The Halo universe is as varied and far-reaching as any other interstellar sci-fi setting out there, and Halo Infinite will be providing fans with multiple planets to explore and battle through. Microsoft finally showed off some gameplay footage from the newest installment of its legendary FPS franchise yesterday as part of the July Xbox Games Showcase.
During this event, fans got to see Master Chief’s new grappling hook in action alongside a new open-world map, although many felt the combat itself to be a tad derivative from past installments. There were also a few glimpses into the game’s plot, which will see the famed Spartan hero and a yet-unnamed UNSC pilot squaring off against a new threat called The Banished, who are a splinter faction of the Covenant which acted as the main antagonists in past entries. 343 Industries Game Director Chris Lee promises that Infinite will serve as a “spiritual reboot” of the long-running Halo series, as well as set the stage for the next decade of games. Not only that, but it seems that there will be quite a few planets on display as well.
Rooster Teeth’s Alanah Pearce managed to gain some insight into Halo Infinite’s setting and new open-world gameplay from Microsoft and 343 Industries yesterday. According to her, Infinite will feature multiple planets for players to visit and explore, with a traversal system she compared to games like Anthem and the recent Ghost of Tsushima. She also noted that there will be side content throughout Infinite’s campaign, which she says will be “several times larger than the last two [Halo] campaigns put together.”
Check out Alanah Pearce’s YouTube video detailing her pre-Xbox Games Showcase discussion with Halo Infinite’s developers below:
Halo Infinite will have its work cut out for it in trying to win back fans that were put off by the divisive Halo 5: Guardians, the backlash of which has been said to be one of the reasons Infinite took five whole years to release. Despite the game not set to come out until the Xbox Series X does during the holiday season, Infinite is already available to pre-order on Steam, and Monster energy drinks have already started a Halo Infinite promotional campaign in which players can get codes for bonuses in the game's yet-to-be-revealed multiplayer by, yes, purchasing cans of Monster.
The Halo series has always been host to several diverse plants, either in the games' multiplayer maps or through the franchise’s expanded universe of tie-in novels and comics. Hence, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Halo Infinite would continue this trend, especially with it making the transition to a sort of open-world sandbox style of gameplay. Nonetheless, getting to see more of the universe fans have grown fond of over the past decade will certainly be a plus. It's still unknown exactly what environments Master Chief will find himself traversing in Halo Infinite, but more details are sure to come forward as the game nears its release this holiday season.
Halo Infinite is set to arrive on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X during the Holiday 2020 season.
Source: Alanah Pearce - YouTube