This review contains spoilers
So... about time I finished this game.
I have a LOT to say about it, so you will most likely be flooded with Halo chatter for the rest of the year by yours truly.
In summary, there are two quotes that perfectly describe the game for me and my experience
"-How can you trust me?
-I don´t... But I want to"
This story was a ride. In a very similar sense, it feels like Star Wars The Force Awaken but instead the story is actually decent. All throughout the game I see things embedded from every Halo campaign prior and it works. However, being a jack of all trades means you master none. Aside from the open-world concept of the game (which is not as big or impactful as advertised mind you), there is really not a lot to Halo Infinite as a game. 343 was very insecure when designing the campaign and it shows
They did not dare to challenge fans at all. It is good to acknowledge how bad your last campaign was received, but giving fans (especially the whiniest bungieliebers) what they want does not equal fixing everything and calling it a day. It calls back to its roots, but what else?
The good:
Immersion is outstanding. Sure, the biome and structures are monotonous and identical, but overall they work fine and do not get boring unless you decide to farm them all at once.
MOST enemy design is excellent, as good as Halo 5 imo (which I hold very highly) all but Hunters. I really do not like the direction Hunters were taken. They were interestingly taken in Halo 5 with the rage mechanic. However, for this game they feel like bullet sponges that you will camp and throw shit at with skewers and other items. All other enemies are excellent. Love the Brutes, love the elites, above all, the way they handled Jackals and Skirmishers was just perfect.
Speaking of enemies, the way they expanded and portrayed the Banished as a faction was by far the best achievement this game has. They were credible, intimidating, strong. I feared they would only be an excuse to have enemies just like with the Covenant in Halo 4/5 but no, they were outstanding. Escharum gave me chills with his speeches more than once, the reasons and codes they fight for are totally understandable and have a real purpose.
Weapons and abilities blend in perfectly. This is a flaw for multiplayer at the same time because many weapons feel like they were thought solely for campaign such as the ravager or shock rifle, but the way they work in SP is excellent and diverse enough while lacking in MP
The level design is very inconsistent but with huge highs and below standard lows. Many of the closed missions play the same: run through the same corridor, grab some engines and power a lift. It really gets exhausting after the second time. On the other hand, there are many memorable segments like the banshee and tank sections or the mission that was shown during the famous e3 reveal last year. Best of all, there are a lot of ways you can engage in those missions, meaning replayability is guaranteed and very much welcomed.
Before I shut up, I want to say the things that I really did not like (Spoilers).
1. The fucking house of reckoning. As a mission it was amazing. However, I cant wrap my mind as to why this is not a gamemode for multiplayer. Literally, THIS IS FIREFIGHT, WHY IS IT NOT A THING.
2. There are serious issues with low self esteem and trashing Halo 5. I don´t know what the Harbinger is or does. Audio logs are cool but I hate having all of Halo 5´s implications thrown aside. What about the prometheans? Warden Eternal? Blue Team? Osiris? ARBITER? come on. I don´t expect some whacky update in the future full of fanservice of that kind, but the issue I have with this is how the game wants to be a soft reboot to bring more newcomers in but it gatekeeps the story to older followers of the lore just the same, hence purposeless. There should have been more of Halo 5´s plot elements tied off, maybe even Halo Wars 2. I thought we were past the motif of Forerunners as mystical given we, idk, saw and killed one face to face in Halo 4.
All in all, campaign was good. A step in the right direction, yes, but a rather short one. There are more things to fix, but for a base release it is fine. 3.5/5. Better than 5, probably same level as 4.
I have a LOT to say about it, so you will most likely be flooded with Halo chatter for the rest of the year by yours truly.
In summary, there are two quotes that perfectly describe the game for me and my experience
"-How can you trust me?
-I don´t... But I want to"
This story was a ride. In a very similar sense, it feels like Star Wars The Force Awaken but instead the story is actually decent. All throughout the game I see things embedded from every Halo campaign prior and it works. However, being a jack of all trades means you master none. Aside from the open-world concept of the game (which is not as big or impactful as advertised mind you), there is really not a lot to Halo Infinite as a game. 343 was very insecure when designing the campaign and it shows
They did not dare to challenge fans at all. It is good to acknowledge how bad your last campaign was received, but giving fans (especially the whiniest bungieliebers) what they want does not equal fixing everything and calling it a day. It calls back to its roots, but what else?
The good:
Immersion is outstanding. Sure, the biome and structures are monotonous and identical, but overall they work fine and do not get boring unless you decide to farm them all at once.
MOST enemy design is excellent, as good as Halo 5 imo (which I hold very highly) all but Hunters. I really do not like the direction Hunters were taken. They were interestingly taken in Halo 5 with the rage mechanic. However, for this game they feel like bullet sponges that you will camp and throw shit at with skewers and other items. All other enemies are excellent. Love the Brutes, love the elites, above all, the way they handled Jackals and Skirmishers was just perfect.
Speaking of enemies, the way they expanded and portrayed the Banished as a faction was by far the best achievement this game has. They were credible, intimidating, strong. I feared they would only be an excuse to have enemies just like with the Covenant in Halo 4/5 but no, they were outstanding. Escharum gave me chills with his speeches more than once, the reasons and codes they fight for are totally understandable and have a real purpose.
Weapons and abilities blend in perfectly. This is a flaw for multiplayer at the same time because many weapons feel like they were thought solely for campaign such as the ravager or shock rifle, but the way they work in SP is excellent and diverse enough while lacking in MP
The level design is very inconsistent but with huge highs and below standard lows. Many of the closed missions play the same: run through the same corridor, grab some engines and power a lift. It really gets exhausting after the second time. On the other hand, there are many memorable segments like the banshee and tank sections or the mission that was shown during the famous e3 reveal last year. Best of all, there are a lot of ways you can engage in those missions, meaning replayability is guaranteed and very much welcomed.
Before I shut up, I want to say the things that I really did not like (Spoilers).
1. The fucking house of reckoning. As a mission it was amazing. However, I cant wrap my mind as to why this is not a gamemode for multiplayer. Literally, THIS IS FIREFIGHT, WHY IS IT NOT A THING.
2. There are serious issues with low self esteem and trashing Halo 5. I don´t know what the Harbinger is or does. Audio logs are cool but I hate having all of Halo 5´s implications thrown aside. What about the prometheans? Warden Eternal? Blue Team? Osiris? ARBITER? come on. I don´t expect some whacky update in the future full of fanservice of that kind, but the issue I have with this is how the game wants to be a soft reboot to bring more newcomers in but it gatekeeps the story to older followers of the lore just the same, hence purposeless. There should have been more of Halo 5´s plot elements tied off, maybe even Halo Wars 2. I thought we were past the motif of Forerunners as mystical given we, idk, saw and killed one face to face in Halo 4.
All in all, campaign was good. A step in the right direction, yes, but a rather short one. There are more things to fix, but for a base release it is fine. 3.5/5. Better than 5, probably same level as 4.
Reviewed on Dec 14, 2021