Off The Golden Path – Progression And Exploration In Halo Infinite

Halo Infinite’s campaign offers two distinct paths for players; it’s one of the biggest things setting the game apart from its predecessors. As I checked out a three-hour demo of the campaign, it was apparent that Master Chief’s newest adventure affords the option of a familiar action-packed “golden path.” Like nearly all previous Halo games, Infinite’s mostly linear main story playthrough aims to offer a satisfying and tightly paced adventure, a defined and engaging narrative, and clear objective markers that carry you to the subsequent big setpiece encounter. Based on the extensive demo I experienced, players looking for that classic Halo campaign structure won’t be disappointed.

Halo Infinite is different from other games because it offers an alternative route. Infinite is a free-form adventure that allows you to explore and progress more freely than previous games in this series. There’s a whole loop of character improvement, discoverable pick-ups, armor upgrades, and optional battles awaiting players who choose to stray from the main path. While the developers at 343 Industries continue to resist the term “open world” to describe the experience, there’s no doubt that what I witnessed borrows liberally from open-world trends in action and shooting games of the last decade. These open areas, however, are filled with the kind of intense Halo gunplay and action that the series is known for.

One of the reasons Halo Infinite is not a traditional open world is the way it’s partitioned as you first emerge onto the surface of the Zeta Halo. Open-world games allow you to explore the entire world, even though some parts might prove difficult. Infinite instead divides the game’s explorable content into areas. Each area is filled with encounters and lists of items that can be found. As the story progresses, players will unlock new areas. Eventually they’ll return to their previous locations to do further exploration or conquests.

Master Chief, at the top of his game, is engaged in fighting the Banished, a faction of Covenant that has resisted the Covenant’s rule, across the Zeta Halo while also rallying UNSC forces who have crashed-landed there following the catastrophic destruction of UNSC Infinity. It sounds familiar, if you don’t mind it. 343 Industries was open with 343 Industries about the inspiration Halo Infinite has taken from Halo: Combat Evolved.

For players choosing to explore, the game accordions back and forth between large open areas, where you set the terms of the engagement, and more narrowly defined sequences that take you into the Halo’s interior – spaces the developers openly describe as dungeons. Together, the give and take between those expansive open areas and tighter interiors feels reminiscent of early games in the franchise, even if some of the activities you’re now pursuing are along the optional path to conquest and control of a zone.

Master Chief has been engaged in a constant battle for territory to complete this part of his mission. Although there are many elements to this conflict, the central starting point for any new area of war is the local forward operational base or FOB. Players must remove these UNSC outposts from the FOB to free it. The tactical map is updated with the relevant points of interest once you have regained control. The FOB can also be used as a quick travel location. Final, the FOB becomes a fast travel point by being controlled. You can refill your ammo or requisition extra supplies.

The ability to call in the weapons or other aid you need is a gamechanger for letting you shape your approach to combat, but it’s not wholly freeform. Valor is a resource that players need to build. It determines the level of equipment you are able to call upon. You will need to prepare for your Scorpion tank to arrive on the next mission.

Valor can be gained from many activities in a particular area. To gain valor, you can destroy propaganda towers that have been destroyed. To gain valor, you can rescue UNSC marines from prison by tracking them down. These activities increase your valor and give you more choices for FOB requisitions.

That’s not the only way you might acquire something new at a FOB resupply point. High-value targets allow for another fun diversion, leading to unique weapons you can’t acquire anywhere else in the game. We saw the battle against one high-value target named Okro’ Vagaduun, an Elite Blademaster who wields a special high-powered energy sword. Locate his position on the Tacmap to defeat him. Then, grab his sword. You can eliminate his troop force and requisition the sword at the FOB to bring it along into any future battles. There are many other minibosses to be named in the game, and each has their own piece of equipment to help you grow your arsenal.

Also, you can spend some time searching for findables in an area. All of these have different uses. Audio logs are scattered across the Zeta Halo, each helping flesh out the story, including details of what happened to Captain Lasky and the rest of the UNSC Infinity’s crew. You may also want to try to hunt down the ever-elusive and gameplay-altering skulls, but like in previous games, they’ll be hard to find.

Spartan Cores is another major discovery. This allows you to gradually increase your equipment’s quality with optional upgrades. Your major armor equipment is located along the critical path, however it may not have been fully utilized when found. Spartan Cores may be used to enhance your shield strength. The new grappleshot can be enhanced by Spartan Cores, adding perhaps a voltaic surprise that stuns your enemies. Spartan Cores are a way to boost the number and availability of sensor deployable sensors once you have acquired the threat detection equipment piece. 

Whether it’s increased requisitions from your controlled FOBs, special weapons acquired through the defeat of high-value targets, or improved equipment from the Spartan Cores you’ve uncovered, your development of Master Chief’s options and power all feeds into increased options for the big fights you’ll have to confront. In addition to the above activities, Halo Infinite has many larger bases that you can choose from and some which will be mission-critical.

These major Banished structures are unique freeform encounters, built to let you take them on in a matter of your choosing and use the tools you’ve developed and advanced through exploration. The team at 343 Industries informally described these types of encounters as “super-soldier base assaults.” The idea is to provide the player broad freedom to take on a big multi-part battle. Master Chief loaded up his warthog and a few rescued marines, then charged straight into the walled base. As an alternate, Master Chief could have used the grappleshot as a vantage point to open the fight and snipe numerous targets before entering. Another option is to use the grappleshot at his own risk, and climb over the walls from a softer rear position. He could also call in a VTOL wasp to fly up into the central tower. Master Chief, who was on the far end of the main base, climbed to the top and faced a stealth-hidden Elite. This added a bit of excitement to this big-scale battle. This type of fight is explosive and big, particularly when it comes to higher difficulty. There is a lot of potential for creativity and chaos.

After several hours with Halo Infinite, it’s clear 343 is trying new things, especially related to optional exploration and upgrades. The pacing of the battles and the way they flowed reminded me of the first Halo games. The flow of individual exchanges with the Banished enemies has that distinct “feel” of Halo encounters I remember facing in the early 2000s. It’s the mixing of that exciting combat loop with the more open-ended explorations that has me most excited about Halo Infinite. This new release of the juggernaut is already clear. It will deliver an unparalleled and customizable Halo experience.

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