During their presentation for Halo Infinite at the 2021 Gamescom event, 143 Industries dropped the mother of all bombs and set in stone a release date for the end of this year. That’s right, dear reader, you will be blasting annoying grunts and dominating fearsome brutes before the year is out. This news comes as a welcome solace to those affected by the unavoidable delay at the end of last year (2020).
Halo Infinite Story
While there is little more than speculation cast across the internet as ‘leaks’, there remains very little word from any reputable sources. From the 11-minute gameplay trailer, we can gather that the main antagonists are going to be none other than the Halo Universe faction, The Banished.
First seen in Halo Wars 2, The Banished is a group formed of various alien mercenaries. It’s known that these space pirates (for the lack of a better description) allow the recruitment of any alien species, as long as deemed worthy for the field of battle.
The game opens with the leader of The Banished, Atriox appearing to Master Chief to explain that they had wiped out his people and adding – rather smugly – that he wished he could say it was hard, but it wasn’t. It’s looking as though Halo Infinite is going to be a tale of revenge and justice. Whichever way the narrative flows, Halo Infinite is to be the last standalone game on the Halo timeline for another ten years. However, there’s no reason to worry; there’s still plenty of Halo to come in the foreseeable future.
It appears that once again your struggle against the machine of war (The Banished) isn’t a lone endeavour. In the gameplay trailer, we are introduced to The Weapon. The Weapon was deployed when Cortana was wiped out during her rebellion and explains her story upon first meeting with you.
Halo Infinite Multiplayer
Rather than roll out and unfinished product or push the release date further back, 343 Industries have announced that Halo Infinite will not feature the popular Forge and Co-op campaign modes on release. Hopefully, these modes will be introduced in the months after release – we can only hope.
The core multiplayer modes, however, will feature Destiny 2-style shaders on the spartans, allowing for a character customization unlike anything ever before seen in the Halo franchise. Shoulder plates, knee pads, visors and helmet parts will be fully customizable, meaning your only limits will be your own imagination.
It is also believed, thanks to reknowned leaker, Tom Henderson, that 343 Industries are going for a more far out, Apex-style appraoch and we can be expected to see items we wouldn’t normally see in the Halo universe – including Santa.
If you think #HaloInfinite cosmetics are going to be “true to the franchise”, you’re in for a surprise. It seems like they are going down a similar route to Apex Legends to me, with a lot of wacky stuff. One skin appears to be a snowman to release around Christmas for example.
Tom Henderson, via Twitter
Halo Infinite – 20 Years Anniversary Limited Edition Console and Controller
To celebrate the 20-year anniversary of the Xbox’s flagship franchise, Microsoft have released a Halo Infinite themed console and control pad. Featuring the star pattern from the Halo ring the console is sleek and stunning, while the Master Chief colors featured on the control pad perfectly compliment it.
Pre-orders are already in the running, so you should grab one as soon as possible, if you want a chance of owning the stunning package.
Summary
Halo Infinite looks like it’s shaping up to be a game-changer for the franchise. With the new take on visuals set to adorn the multiplayer modes, you can rest assured that this upcoming title will bring something fresh to the Halo table. Having moved on from Cortana, it will be interesting to see what The Weapon will bring to the saga.
Halo Infinite is to be released on December 8 and will be available on Xbox X/S and PC. It should also be available Day 1 for Xbox GamePass and Xbox Ultimate subscribers.