Last Updated on: 19th March 2023, 07:44 pm

Halo Infinite is a single/multi-player open-world first-person shooter developed by 343 Industries. Published by Xbox Game Studios, it remains an Xbox exclusive on consoles. It follows 2015’s Halo 5: Guardians.

Silent Protagonist Master Chief returns once again. A series first, it was decided the multiplayer section of the game would be free-to-play. Initially planned as a launch game, it was delayed in August of 2020. Finally seeing the light of day on December 8th, 2021 for Xbox Consoles and PC.

Gameplay:

Continuing in the vein of previous entries in the series, Halo Infinite is played from a first-person perspective. Being semi-open world, the returning vehicles, like Warthog are a welcome addition as there’s a lot more ground to cover.

The main campaign starts off linear, then opens up, allowing you to roam free and explore Zeta Halo. Certain areas are off-limits and can only be unlocked after clearing and capturing enemy bases. This will also unlock a fast travel option. Enemies are known as banished in the game. Several side-missions can be found littered throughout. You can rescue Marine Squads, destroy the Banished’s towers and eliminate certain high profile, VIP targets.

Completing these will earn you the main currency in the game, Valor Points. Which can be used to purchase weapons and vehicles at the enemy bases. The game doesn’t completely eschew traditional level design. As it also features dungeons that are more traditional and linear. Halo Infinite also boasts a grappling hook. Which can be used to grab enemies, and do a bit of light platforming. This keeps the traversal from feeling monotonous.

Reception:

While the loyal fanbase harbored some criticisms when the game was initially shown off. Most of these dissenting voices turned to praise post-launch. With the campaign mode being extolled for not being another dull “corridor shooter”. The story, graphics, enemy design, and soundtrack also met with similar acclaim. The in-game 3D spatial audio was exalted for its immersion. And for offering contextual cues to the enemy positions using various reverb-like effects. Currently, the Metacritic score for the PC version stands at 80/100. (canadianpharmacy365.net)

Co-op Beta:

Conspicuous by its absence was the ability to team up with other players, and play through the missions. Now several months after launch, 343 Industries has begun beta testing a co-op campaign mode. The greater degree of player freedom means that getting co-op to work was quite a challenge.

However, it has managed it with the inclusion of ‘Area of Operation’. You and your teammate need to stick close and cannot be separated by a distance greater than 300 m. Doing so results in the instant auto-death of whichever one of the players is farthest from the target objective.

Other changes to the open-world include doors that can not be passed through a second time. New cutscenes popup while the player is respawned close to his teammate. You can take the driver position in the Warthog, while your mate mans the gunner position. This also serves to make the campaign less of an isolating experience. Compared to single-player. Technical issues like latency and bugs should be sorted out by the time the co-op goes live in August.