Several years ago, 343 Industries began working on an ambitious Halo project. The blueprints for this new game promised a vast open world set entirely on a ring. Furthermore, it promised a return to form for the series, echoing the glory days of Halo: Combat Evolved. Years later, Halo Infinite finally released and while their ambitions were lofty and arguably missed the mark in a few areas, it more than made up for it with outstanding gameplay, a wonderful semi-open world to explore and a strong emotional journey for Master Chief.

NOTE: This review is strictly based on the campaign only.



Halo Infinite serves as both a soft reboot of the series and a direct sequel to Halo 5: Guardians. Following the events of Halo Wars 2, Master Chief is left stranded in space after an unexpected confrontation with a Brute elite. This leads him to discover the partially ruined Zeta Halo ring and a pilot left drifting in its orbit. Together with a new AI called The Weapon, Master Chief embarks on a journey to end the Banished, a rogue Covenant faction who have seized control of Zeta Halo. However, Master Chief also has ulterior motives in finding Cortana.

Halo Infinite may be a reboot of sorts, but it doesn't discredit the events of 343's prior games either. Instead, it's miraculously able to be both a perfect entry point for newcomers while rewarding veteran fans. Naturally, plot points from previous games are brought up but no prior knowledge is actually required to enjoy the experience to its fullest. The writing team had a formidable task with pulling off this balancing act, but they nailed it and then some.



However, despite loose ties to previous games, Halo Infinite is, at its core, a story about Master Chief and his almost father-like relationship with The Weapon, who acts as the eyes and ears for newcomers perhaps oblivious to past events. The Banished are terrifying adversaries and there's a lot going on beneath the surface of the narrative, but Master Chief and The Weapon's relationship remains at the heart of the experience. It also grounds Master Chief in a way that we've never seen before in the series, though he's still prone to his usual stoic military duties.

Some have compared Halo Infinite to a full game-sized Silent Cartographer, but the second mission of Combat Evolved (fittingly titled "Halo") more accurately captures that feeling.

The semi-open world of the ruined Zeta Halo ring is both a breath of fresh air and a kick of nostalgia. Much of the game feels like the second mission of Halo: Combat Evolved, when Master Chief first steps onto the ringworld. Some have compared Halo Infinite to a full game-sized Silent Cartographer, but the second mission of Combat Evolved (fittingly titled "Halo") more accurately captures that feeling. The biomes aren't nearly as diverse as one might expect - or at least what was promised with its reveal trailer - but there's just enough variety here to keep exploration exciting and unpredictable.



Scattered across Zeta Halo's decently sized ringworld are Banished outposts, forts and roaming forces who won't hesitate to try and kill Master Chief on command. This gives Zeta Halo a constant sense of danger around every corner and up every mountain. Banished enemies are wonderfully diverse, including varied Brutes like armored heavy-gunners and mindless sprinters who will charge Master Chief in seconds. Throw in various Grunts, Elites and the endlessly infuriating Jackals and you have an incredible range of different enemy types.

What makes each encounter feel tense is how you choose to engage enemies, and which weapons are best suited for battles. The Halo series is known for requiring players to switch two weapons on the fly while in combat, but Halo Infinite takes it up a notch with how it almost bombards you with varying and challenging foes - almost all at once. If you're quick on your feet and quicker on the trigger, you can easily control the flow of combat. Guns feel snappy, powerful and responsive, which is an avenue that 343 has no problem excelling in. Apart from a startling amount of great weapons at your disposal, Master Chief is also given a few handy gadgets and abilities fitting of a Spartan soldier.



The grappling hook is perhaps the most significant new addition to Halo Infinite. Not only can it close long distances relatively quickly and toss explosive objects at enemies, it's also a handy tool for navigating Zeta Halo. You can grapple on pretty much everything you see, from mountains, cliffsides, buildings, and even vehicles. This adds a ton of vertically in combat that previous Halo games lacked. It's also a remarkably fun gadget to use. Once you've upgraded the grappling hook, the sky is literally the limit in where you're able to go, making open world traversal a lot more exciting, even on foot. I've played around with my fair share of grappling hooks in other video games, but this might be my favourite to date.

The grappling hook is perhaps the most significant new addition to Halo Infinite.

In addition to the awesome grappling hook, Master Chief also has items and abilities such as portable shields, sensors for detecting invisible enemies and thrusters that let you zip around the battlefield to evade attacks and quickly close gaps. Once you're able to master all of these gadgets and effortlessly switch between them in the heat of battle, combat becomes incredibly exhilarating. You can upgrade each of these gadgets with Spartan cores littered around the world, giving you enough reasons to explore between main missions. Halo Infinite truly excels in the gameplay department, and I've never played a Halo game that offered this much variety in combat and almost endless ways to engage enemies.



Halo Infinite is surprisingly linear in how it guides players from one map marker to the next in order to progress the story, but you're practically free to explore the world outside of your main mission zones. Similar to Far Cry, there are outposts packed with Banished to eliminate. You'll occasionally have to flip a few switches or destroy towers to cripple enemy defenses, and to some it may feel repetitive, but the gameplay is so phenomenal that I could easily forgive the cut-and-paste nature of its side objectives. Outside of shooting Grunts in the face, exploring Zeta Halo does reward players with hidden weapons, treasures and puzzle-platforming sections which I won't spoil.

Halo Infinite is at its best when it simply feels like Halo: Combat Evolved in all the right ways. This may seem like a negative, but 343 Industries succeeds in taking the franchise back to its roots while injecting fresh new ideas into the age-old formula that work admirably well together. The greatest thing about Halo - for me, at least - has always been its ringworlds. They've been sadly underutilized in literally every Halo game since Combat Evolved, but seeing the behemoth Halo rings spiral into space on the horizon has always been a breathtaking sight, and 20 years later, it still takes my breath away in Halo Infinite. I hope 343 Industries continues to use ringworlds since they're such captivating, immersive settings with plenty of potential for grander landscapes.



Unfortunately, Halo Infinite slips up in a few ways that are mostly tied to the narrative. The main villain, Escharum, is forgettable to say the least. He's your average, run-of-the-mill bad guy with villainous monologues and characterization so generic, all that's missing is a twirling moustache. Escharum isn't given much time in the spotlight either, so it's hard to care or feel intimidated by him whenever he appears to spout odd "threats" before disappearing again. We've seen villains done well in Halo before, but Escharum is a snarky grin away from being as underwhelming as the Didact from Halo 4.

I hope 343 Industries continues to use ringworlds since they're such captivating, immersive settings...

Since it was reported that at least two-thirds of content was cut from the final product, you can't help but feel like certain aspects of the game were either rushed or trim down for times sake. Zeta Halo promises diverse biomes on its horizons like snowy areas, sprawling lakes, and dense jungles, but you don't really get that in Halo Infinite's vertical slice of the world. The explorable areas range from scattered forests, familiar and cold interiors, and towering rocky mountains. It may seem like I'm giving the open world a hard time since I still love everything on offer here, but I was left with the slightest feeling that Halo Infinite could've been so much more. However, for all the masterfully crafted things it does deliver on, it only makes me more excited for where 343 Industries can go next.



On a technical front, Halo Infinite is delicious AAA chocolate pudding. It's not as graphically mesmerizing as Forza Horizon 5 this year, but the art style and world design is excellent. It also runs buttery smooth on Xbox Series X with barely noticeable framerate drops. The visuals are splendid, but they're also paired beautifully with the score. Taking plenty of hints from Marty O'Donnell's score from Combat Evolved, Halo Infinite's all-star composers manage to evoke a sense of grand, awe-inspiring wonder with its iconic choirs and chants. It once again creates an ethereal atmosphere for Halo that's been sorely missing from the last few installments. To be frank, Halo has never sounded this good.



After the tragic misstep that was Halo 5: Guardians, I'm glad to say that Halo Infinite reignited my love for the series all over again. This is easily the best Halo game since Reach, and the finest work 343 Industries has ever done. A weak villain and the phantom pain of its cut content only holds it back from essentially being the best Halo game in the franchise. It's also very accessible for newcomers while still being hard to master. There's an ebb and flow to Halo Infinite's rhythm that perfectly balances exploration, combat and storytelling. It all synergizes in an experience that feels unique without alienating fans; feels familiar without retreading old ideas; and feels nostalgic without relying on the past. Halo is back, and I'm a happy kid again.

*Reviewed on Xbox Series X