Halo Infinite Reviews
Halo Infinite is, without question, the absolute best shooter of 2021
Halo Infinite doesn't offer all of its content at launch but shines already with a solid campaign, new innovative gameplay ideas and an expansive open world that will satisfy fans of the series. A few generic and unimaginative elements tarnish the whole package but besides these small missteps, one of the most innovative games of the series wait here for oldschool Halo Fans as well as newcomers.
Review in German | Read full review
Despite the odds, Halo Infinite is not only spiritually rebooted, but delivered with love in spades. From its personal & emotional delivery of Master Chief’s story to the mystery & exploration of Zeta Halo, it is not to be missed.
In a year packed with sub-par launches for some of the biggest first-person shooter franchises, it really feels good to simply say this: Halo is back. I for one, welcome the return of the 👑.
The redeeming aspect about Halo Infinite is that underneath the unnecessary open world format and cookie cutter story missions, the core gameplay is Halo at its best. While it's much faster paced than the Bungie-era, Infinite improves tenfold upon the disappointing 343 releases so far. The story is nothing to write home about but engaging in a full blown scrap with a squad of Banished feels brilliant. This is largely down to the new tools at Master Chief's disposal, along with the added weapon variants. Few things are as satisfying as grappling a grunt and electrocuting all the surrounding enemies, then finishing them off with a sweep of a Sentinel Beam or perfectly placed Mangler shots. The downside is how this is surrounded by bloat, in a new direction for Halo that doesn't quite land on its first outing, despite being incredibly polished and excellent from one skirmish to the next.
Even while I got lost in the narrative's reliance on drawing from the encyclopaedic franchises' past, I got caught up in the human story between Master Chief and The Weapon. Halo Infinite features an addictive campaign that moves from one objective to the other, and muttering "I'll stop after the next mission" is almost always a lie.
Put simply, Halo Infinite is a return to form. 343 Industries has managed to deliver a campaign with a compelling storyline, fresh ideas, and familiar gunplay that takes the series in a brand new direction without breaking the formula. It was well worth the wait, even if there are a few bugs remaining to hammer out.
With an adventurous campaign, complete with a sandbox that'll still be there when your friends can join the fight, and a multiplayer suite that feels like a note-perfect revival of the Halo of old, Halo Infinite feels like the complete blockbuster sci-fi shooter we've been waiting for from 343 Industries. It hasn't happened overnight for the team, but the mantle passed to them, at last, feels earned.
Halo Infinite is definitely one of the best releases of this year. And now we will patiently wait to see where the game goes next with future updates.
Review in Russian | Read full review
Halo Infinite offers a brief campaign with uneven writing, and a functional but safe implementation of the new open-world levels. It's still a great shooter with strong core mechanics that help carry the experience, but as multiplayer is now standalone and free, the value proposition of this full priced solo adventure is rather diluted.
Halo Infinite swaps out the loadouts and armor abilities of earlier games for a few new pickups, including the grappling hook, which is by far the most useful of these tools. After relying on it so much in Halo Infinite's campaign, it feels criminal to pass it by in multiplayer.
A phenomenal single-player experience that competes with the best this iconic series has to offer. Multiplayer needs a fair few structural tweaks, but still ultimately sparks joy.
Halo Infinite handles the burden of the franchise's long history gracefully. At times, as with the campaign's story, it can feel like developer 343 Industries is weighed down by Master Chief's Mjolnir armor. But Infinite's bolder design choices, like its open-world environment and Grappleshot, make it feel exciting and new. The multiplayer might play it a little safe to appease longtime fans, but if the worst thing you can say about it is that it feels like old-school Halo, then it's doing something right. It's Halo made for Halo fans, but there's enough novelty to keep it feeling fresh.
Halo Infinite can't quite deliver on being an open-world throwback, but it's the best shooting the series has seen to date.
I dare to say that this is the real and promising return of Halo. The game is not perfect, the open world has many weaknesses, while some things like co-op are absent, at least during the release. However, the campaign is well-written, well-structured and well-crafted. After much outcry and endless questioning by all of us, 343 Industries and Microsoft seem to have succeeded…
Review in Greek | Read full review
After 20 years, Halo started a new chapter. It's exciting, it feels brand new and it is still really good.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
In the end though it’s hard to fault what 343 Industries has accomplished with Halo Infinite. It’s very much the spiritual successor it purports to be -- with forward thinking design and elements that flow in a way that reminds you of the timeless nature of the fluid, stylish combat of old. The lack of co-op is something you feel, but in terms of cinematic spectacle this is the Master Chief carrying the flag once more for Xbox. Albeit in that new-school form of being able to jump in and, well, play anywhere.
And therein lies the inherent issue with launching Halo Infinite as a platform for the Halo series. It’s clear that there’s tons of potential here, and there’s so much to love about what 343 Industries has already introduced, but playing it at launch feels like you’re playing the worst version of what could rightly wind up being a fantastic game. Game Pass lets subscribers experience games like Halo Infinite on a whim, and it also lets developers like 343 take risks on launching a “Halo platform” that’s a work-in-progress. Currently, its single-player campaign is fun if somewhat empty, while its multiplayer flickers between exhilarating and frustrating. With the former being available on Game Pass while the latter is free-to-play, it’s not much of a gamble to just play it despite its problems, but by now I think we all miss when games felt like they were finished at launch.
If I had one piece of advice for people on the fence with Halo Infinite, it would be to not worry about the open world and embrace how it’s handled here. I was incredibly worried at first that 343 wouldn’t be able to resist the siren’s song of other major publishers, but the restraint here is appreciated. This is an extremely 2021 Halo, and I think it’s going to win over both lapsed players and diehards.
After the disappointing Halo 5: Guardians, it really does feel like 343 Industries is getting the series back on track with Halo Infinite. The setting is familiar, and so is the gameplay, but like returning to your hometown to meet up with long-lost friends, it’s a wholesome experience and, once you scratch the surface, things are different enough to allay any fears that you’re just re-treading the same old ground. Perhaps the biggest shame is that co-op won’t be available until after launch, because those open areas could really do with multiple Spartans causing havoc in them. But until then, even playing solo is bound to be captivating thanks to firefights that put most other first-person shooters to shame.