The first hands-on preview of the campaign in Halo Infinite has shown many details that resemble quite a few characteristics of Halo 3: ODST. Although Halo 3: ODST did not feature a campaign where the Master Chief is the main protagonist, or even a playable character, it set up an array of important characters that have made several appearances in Halo's universe. Halo Infinite is one of the most anticipated games of 2021, and as 343 Industries rounds out the last few weeks before its launch on December 8, a quick look at its campaign shows details that are reminiscent of one of the last Halo games developed by Bungie. Specifically, it's the Halo Infinite campaign that launches on December 8, as the multiplayer beta has launched with the Halo 20th Anniversary November 2021 event.
Halo Infinite begins with panic as it appears that humanity is all but doomed, not unlike the start of Halo 3: ODST. Granted, this is the way most of the Halo series begins its games, but there hasn't been an immediate sense of panic introduced at the beginning of a Halo campaign since the ODSTs were thrown into Earth's atmosphere as the Prophet of Regret made an in-orbit jump to hyperspace. Like the Rookie, the protagonist of Halo 3: ODST's campaign, Master Chief finds himself in the aftermath of a large battle that threatens humanity's existence.
Halo Infinite's campaign will feature an semi open-world exploration map that, from IGN's gameplay preview, looks akin to the New Mombasa map seen in Halo 3: ODST. Master Chief must explore the land-chunks of Zeta Halo in the formerly delayed Halo Infinite campaign in order to complete his objectives, one of which is to save UNSC forces that have been captured by the banished. There are also several UNSC outposts, called Forward Operating Bases, that can be reclaimed by Master Chief and the UNSC marines. These appear to be optional objectives in the limited gameplay footage, as the primary objective at hand is to stop the Banished.
Halo Infinite Similarities To Halo 3: ODST
It appears that the Master Chief can request weapons and vehicles to be delivered to him via these outposts. In Halo 3: ODST, the Rookie was able to acquire similar assets from hidden armory caches in New Mombasa as players progress through the story to unlock new areas of the fallen city. However, Halo Infinite's Forward Operating Bases include a progressive "Valor" point system that allows Chief to have more control over the assets he chooses to call. Additionally, the Forward Operating Bases will allow players to fast travel across Zeta Halo, an entirely new feature for the Halo franchise. On top of looking similar to ODST, these features will help Halo Infinite become what Halo: Combat Evolved could have been.
Similar to Halo 3: ODST, Halo Infinite will include active patrol units that are guarding their newly conquered assets. Naturally, as the difficulty of AI is increased, Master Chief will have to strategically navigate his way around Zeta Halo just as the Rookie did in Halo 3: ODST. The melee damage and combat abilities of the ODSTs were limited in both the campaign and Firefight, and this is sort of resembled in the boss fights against name-specific Brutes, such as Tremonius. It's unclear how many of these boss fights will occur in Halo Infinite, but from the gameplay shown they'll certainly be some of the toughest enemies players have faced in a Halo game for some time.
Source: IGN/YouTube