The folks at Xbox knew what everyone wanted to see this morning, and they kicked off the show with it. After nearly five years away, Master Chief is back. 343 Industries gave us an extended look at Halo Infinite gameplay this morning, and it nailed all the familiar notes. The Covenant (actually a splinter faction) as the main bad guys are back with Grunts, Elites, Jackals, and Brutes falling to Master Chief.
We also saw quite a few new weapons with different takes on assault rifles, shotguns, and plasma launchers. A new grappling hook teased how Halo’s gameplay hook might evolve in Halo Infinite. At one point, Chief uses the grappling hook to snatch a fusion core before throwing it at a turret. It looks good, and hopefully, we see more uses like specialized melee attacks or grappling onto a vehicle.
Visually, Halo Infinite is looking good. Not really ‘launch of next-gen hardware good,’ but still solid.
Halo has always been a ‘clean’ looking game, and 343 Industries is leaning even further towards that aesthetic. It looks good in motion, but we can already see how screenshots make things look a little blocky. Thankfully, we have gameplay already and not just these screenshots. I do hope explosions get a better visual punch to them too by the time the game’s full release gets here.
Speaking of visuals, combat feedback looks great with clear indications on when your shields are recharging and when you knock out an elite’s shield.
We also got a look at what appears to be a much more open-world via the game’s ‘Tacmap.’
Oh, and don’t worry Halo fans, the Battle Rifle is here.
That screengrab came from another Halo trailer that shows a few extra snippets of gameplay.
As for the story, the big bad guy at the end of the first trailer mentions that “The Harbinger and the Banished share the same goal.” The Banished are a separate faction that rebelled against the Covenant, and were the antagonists in Halo Wars 2. But the Harbinger? I believe this is the first time we’ve heard of this group. Is it Cortana? Or a group of Prometheans?
And we can’t talk about Halo without mentioning the music. It’s outstanding. Today, we also learn that the soundtrack is in the more than capable hands of Gareth Coker (Ori and the Blind Forest) and Curtis Schweitzer (Starbound).
Today’s Halo Infinite first look gameplay did its job. The Halo magic is still here. Now, when can we see that multiplayer?
Halo Infinite is coming Holiday 2020.