343 Industries recently unveiled the first-look into Halo Infinite's campaign during the Xbox Games Showcase. The footage showed off some impressive new battle grounds and environments, alongside a couple of fresh weapon and items additions to the Halo universe. From a few returning weapons to the never-before-seen Grapple Shot, Halo Infinite is going to have a lot of new features for players to look forward to.
Unlike previous Halo games, Halo Infinite promises an open-world experience. Players will be given the ability to tackle objectives and missions in whatever order they please, allowing for a lot more flexibility in gameplay experience. While past games in the franchise provided some amount of freedom to explore, level structure and progression remained systematically linear. Now, with the biggest Halo ring ever created, players can expect a lot of unique ways to show off the game's new equipment.
Perhaps one of the most iconic weapons, the Assault Rifle was the first weapon shown in the demo. This MA series weapon has gotten the Halo Infinite treatment, decked out in a slick fresh coat of gunmetal black. The Assault Rifle promises accuracy, quick fire rate, and holds 36 rounds in a single clip. The next weapon to join Master Chief's arsenal is the MK50 Sidekick. This common semi-automatic pistol is similar to past pistols seen in older Halo games and can hold 12 rounds in a clip. The classic Covenant Plasma Pistol also makes an appearance in the hands of a few Grunts. It seems to behave as it always has, firing single green energy shots or allowing for one large blast.
Halo Infinite's Newest UNSC And Covenant Weapons
Several new weapons can be seen throughout the course of the campaign demo. The VK78 Commando is a standard issue UNSC rifle with fully automatic capabilities, a 20 round clip, and features a solid scope, allowing for efficient mid-long range combat. Next up is the CQS48 Bulldog. This hefty UNSC pump shotgun is the classic Halo shotgun with a few modifications. Featuring a new 12 gauge drum magazine, players can spend more time firing and less time reloading. The Covenant have also expanded their arsenal. The Ravager is a three-round Banished weapon which fires consecutive bursts of plasma energy. Given its nature, the Ravager is susceptible to overheating and will need to be vented after heavy fire. With a blade strapped to the front, the weapon can also pack a heavy punch in melee combat. The Mangler, another Banished weapon, is a slow firing pistol-like weapon. It's slower than the UNSC pistol, but deals a lot more damage. Lastly is the Pulse Carbine, which is a nearly identical version to the classic Covenant carbine weapon seen in previous games.
Master Chief has also been given a few new equipment items. The Drop Wall, which behaves a lot like a Drop Shield, allows for one-way fire while protecting the player. Based on what was seen in the demo, once the wall has been deployed, it likely cannot be picked back up or moved. Perhaps the biggest new item is the Grapple Shot. This grappling hook is good for quick vertical maneuvering and can be used to attach onto enemies. Doing so will pull Master Chief closer to an opponent, allowing for a quick transition from long to short range combat. The Grapple Shot can also be used to grab onto nearby objects and throw them back at enemy clusters.
The short campaign demo has revealed a lot of new and exciting features in Halo Infinite. So far, the game is promising to be a compelling addition to the Halo lineup and with how little the demo showed off of the overall world, it's likely more news will be announced over the upcoming months. Halo Infinite is currently slated to hit stores during the 2020 holiday season, a specific date has yet to be released.