Halo Infinite - after 4 hours playing time: What can the shooters campaign?

Hallo Infinite is a first-person capturing video game developed by 343 Industries as well as edited by Xbox Game Studios. Its exit is set up for December 8, 2021, on Windows, Xbox One, as well as on Xbox Series. This is the 6th primary game of the Halo collection, following Halo 5: Guardians released in 2015.

Maybe you remember, about one and a half months ago I set up the thesis in a column that Halo Infinite could become the best series part so far — if the campaign is right. And was pretty naive assumed that we would not see much new from just this campaign until the release in December.

Well, rarely was I so glad to have wrong.

For since now almost a week, I broke myself through the solo mode of Halo Infinite. Microsoft has provided Gamer.DE a pre-code that contains the complete campaign of the game. At this time, I can only reveal about the first four hours in which I have seen and played the following:

Four linearly designed main missions The first incurable hub area Various co-missions

Sufficient time so to get an extensive impression of the new adventure of the Master Chief. And finding out what Halo Infinite is doing well — and where the title is weakening.

If you have not heard it yet: Halo is one of my absolute favorite video game series and the series has given me many great moments in the last 20 years. So I am a fan of this series and exactly with this fan, Infinite already pushes many and right buttons in the first day hours, that I got goose bumps in some places without exaggeration.

A story for fans

That starts at the story. OK, really much more than known from the trailers, does not happen in the first few hours. The Master Chief is found in the all drifting by the pilot Echo 216 and then lands on the partially destroyed Ring welt Zeta Halo. Here, the chief not only finds a new I with the simple name the weapon, but also has to find out why the radical alien faction of the banner under the leadership of warheads Charm has occupied the ring.

Even though everything sounds quite rudimentary, the story has quickly created I want to know more feeling, because 343 Industries uses a fairly simple trick. Because I stumble together with the Master Chief pretty ignorant in the situation in the game, must find out whats going on. So the game creates a mystery, similar to the first halo and that works pretty well.

Especially since the characters make a really solid impression. Charms malice, for example, I enjoy similarly as the interplay of Chief and Is weapon, which keeps a snippy comment again and again and thus ensures a certain looseness. Much more to the story wants — and may — I can not betray at this point

Newcomers tapping in the dark

The floating side of the story medal is, however, that complete series new regions similar to Halo 5: Guardians coincide quite a few question marks in the head. For example, the former Xbox 360 parts only played, has also played in the campaign and was often like the proverbial och before the mountain. Cortana, Blue Fathers, Dr. ING. Halsey, Zeta Halo — While fans with glowing eyes know and classifying and classifying, giving 343 newcomers in Infinite enough context or link points to give them and thus throws them into the ice-cold SCIFI water.

A summary of the most important events — so challenging that may be — unfortunately not, what many are likely to make it difficult to connect with the most interesting and extensive Halo universe.

fights that make addictive

What, however, is definitely noticeable and probably also appreciated, is the core gameplay of the Infinite campaign, because Holley the forest fairy, makes the mood! Gun play and locomotion in the game world are my previous big highlights of the game. No matter which weapon I have used so far: handling, weapons sounds and hit feedback are phenomenal, and it is scary satisfying, for example, if I have the small grunts your methane tank Slope on the back and then say goodbye in a small explosion.

The control is at all the wonderful directly and precisely, that was always in Halo, but even in Infinite, it just feels great to sink projectiles in alien skulls.

And that can be done with a fairly large number of creaking. The guns of the game is wonderfully varied, offers ballistic plasma and — very new — also shock weapons. In addition to old classics such as the Br or the sniper rifle, there are also many new creaks that I have already closed to the heart.

For example, a compact shotgun of the banner faction or the VK78 Commando, which almost looks like a rapid fire sniper rifle. Of course, even vehicles belong to the Halo-Sandbox, so far I have controlled only well-known vehicles such as the Scorpion tank or the Mongoose quad. I hope there will be even more in the course of the campaign.

A large part of my fascination for the Infinite gameplay is certainly due to the new gripping hook, which the Master Chief carries from the beginning at the left forearm. And this Grapple Hook is a true stroke of genius because it can be used so versatile. Throw on opponents and boards the rifle piston in the visage? Check! Pick up energy nuclei and throw on opponents? Check! Swing in safety at low energy at the last moment? Check! The gripping hook inserts great and makes such a lot of fun that I would currently say that it is the best equipment of the entire series history.

Hub worlds with light and shadow

After the rather linear staged entrance on a banished spaceship and a blood fathers complex, Halo Infinite releases to the open playing world of Zeta Halo after just under one and a half. Which is not that really true, rather it is Loading Hub Areal, similar to Metro Exodus. These are connected by bridges, so they can return later in already visited areas to block there, for example, lack of side tasks. And of which are different in the Hub worlds, the following I have seen so far:

Conquer surgical bases Save our UNSC squads Destroy propaganda travels Switch off high-ranking opponents Find Spartan improvement seeds Clean the outpost Find hidden audiology Track weapons chambers (for cosmetic items in multiplayer)

The surgical bases are distributed over the entire game world, and serve as fast travel points and supply depots. If you have conquered a station, you can request weapons and vehicles there, the latter then releases echo 216 quickly via lightning delivery at the depot.

The choice is still limited to a few vehicles and aldermen, who wants to order more powerful device, should collect the In game currency bravery. And you will, for example, you get in which your screwed marine squad saves propaganda travels destroyed or turns the high-ranking opponents. All these goals can be viewed on the new three-dimensional TAC Map, which can not be turned curiously, but there is a very good orientation.

Criticism of the open game world

But as logical and also comprehensibly the Hub worlds approach for Halo may be, I have exactly in this area two major criticisms. On the one hand, the secondary objectives are quite generic and feel noticeably after killing when done. Also, because I have the rewards away from the Spartan cores that improve their own abilities than too little worthwhile, because weapons and vehicles can be found even away from the surgical bases.

To be fair but said that the objectives are completely optional of course, and you do not shoot so the pacing, if you do not want. It is possible to walk directly to the next main mission or to drive. Then you have possibly fewer options — for example, because you have not leveled up the skills — possible the whole thing in my opinion, but it should be anyway.

And on the other — and that weighs I find more difficult — lacking the Hub areas away from these objectives visual highlights. Here and there I find even a Forerunner construct in the distance, but when I go there, there is usually to find or see anything interesting.

Quite fast I Zeta Halo felt in the first hours of play only as a collection of gray stone formations and green trees and yes, even if it also reminds us of the first Halo, had the game in the first Hub area a little more visual variety to shame confessed. After all, 343 Industries strives to make the world seem alive by scurrying around animals or flocks of birds, so really succeed but does not.

Here you can watch the current campaign trailer for Halo Infinite:

Clever opponents, great technology

Curiously, I still gladly explored the world and spent more time in it, as planned — simply because I knew that the next fight can wait for me behind the next hilltop and because Infinite plays in exactly these moments so fantastic, as I described above. I literally after the fight gameplay, not least because the I Aliens on the difficulty level I played heroic represent a real threat and behave partly really clever behavior.

For example, for grenade thrills, the beasts pike to the side or storm on me, if you realize that my energy child is down, and Im vulnerable. And Im really happy that 343 Industries in Infinite also scattered some really cool staged Bosskampe. For the final of the fourth major mission on the huge banner tower, for example, I have to do an invisible elite and me to set up a certain strategy for this. The danger sensor, which the Master Chief has collected shortly before that, is particularly useful. I will not betray more here now, but Ive enjoyed this duplication but definitely.

On the other hand, I have not noticed much of the playful freedom in advance of 343 playful freedom, if one goes away from the many weapons and the handful of skills. Sure, I can carefully attempt to sneak into an opponent base and cut off brutes, elites, grunts and shakes softly. On the one hand, there is no sound-damped weapons and the other is hell anyway, as soon as one of the enemies discovered. I do not really bother me, I am the fight gameplay yes as I said, but a sandbox wound tube of unlimited possibilities should not be expelled at infinite. It is still a pretty straightforward shooter, who has his strengths exactly where it counts, namely at the score.

A look at optics and technology

On the technical side, I already mentioned the somewhat empty world. Apart from that, Halo Infinite campaign in the first day hours is a gorgeous, which comes without performance problems. This starts with the enormous foresight, extends over plastic textures, detailed interiors of the Forerunner buildings and listens to the great light moods, such as in the deep sun on Zeta Halo.

Incidentally there is a day night change, but it is still too bright for my concepts in the night. Bombastically it gets the sound, because here so far almost everything: Rich and powerful weapons effects, epic music enthusiasts with goose bumps for fans. Even the German voice output has succeeded well, especially the partly cute as well as curious voice samples of the enemies (grunt: As I always say: there is nothing about an exploding man ) I have smiled me more than once. And reinforce the anticipation for what comes after the first four missions, only more.

Do you have any questions about the campaign? Write it into the comments, I try it as well as it works — and so it is allowed to answer.