember the last time I had this much fun running and gunning, the ‘feedback’ from weapons making them feel hefty and responsive, ammunition whipsnapping
and whumping as it slams home.
Missions are widespread across the map, giving you time to properly look around the lush world 343 Industries has created.
The Pilot is not the only key figure Master Chief gets to interact with, there’s also a new AI companion, the unfortunately named ‘The Weapon’. The relationship between the AI and Master Chief is subtly and beautifully crafted, from the first meeting, the initial distrust, the growing admiration and then mutual respect, it’s a touching journey which serves to flesh out both characters.
Halo is famous for its multiplayer campaign, and Infinite’s multiplayer aspect is free for everyone to take part in.
My one big irk here was the ‘playlists’ don’t allow you to choose what multiplayer mode you want to play, you’re randomly selected one.
Each of the five modes are great fun though, with Oddball, Slayer, Strongholds and Capture The Flag (CTF), and One Flag CTF – which sees a team defending a single flag, while the opponents try to capture it. Sounds a little odd, but was ridiculously enjoyable.
As new and exciting as Infinite is, there are still lashings of the original features that made the Halo series so popular with players.
This really does feel like a masterful return to the Halo of old.