![]() ![]() Homecoming - It’s discovered that the first Forerunner artifact is linked to a much bigger structure that the Covenant call “Halo” He then searches for another Forerunner artifact. Emergence - After surrendering to the UNSC, Master Chief gets uploaded with a new companion AI, Cortana. Unbound - Master Chief, on the run from his fellow Spartans, hides out with a human rebel colony and a former Spartan soldier. A human Spartan soldier named Master Chief finds an alien Forerunner artifact that unlocked his previously sealed childhood memories. ![]() Contact - In the year 2552, humans are fighting aliens known as the Covenant in space. There’s also a resource called Valor, obtained by completing side quests, that allows you to unlock new vehicles and weapons. Other new-but-not-really elements include the ability to upgrade various equipment, like the grappleshot, your shields, and the threat sensor by collecting ‘Spartan Cores’ in hidden locations. The open world approach is new for Halo but it’s a fairly generic concept for modern games, and while there’s a faint whiff of real-time strategy elements, in terms of collecting new vehicles and weapons from FOBs, it’s really nothing more than you’d see in Far Cry and the like. If you’ve seen the latest trailers and played the multiplayer you’ll be able to picture exactly how it all works, with the grappleshot being the only completely new idea. What we played lasted for around three hours and was thoroughly entertaining, if relatively unsurprising. It all ends with a boss battle against an invisible Elite, who’s there to show off a new gadget that can reveal the location of hidden enemies. The next story mission involves trying to rescue a captured Spartan from a different enemy camp, one which also has several ordinary human soldiers held captive outside it, who if liberated will join in the fight with you. At this point the map inevitably fills with Ubisoft style icons, tempting you off the golden path in order to liberate more FOBs and take down named enemies who harbour special weapon variants. Halo has always had small sandbox areas like this, but it all feels much more open-ended in Halo Infinite, especially once you capture the initial base and use it to plan your next move. You can just stay where you are and conclude most of the fight from the lift exit, but you’re free to use the entire compound to act a little more tactically – using buildings for cover, clambering over rooftops with the grappleshot, and generally attacking the enemy from whatever direction they expect least. The first set piece is excellent, as you emerge unexpectedly from a lift to battle the startled array of aliens that scramble to take you down. ![]() ![]() Not especially big ones by modern standards but still massive enough to require fast travel and the use of vehicles and FOBs (forward operating bases) to get around. 343i are very insistent about not calling this an open world game but it definitely does have open world areas in it. The relatively brief section in the Halo’s interior leads to one of the game’s big milestone moments, where you emerge out onto the surface and get to see the open world area above. We can’t say we were ever fans but it’s an iconic part of the franchise now and so far, at least, it isn’t overused. This includes the infamous repeating architectural of the Forerunners, which is in full effect once you reach the Halo and remains as divisive as ever. It might sound a bit gimmicky but the grappleshot is an excellent addition to Master Chief’s repartee, managing to make the game feel different while still maintaining a traditional look and feel. Once you make it out into the outdoor areas it’s even more useful but it’s great to have at every stage of the game, with the more vertical level design clearly having been made with it in mind. In what we’ve played so far it’s very rarely essential to get around but it does help enormously in making even the linear corridors of the opening level seem more like a sandbox.Ī major set piece in the bridge of the ship, for example, involves several decks that you can zip between as and when you please, while the grappleshot, as it’s called, can also be used to briefly stun enemies, which is especially useful for the Jackals and their shields. As well as all the familiar elements there are new additions, most obviously the fact that Master Chief now has a Batman style grapnel. ![]()
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