Halo Infinite’s campaign hits every note we could have hoped for and leaves us feeling incredibly optimistic about the series’ future.
Anyone familiar with Halo’s Master Chief will know that the towering 7-foot Spartan is a man of few words. So, in the spirit of John-117, I’m going to cut right to the chase – Halo Infinite’s campaign is the most outstanding entry in the series to date. That might sound hyperbolic to those who still regard ex-developer Bungie’s titles as the crème de la crème of Halo campaigns, blasphemous even. But after rolling the credits on Halo Infinite’s lengthy single-player mode, I can say with confidence that my cautious skepticism was thankfully unwarranted. The ghost of Halo 5: Guardians’ monotonous and uninspired campaign – which has loomed over developer 343 Industries like a dark and ominous cloud since 2015 – has finally been exorcised. The convoluted story, drawn-out gunfights, and meaningless characters are, mercifully, gone. Instead, we have a game that not only captures the very essence of Halo: Combat Evolved but one that manages to deliver something that the original Xbox title never feasibly could – genuine player freedom. One of Halo 5’s most prominent criticisms was that it required players to have an expansive knowledge of every facet of Halo’s intricate universe. It often felt like players had to have read every single Halo novel to have even the vaguest understanding of what was happening outside of the game’s main plot, which was – in itself – incredibly disjointed and underwhelming. But for Halo Infinite,343 Industries has pleasingly gone back to basics and centered the story around three core elements: Master Chief, his relationship with a personal AI, and the battle against a dangerous new threat. As you’d expect, additional backstory and lore are present throughout the game’s plot, but they only serve to complement the overall narrative, not detract from it. It means Halo Infinite’s story is intimately familiar, accessible to newcomers, yet fresh and exciting. It’s also engaging from the outset. The game begins rather unexpectedly. The heroic Master Chief is brutally beaten by an imposing Brute named Atriox, the leader of a fearless army known as the Banished. Tossed like a rag doll into space, Master Chief finds himself stranded and helpless as Atriox’s forces decimate Earth’s UNSC forces. After six months missing in action, a UNSC soldier known as the ‘The Pilot’ manages to recover and revive our fallen hero. Without a moment to spare, Chief sets out to fight for humanity’s survival and discover what’s happened to his former ally, Cortana. To do so, he’ll need the help of The Pilot, and a brand new AI companion called The Weapon. Halo veterans will instantly gravitate towards The Weapon. From her witty interjections to her thoughtful observations, it feels great to have a little voice inside Chief’s head again. The way the pair’s relationship develops throughout the campaign is one of the story’s greatest strengths, too, and crucial to establishing an emotional connection between the stoic Chief and the player. While the similarities are abundantly clear, The Weapon isn’t just a carbon copy of Cortana. She’s far more easygoing than her holographic counterpart (especially given Cortana’s dramatic turn in Halo 5). She also has a habit of bringing out a more playful side of Master Chief that feels long overdue. The Weapon is noticeably more naive than Cortana ever was, as well. Like you – the player – she’s slowly trying to piece together everything that’s happened since the Banished defeated the UNSC. Again, the game doesn’t assume the player knows every facet of Halo’s universe or what happened in previous titles. So Halo Infinite’s story is undoubtedly compelling, but the series’ lore isn’t exactly the main reason why so many players fell in love with the original game 20 years ago. It’s the moment-to-moment gameplay that cemented Xbox’s premiere, first-person shooter into the annals of video game history. And it’s the best it’s ever been in Halo Infinite. Halo Infinite’s campaign begins in a typically linear fashion as you mow down waves of animated Grunts, burly Brutes, and deadly Elites onboard a now-ravaged spacecraft.
