Halo’s single-player adventure and the new generation of the Master Chief’s MJOLNIR armor, enhances a 20-year-old series, play lolbeans by revisiting its roots as well as blazing new trails in the process of building on. Through the transition to an open-world map, but retaining the original gameplay both on foot and in its famous vehicles, it allows players to experience a degree of flexibility in combat that’s not been offered in any prior Halo game. There’s a lot to do in this expansive playground, and completing its never-dull-or-overwhelming list of activities earns more combat options and, ultimately, more fun. The game doesn’t quite capture the variety of the environment or the memorable story of the original three-parter, yet it’s still a thrilling return to form for one of gaming’s most loved series, and the legendary Master Chief himself.

The move away from the traditional linear combat arenas and allowing you to freely explore the Zeta Halo ring where Infinite takes place is the first time developer 343 Industries has broken from the design Bungie had drawn more than 20 years ago. This space is proven to be a natural fit for what’s been the type of shooter with a sandbox feel with a twist, where unpredictably circumstances occur. In Infinite it’s the same. applies on a larger scale.

The problem is that you’ren’t just dropped onto the ring before being get loose. Instead, the first couple of the 25 hours I spent playing the challenge on Heroic difficulty are played indoors and that introduction works well to be familiar with Halo’s new gameplay hook, called the Grappleshot, as well as one of its first challenging bosses.

The Grappleshot could be familiar if you’ve played other games for example Just Cause or Titanfall, however, it’s right at to be at home in Halo. This awesome tool will allow you take weapons from far away, escape dire combat encounters when your depleted shields are screaming at you for a recharge, or launch you directly at your enemies for a devastating melee assault by putting all your weight on the line. It’s an obvious extension of the idea of equipment within Halo 3 – and that’s part of why Infinite’s moment-to-moment gameplay feels more like an amalgamation of Halo 1 and Halo 3 this is a good thing.

However, bosses form one of the most enjoyable encounters. They are not the only ones you organically create for yourself on the sandbox at Zeta Halo’s. The first, against the Banished Brute lieutenant Tremonius is a test of AI that requires you to keep your eyes on the prize, not just extra ammo in your back pocket. The player uses a jetpack to attack as well as a lightning fast ground-pounding move that will shake players if they’re not prepared for it. This is the first sign that every boss fight keeps players on their toes and in all Infinite is Halo’s most effective implementation of them yet.



The warm-up provides ample preparation for the real world when you go out in the world, your Halo 1 feeling kicks in. You’ll have to navigate by foot first which is why learning to climb trees or to the ground in front of you to push yourself forward is the most enjoyable method to navigate through the world. There are many chances to be in problems on Zeta Halo, from rescuing groups of captured UNSC Marines and destroying propaganda radio towers to getting into massive Banished strongholds to reclaiming UNSC Forward Operating Bases (FOBs). Although nothing feels wholly original here relative to titles like Far Cry or Just Cause, the feature fits Halo with ease and in a natural way. The missions are varied enough and never so repetitive as that they’re ever monotonous or irritating.



In the traditions of Grand Theft Auto 3, it’s not easy to explore the world right off the bat. This is because Zeta Halo opens sections by section, with key story missions opening new areas to explore. I do wish those new lands had a bit more variety. In fact, there’s no variety even. There’s no snowy landscape like In Combat Evolved, no urban area like it is in Halo 2 (or in Infinite’s own multiplayer maps, like Streets and Bazaar for instance) and, in truth… something other than the mixture of stone and forest monoliths. It’s like 343 didn’t derive its artistic ideas from Halo 1, it took it specifically in the form of “The Silent Cartographer” and absolutely nowhere else. That’s a bit disappointing, particularly after a couple of hours.

For those who, like my experience, you’ve tried through every Halo campaign numerous occasions, but the truth is that it’s been six months since the last one was the most confusing Halo story in history, meaning that it’s hard to get comfortable with Infinite’s plot. The sixth Halo should’ve been released with the “Halo’s Story So Far” cinematic that is played before you start playing as other long-running shows do (most recently, the Microsoft’s Psychonauts 2). Maybe 343 ran short of time or perhaps it never occurred, but it’s an issue that could’ve been prevented.

Yet, there are good aspects of the story too: namely, the relationship between Masters Chief and his new AI partner, whom we’ve come to know as The Weapon. The character is voiced by Jen Taylor, who also stars as Cortana and Spartan producer and creator Dr. Catherine Halsey. It doesn’t take a hardcore Halo enthusiast to recognize Taylor’s sophisticated performances in three roles that are remarkably similar that she effortlessly separates three, playing brilliantly off her knowledge that The Weapon isn’t familiar with the Chief in any way (though this makes it weird that basic Halo concepts aren’t laid out for new players by using her as a proxy). We watch their alliance develop with them, and they strain, and later strengthen. They make fun of each the other, argue, and eventually, they form an unstable relationship. Steve Downes, meanwhile, is amazing in his sixth character as Master Chief who psychologically struggles through Infinite as an emotionally broken as well as a lost person who finds himself responsible for the depressing state of humanity – the particulars of which become brutally clear throughout the course. I truly hope that 343 never ever recasts one of these outstanding voice actors.

Halo has been a huge source of inspiration for me over the past 20 years. From the first time I stepped onto the ring during Halo 1 to the surprise Arbiter arc in Halo 2 to being heartbroken by the pathetic storytelling in Halo 5 I believe it’s one the few games where every new mainline entry is significant to me. After six years, I had to consider whether Halo continue to be a part of the “Best Shooter” conversation? Why should I bother about it? I am both relieved and thrilled to see that Halo Infinite emphatically answers both queries with a firm yes. In letting us explore a massive open ring with an almost unlimited freedom to take on combat with a variety of legendary weapons or vehicles and even toys is the perfect way to bring Halo’s single-player campaign back to the forefront as one of the most enjoyable out there (to say nothing of the amazing multiplayer suite) however, even if it fumbles on the story and lack of variety in the environmental settings, Infinite picks it back to its best with style.