We knew that Microsoft’s Xbox Series X broadcast would be a showcase for Halo Infinite, and indeed, the new 343 game took center stage on July 23. A cinematic teaser kicked off the event and showed off the creation of the iconic Master Chief armor, followed by a gameplay reveal of the campaign – Multiplayer mode not showing at all. Here’s what we learned from our first look at Halo’s infinite gameplay, as well as some screenshots and an additional teaser featuring more gameplay.
Halo Infinite Campaign Game
The game session began with the Master Chief crash landing with the assistance of a pilot, who was previously seen in the E3 2019 trailer for Infinite. Despite the pilot’s objections, the Master Chief told him that they had to stop the Outcasts (returning from Halo Wars 2), and then headed off on a mission. After sending some grunts, the Chief turned to a Warthog and consulted a map for his objectives. It appears to be a more open world structure, with various objectives that can be addressed in any order. These included various anti-aircraft weapons that had to be eliminated, as well as dozens of aliens that acted as little more than shooting practice for the Chief. Some things never change.
An extended combat sequence confirmed the rumors of a grappling hook, known as the hook shot, as the Master Chief used it to grab a box and throw it at an enemy. The screenshot works from a cooldown, allowing for repeated use but with a short delay between them. In addition to pulling objects, it can be used to take you to new locations, or even enemies.
The trailer ended with the apparent antagonist explaining that he has already taken over the Halo, and hopes to confront the Master Chief as a battle-hardened fellow warrior.
Bigger environments and new weapons
This first look at the gameplay of the next entry in the Halo series also showed just how huge the Chief Master’s adventure will be. The Halo Infinite titular Halo ring is huge. In fact, it’s bigger than the worlds in Halo 5 and Halo 4 combined, and the campaign is locked at 60 frames per second on Xbox Series X and runs in “up to” 4K. Microsoft promises that the battles will be bigger than ever, and there will be a whole new gameplay mechanic that we haven’t seen in the series. You can see a selection of screenshots below.
There are a lot of items that come back from previous games as we saw the standard assault rifle, the frag grenade, the plasma grenade, and the boar. We also saw a variety of new weapons and equipment, such as a deployable energy shield that players can fire. New weapons include the VK78 Commando and the Ravager plasma weapon.
Halo Infinite is coming to Xbox Series X, Xbox One, and PC this holiday season. As part of the Xbox Smart Delivery program, those who purchase the game for Xbox One will be able to upgrade to the Xbox Series X version for free.
If you were missing more traditional Halo-style music, Microsoft also released a more condensed gameplay trailer, which you can see below. This actually has a few extra game bits, confirming the return of the energy sword and the introduction of some sort of new electric grenade or gear that hits nearby enemies.
What about Halo Infinite’s multiplayer mode?
Multiplayer was not shown at all as part of the Halo Infinite presentation. We’ve gotten a few details since then – the screenshot is in Halo Infinite’s multiplayer mode, but it will be purchased as a pickup, rather than something it has by default. Additionally, Infinite will support the four-player split-screen cooperative; that’s notable because split-screen support was abandoned for Halo 5: Guardians. 343 says it will talk more about Infinite’s multiplayer mode in the near future, but for now, we’ll just have to guess how or if the campaign changes could translate to multiplayer.
Before the presentation, Microsoft scoffed at the footage and hinted at the return of the exiled from Halo Wars 2. Xbox boss Phil Spencer also said Halo Infinite is rethinking the structure of a Halo game. Subsequently, we learned that Halo Infinite is intended to serve as a long-term platform for the franchise.
Spencer has said that there will be no first-party exclusions in the early years of the Series X lifecycle, though he later clarified that first-party studios are free to do so if they wish.
GameSpot may earn a commission from retail offers.
