Halo Infinite Review: An Exceptional Game That's Being Held Back
Halo Infinite is an exceptional game that's being held back by 343 Industries. It has the potential to be amazing, if only it's allowed to be.
The return of Master Chief hasn't felt this good since Halo 3, but that comes with its fair share of caveats; Halo Infinite's underlying predicament is that it's an exceptional game being held back by its studio, 343 Industries. Fundamentally, it's everything fans wanted, but on a macro level, there are staggering issues that likely will be fixed with time — but when and how much will be corrected are entirely unknown. In the meantime, there's at least the story to play through, which is absolutely worth it.
It's been six years since Halo 5: Guardians released and revamped the franchise by pushing it forward with new characters, new equipment, and new villains. It wasn't what people expected at the time, but it certainly was bold. Now, the studio has sidelined that audacity for a game that isn't as much a course correction as it is a reminder of what made people fall in love with Halo in the first place. Halo Infinite accomplishes its goal of being a spiritual reboot in that regard, but much of it is marred by egregious problems that never should've been overlooked.
Playing through the campaign, it becomes clear why 343 didn't tack "6" onto the end of the game's title, because that wouldn't have been a proper indication of what Halo Infinite is. It's the sixth installment in the mainline franchise, sure, but it's not necessarily the sixth installment in the story nor really the third installment in the Reclaimer saga — that itself is problematic for people who've been anticipating a proper throughline to Guardians' cliffhanger ending, but that's not what's provided here. Instead, Halo Infinite merges together the entire Halo storyline for a deeply personal narrative that explores humanity's existence as well as their place in the galaxy. Where they stand and what they will do to fight back are at the core of the story, particularly when going up against the Banished. It feels like a final fight, yet also the beginning of a new era.
For many people, this will be the first Halo game (and story) they will experience, and it's certainly the right one to jump in with. All of its nostalgic elements are handled well and there are moments that will tug at longtime fans' heartstrings, but for someone who's never heard of Master Chief before, they'll still be able to appreciate it all because of how the story unfolds, because it spends time piecing together the past and allowing players to experience moments first-hand rather than being told what happened. Halo Infinite is almost like a museum dedicated to Master Chief, allowing people to play through his greatest hits, albeit in new ways. Several missions, characters, and objectives feel similar to those from the original Halo trilogy, in particular, but they're not a rehash. Halo Infinite cleverly doesn't use the past as a crutch but rather as a guide.
Halo 4 and Halo 5: Guardians had interesting stories that broke down the Master Chief's individuality, but there's a sense that Halo Infinite shows 343 finally understands his myth — not by explicating who he really is and where he came from, but by deconstructing what his name, his armor, and his identity mean to the Covenant, Banished, Earth, and above all, Halo fans. John-117 wasn't born a legend but became one through his actions — that is what's on display throughout Halo Infinite. Moreover, references to Master Chief's origin as well as his history with Cortana — including reusing dialogue from previous games — help amplify that relationship, which is at the heart of the entire story, while also using it as a means to ground the game's otherworldliness. Much of that is bolstered by Master Chief's interactions with The Weapon — a new A.I. who's been dubbed the "new Cortana" — who's undoubtedly one of the best aspects of the game.
Of course, perhaps 343's biggest bet with Halo Infinite is the open world. Nowadays it seems like every game has an open world, but the balance between Halo's traditional linear storytelling and gameplay and the new open-world setting in Halo Infinite is done remarkably well. New regions are unlocked as the story progresses and new objectives — acquiring Mjolnir Lockers and Spartan Cores, rescuing Marine Squads, and taking out high-valued Targets — artificially extend the playtime, but none of it ever feels overwhelming. Still, the core issue here is that not enough has been done to avoid the repetitiveness of these side quests, nor has the layout of the open-world been properly thought through. Players may find themselves routinely frustrated at simply traversing the map — and at least a small part of that could've been circumvented had the radar been retooled, giving players the ability to spot points/objects of interest while in vehicles.
Overall, Halo Infinite's campaign is a celebration of the franchise that pulls on elements from both Bungie and 343's eras, making sure to honor what came before while also not forgetting where the Reclaimer story was going — and there's more than enough to make all of it feel new and invigorating. But the fact that the open world can at times feel like a gimmick and the game is shipping without campaign co-op or Forge is mind-boggling. The latter two are legacy features that are tied to the franchise's history; without them, Halo Infinite is fundamentally incomplete. On that note, thankfully, the campaign is in much better shape than the multiplayer.
What makes the quality of Halo Infinite's multiplayer so difficult to pin down is that in-game, it's nearly perfect; there are some desync issues and weapon balancing that need resolving, but the overall gameplay can't be contended with. 343 practically has a perfect shooter game on its hands. The issue is that everything outside of the core gameplay is nonsensical, from missing features to an abysmal progression system to a predatory commercial platform. Simply put, the decisions that went into Halo Infinite's economy and progression are astonishingly terrible. Recently, the Reach Falcon Pilot Pack in the store consisted of two shoulder pads and an emblem, but in order to use them, the Mark V armor core had to be unlocked via the Battle Pass — 343 is double-dipping... for scraps. But that barely scratches the surface of Halo Infinite's problems in multiplayer.
Players were promised a game that shuns FOMO; Halo Infinite's weekly challenges and capped limited-time events (read: Tenrai) encourage FOMO, wholeheartedly. Players were promised a game they could play the way they wanted; they can't — it's literally impossible. Game modes are tied to singular playlists and crossplay is mandatory barring solo/duo queues in ranked, though even there, players are forced into quad matches. Furthermore, there are some game modes that are added and removed because they're tied to specific events, thus exacerbating all of the aforementioned problems. And on top of it all, the anti-cheat system is all but nonexistent — a surprise to be sure given the Master Chief Collection has nailed it down rather perfectly. There are additional issues as well — not having challenges shown in-game and no service record whatsoever — but those pale in comparison to things that can and will turn players away.
Halo Infinite's multiplayer is well-crafted — the map design is on par with Halo 3's, the weapons have functional purposes in each mode and map, and Ranked (and general competitiveness) harkens back to the early days of Halo MLG — but that experience is heavily dampened when matches end. It cannot be understated that the same tricks that were used to keep multiplayer games alive a decade ago no longer work today, and Halo Infinite's multiplayer is currently on the wrong side. It's bewildering to have progression be tied to RNG challenges instead of skill... in a skill-based game. Because players are looking to advance in the Battle Pass by getting a certain number of kills with a weapon that spawns a fraction of the time, these external mechanics bleed over into gameplay, with many players quitting matches almost instantly. Once one element begins to affect another, that's when there's cause for concern — Halo Infinite is already at that stage in multiplayer.
Sadly, while Halo Infinite's campaign is unquestionably worth playing, the game's multiplayer is nearing a "wait and see" phase. If the numerous issues can't be fixed in a timely manner — or if the studio doesn't at least offer a comprehensive plan that addresses the glaring concerns — then this grand return of Halo may wane quickly. It's unfortunate because Halo Infinite's multiplayer is truly terrific, but where it falters is in being free-to-play. Whether the issues stem from creative choices or business decisions, there's a fundamental misunderstanding of what a shooter game should be in 2021 — and, more importantly, what a shooter game shouldn't have. It's plausible Halo Infinite will eventually become an era-defining game, one that reestablishes it as a dominant shooter franchise, but it's not there yet and there's no telling when it will be.
Halo Infinite multiplayer is now available on Xbox and PC, with campaign releasing on December 8th. Screen Rant was provided with early access to the Halo Infinite campaign, which was played on Xbox Series X, for the purposes of this review.