One Spartan, a Marine, and a Rogue AI

Instead of releasing a bugged-out game in need of mass updates, 343 Industries has decided to piece out Halo: Infinite sections. They recently put out the single-player campaign for the latest sequel to the action FPS franchise, and it has some significant gameplay issues despite receiving high ratings. The Load Screen reviews Halo: Infinite campaign as having good moments in a tangled web of gameplay that struggles to live up to prior Halo titles.

The biggest non-Halo aspect of the campaign is the lack of cooperative gameplay. It is slated for release in 2022, but that leaves a huge hole for how some players have always enjoyed Halo campaigns in prior games, including The Load Screen team. Unlike previous titles, Halo: Infinite is the first game in the series with a split release setup, and it is quickly becoming an industry standard, so faulting 343 Industries alone is unfair. Just look at how Capcom released Resident Evil Village last year by separating the single-player game from the multiplayer section that still does not have a firm release date. See the Resident Evil Re:verse website for the updated release date.

Since developers are releasing Halo: Infinite in parts over months, it should mean each part is flawless, including the campaign, right? While shooting highly detailed grunts and watching other enemies run screaming is nice, there are serious issues with the campaign. Those problems amplify when the game attempts classic Halo moments like storming a base with freed marines. However, the title maintains a visually stunning design from the deep space debris to traversing the surface of the broken Zeta ring.

The game’s overall story is not record-setting either, since it involves Master Chief taking down another ring for only reasons he knows until the end. There are sections of the campaign that are designed for an open-world style, but they break up the narrative and make it disjointed compared to later sections that are very sequential. The open-world areas also show glaring gameplay issues once the player utilizes the new gear.

Halo: Infinite’s base gameplay and weapons continue the feel of the Combat Evolved series, while the additional equipment included does not. They either feel derived from other games or become completely game-breaking. The added drop shield ability feels reminiscent of the Destiny 2 Titan ability, while the grappling hook screams Far Cry 5/6 with unlimited usability. At least using the drop shield fits within the overall gameplay since the grappling hook disrupts in unexpected ways.

The grappling hook unravels several parts of the single-player campaign that break the emersion and fun factor. First, it destroys the confidence of formerly aggressive enemies, even on Legendary difficulty, which should never happen. The effect occurs when Master Chief pulls himself into combat before enemies can react and only gets worse with all the upgrades unlocked for the grappling hook. Second, it directly demonstrates the limitation of the open world.

The Zeta ring is not so open, and the grappling hook shines a spotlight on it. The item reveals Out of Bounds zones that appear traversable but are fatal, including invisible walls that divide the ring where huge chunks are missing. A player can use the grappling hook to bypass the gaps, but the hidden barrier prevents travel, even though objective locations are on the other side of the gap. The situation worsens when players get access to flying vehicles and can easily cross unimpeded blocked sections.

The general lack of smart nonplayer characters breaks the emersion and several Halo moments. The Space Marines who assist Master Chief are not very tactical as in previous games, and calling in a Warthog tests the limit of their reflexes since they never get out of the drop zone. When the player eventually raids an enemy stronghold with a tank and full marine support, they only get a few volunteers who die fast and shoot like Storm Troopers.

Also, the enemy AI is pretty weak other than boss characters who make up for hordes of easier enemies. While a crafty player can clear entire sections of low-level grunts with fists only after spotting the Master Chief, the boss fights are never easy. They are harder because of aggressive attacks, huge splash damage areas, and the inability of the player to set up an ambush. Some enemy projectiles like Skewers ignore objects, including ground surfaces, making them impossible to dodge cleanly.

Halo: Infinite was fun playing with all of its flaws, but only after maxing the difficulty and ignoring the disjointed narrative. 343 Industries did an excellent job expanding the lines of most enemies and added in several rarer ones for fans to find and enjoy. However, this does not make up for the poor AI layered into a story that leads the Master Chief into familiar tropes one more time. Hopefully, when the co-op campaign finally releases, it is not just a multiplayer version of the single campaign but a reworked cohesive story. Try the campaign for yourself on PC, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, and Xbox Game Pass.

 Halo: Infinite Single Player Campaign

• Platforms: PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S

• Developer: 343 Industries

• Publisher:  Xbox Game Studios

• Release Date: 12/8/2021