Diving deeper into recently released Halo Infinite images, eagle-eyed Halo fans spotted changes made to the upcoming game's new Sidekick Pistol, which appears to have been completely redesigned since the first gameplay showing in Summer 2020. This speaks not so much to the dedication of the Xbox franchise's to the delayed entry, but to the evidently extensive work to redefine and hone Halo Infinite's art style in the months leading up to launch.

Since the game was widely criticized for its unpolished visuals in July, developer 343 Industries has been eager to share its work overhauling the game's graphical fidelity to better match up with Xbox Series X/S capabilities. The studio most recently shared the most up-to-date Halo Infinite campaign screenshots yet, showcasing the game's apparent return to a Halo 3-like art style for Zeta Halo's Forerunner innards and the game's PC-friendly support for ultrawide and super ultrawide monitors. However, as with so much of the developer's pre-launch marketing so far, there was a little more to one particular image than most noticed on first glance.

Related: Halo 3 Gets A COD Zombies-Inspired Mode In New Mod

In Thursday's Halo Waypoint development update highlighting Halo Infinite's many PC features, the below work-in-progress gameplay screenshot was including, showing Master Chief facing off against a Brute and Jackal in a Forerunner arena. While many likely only noticed the incredible FOV of the image and how much better the Assault Rifle looks with improved lighting, Redditor Okapi05 spied something else. In the bottom-right corner of the super ultrawide (as opposed to the top-right in every other Halo entry) are the HUD elements for primary and secondary weapon, ammo, and equipment, which seem to have changed a bit since February's batch of gameplay screens. Comparing the HUD to July 2020 campaign demo footage, Okapi05 highlights that the Sidekick Pistol's fore and grip have been completely revamped.

Halo Infinite Campaign Screenshot Super Ultrawide PC

The more complicated design still looks less "futuristic" than the series' previous Magnum iterations, as the Sidekick's silhouette still resembles a modern-day SOCOM, now simply with what looks like a flashlight or laser attachment. However, it's still a change welcome by the online community purists, and it means that they can likely expect many similar changes when more gameplay is shown off. While similar to the most recent campaign screenshots, the HUD seems to have been even further redesigned to match the visor-projected look of the radar, and the shield indicator appears to have been straightened out, as well.

Despite Halo Infinite's troubled development so far, small changes so casually shown by the developer like these - in addition to the more overt visual love the game is clearly getting - is reassuring. Still images can't tell all, but it's a likely sign that 343 is still steadily improving the game. Now, it needs to show its work in action with the first gameplay footage since its fated showing in 2020, and finally taking the lid off multiplayer would go a long way, too.

Next: Halo: Master Chief Collection Bots Teased & Explained By Developer

Halo Infinite will be available on Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and PC in Fall 2021.

Source: Halo WaypointOkapi05