Halo Infinite for Windows

An all-new Halo game

Halo Infinite is a first-person shooter game that continues the story of the popular action game franchise Halo. This game brings back Master Chief and the gameplay that fans love. Only this time, there will be all-new environments with stunning graphics.

Besides Master Chief, Halo Infinite will also feature a multiplayer mode. Similar to Halo 4 and Halo 5: Guardians, the narrative for this mode is a Spartan training program. It will have an old-school Halo premise but tweaked to fit the modern FPS player base. However, it is still unfinished and was filled with plenty of game-breaking bugs. 

Master Chief is back

Halo Infinite is the sixth mainline entry to the Halo franchise, ushering in the next era of the popular action game series. As mentioned, the game continues the Master Chief's story. Here, the Chief is called back into action on Zeta Halo after being listed as MIA. He was awakened by an unnamed pilot referred to as Echo 216. Cortana is said to be MIA, with rumors suggesting she may be captured and deleted off-screen.

However, instead of focusing on the fight against Prometheans and any remaining Flood, the Chief focuses on the Banished, a brutish alien species that debuted on Halo Wars 2. With aid from an unnamed pilot and a new AI called The Weapon, the Chief will fight wave after wave of this new enemy. More than the Banished, there were also other enemies called Brutes, Grunts, and Jackals.

Set on the ringworld Zeta Halo, the game will feature an open-world map filled with mission objectives. Completing such activities will gain you access to new weapon loadouts and increase the strength of your shields. Fortunately, there are no fetch quests or story-focused side missions here. Most of the content is also optional, allowing you to power up Master Chief if he takes a beating during the campaign.

Better graphics, hardly innovative gameplay

As mentioned, Halo Infinite brings back the core gameplay of the Halo series. With this, players familiar with the same shoot-and-repeat loop won't have a hard time adjusting. However, the open-world format looks and feels very generic and has little incentive for exploration. Fortunately, these sections do not intervene with the more traditional linear levels that the franchise is known for. It also, at least, provide a little palate cleanser in-between the story-centric cutscenes.

Despite the hardly innovative gameplay, the game does bring improvements to the graphics. Built for PC, it offers advanced graphics settings, as well as ultrawide and super ultrawide support. It even comes with triple-key binds to features like dynamic scaling and variable framerates. However, this also means that the whole app will require more storage space and a high-performing PC for you to enjoy smoother gameplay.

More than the better visuals, Halo Infinite also improved its shooting mechanics with a superb variety of weapons. It also introduces Grappleshot, which drastically changes the gameplay. You can use it to zip around the map, disrupt the enemies' shield, and get weapons that are out-of-reach. Although, despite this new weapon, the combat in Halo Infinite is still simple compared to other modern FPS games, such as Doom and Titanfall 2, which require more strategy.

The celebrated multiplayer mode returns

Besides improving its graphics, Halo Infinite also features a reimagined multiplayer mode. Even better, you can experience it without paying for the single-player campaign. As mentioned, the multiplayer mode is old-school Halo but with a modern FPS player base. It features a Spartan training program, leaving you behind at a secure facility and giving you the task to train the next generation of Spartan-IV soldiers.

There are two main multiplayer modes split between Arena and Big Team Battle. The former sees two 4-player squads facing off each other. However, instead of team deathmatch—called Slayer—on repeat, it has three more modes called Capture-the-Flag, Strongholds, and Oddball modes, with the latter requiring a team to hold onto a ball for as long as possible without dying. The mechanics sound silly, but it is fun and actually action-packed.

Meanwhile, the Big Team Battle mode sees players on a larger map, accommodating 24 players. It features larger-scale skirmishes with vehicles for more carnage. In both modes, players can pick up abilities, such as Grappleshot, dashing, and active camouflage from the map as they fight.  However, the ping system isn't very informative or easy to use. Additionally, since the multiplayer is still under beta, not all modes are available as of this writing.

The evolving Forge at CU29

Halo Infinite continues to offer new content for its dedicated player base, this time with the release of Content Update 29 (CU29). Its major addition revolves around the Halo Infinite Forge, which allows players to create, upload, and share custom maps, game modes, and in-game content. CU29 sees the delivery of new tools, some of which are highly requested from the fans themselves, to make content creation more streamlined.

Additional customization options include the Covenant object palette, allowing players to wield more colors. The Mode Creator has also been introduced, making it easier to design and launch custom games on Infinite. A major addition is the AI Toolkit, which supports improved user experience and better interactions in terms of snipping, collision, lighting, textures, and more.

Still a better experience

Halo Infinite offers a great experience, especially if you are a long-time Halo fan. This new iteration takes everything that is good about the franchise and amplifies it with the fast pace of modern-day shooters. Not every new mechanic and feature fit Halo's established formula. However, its maps are good, the weapons are improved, and the sound design is spot on. Overall, it is already a must-play.