Halo Infinite Review

 

The complex relationship between Halo protagonist Master Chief and his AI partner Cortana has always been one of the strongest driving forces for the franchise--it's a genuine bond, but one born out of manipulation, as Cortana (an AI based on the mind of the woman who kidnapped Chief as a child) is gifted to Chief as a perfect companion to ensure he maintains peak efficiency as a super-soldier. In this way, Cortana has always been the more dominant voice in the partnership. She tells Chief where to go and what to do, and Chief's single-mindedness coupled with the ability to solely rely on her means he never has to develop emotionally healthy bonds with normal human beings.

Halo Infinite is the first time we've seen that kind of relationship dynamic flipped. Paired with a new AI, simply named "the Weapon," Chief takes on a more fatherly figure in Infinite. Where Cortana was assertive, quick-witted, and mature, the Weapon is awkward, overly trusting, and silly. She sounds and acts like a child-like version of Cortana, pushing Chief into taking on a more domineering role that has far greater control over her. This opens some intriguing new opportunities for a Halo story--in a franchise that has long had an undercurrent theme of familial connection and motherhood, Infinite is the first in the series to focus its narrative around familial responsibility and fatherhood. The strength of that narrative, alongside the open world and new traversal mechanics, delivers a welcoming freshness to the two-decade-old series.

The first half of Act 1 and most of Act 3 are traditional Halo: contained, linear levels where you're guided through gauntlets of enemies. The rest of the game incorporates a hybrid open world. You're able to freely move through a wide open area and pursue optional side missions, or beeline for the next main story objective. Reaching those objectives typically funnels you back into the more traditional Halo level design, only for Chief to emerge into the open world again once the mission is complete.

In this way, Infinite maintains the cinematic quality of Halo's traditionally linear campaigns while also incorporating an open world to explore. Those optional side missions bring aspects of Halo's multiplayer into Infinite's campaign, creating scenarios in which players can approach a problem in numerous ways, each of which can lead to satisfying and occasionally hilarious outcomes. For example, a base that needs storming can be charged into on foot; you could take out enemies stealthily with a sniper rifle from afar before approaching; or just go for broke and crash a Banshee into the base, eject at the last minute, and pull out a shotgun to clean up any remaining resistance. Experimentation is often rewarded with satisfying victory or a story of how everything went hilariously wrong. Regardless of the approach taken, it's fun to dismantle the Banished's encampments on Zeta Halo, wrestling control away from them slowly but surely.

While the quality of writing may occasionally dip, each key scene is bolstered by Infinite's superb soundtrack. The nature of the hybrid open world means that most of Infinite's major story beats and the conversations between characters occur in set locations, and so the orchestral score can be carefully timed with the game's most poignant moments. There has yet to be a mainline Halo game with anything less than an absolute banger of a musical score, and Infinite does not buck that trend. The rich score is helped along by the equally impressive level of detail 343 Industries has achieved with facial expressions (at least on Xbox Series X). Having a rousing score accompanied by believable acting and expressions means there is a collection of genuinely epic and tragic moments in Infinite that really land.

You can also take a break from Chief and company by heading into the Academy, which introduces Halo Infinite's multiplayer and how the UNSC are training a new batch of Spartan IVs in the wake of Chief's disappearance at the start of the campaign. Alongside a detailed tutorial on the controls for Infinite, the Academy includes a number of well-made weapon drills, providing an approachable means of testing out each firearm in the game without having to worry about something shooting back at you, creating an ideal space for learning more about what each weapon does. It's a good addition, especially since it's not especially apparent what the secondary effects of some of Infinite's new firearms (like the Disruptor and Cindershot) are.

Halo Infinite strives to transform what it means to be a Halo game, making Chief into a reluctant father figure for a young and naive AI and putting him into an open-world setting. It turns out that was a risk worth taking for the franchise, as Infinite is an incredible game. Certain story elements are on the weaker side and the amazing Grappleshot makes the rest of Chief's equipment feel a bit lacking in comparison, but these are small shortcomings in what otherwise feels like the best Halo campaign in years and an excellent evolution of what Halo can be.