It’s a leap of faith, Halo Infinite. 343 took that old, reliable Halo formula, that magic golden triangle of combat its predecessor perfected, and dared to spread it across a sort of open world. It could have gone horribly wrong. Based on how the campaign looked just a year ago, I thought it had done. But I’m delighted to report 343 stuck the landing – like Master Chief slamming into the new and mysterious Halo ring upon which Infinite is set.
Halo Infinite campaign reviewDeveloper: 343 Industries and many other studiosPublisher: Xbox Game StudiosPlatform: Played on Xbox Series SAvailability: Campaign available 8th December standalone for £55 or as part of Xbox Game Pass.
I thought Halo 5: Guardians did a lot right, but I get the feeling 343 has tried to leave it behind as it plots out Halo’s future. Infinite is a spiritual reboot of the franchise, set chronologically after the controversial events of Halo 5, but taking inspiration from Bungie’s seminal Halo: Combat Evolved not just in gameplay feel, but in tone, aesthetic and setting.
It’s initially bemusing, too – and I say that as a Halo fan who’s read one of the books. Infinite starts with Master Chief floating in space near Zeta Halo, one of the oldest and most mysterious Halo rings in the galaxy. A pilot drags him into a Pelican and dusts him off. “Status report,” Master Chief asks in typical matter-of-fact fashion. Infinite spends the next 15 or so hours procrastinating before it makes a serious attempt at providing an answer.
Six months have passed since a war took place on Zeta Halo between the UNSC and the Banished, an offshoot of the Covenant alien force led by a particularly grumpy War Chief called Escharum. It’s not clear what happened, why it happened or who it happened to, but Master Chief ends up fighting his way off a Banished spaceship and landing on Zeta Halo to spark a fightback.