It's been 19 years since we've touched down on a Halo ring. Now, 343 Industries is bringing us back with a twist.
With the recent demo at the Xbox Games Showcase, there has never been more stirring discussion over the next Halo title. As fans clamored over the gameplay and visuals, perhaps the most revealing factor is its semi-open world environment. This idea isn’t new to the Halo universe, thanks to Halo 3: ODST’s introduction of a semi-open world detective experience. However, when it comes to the Master Chief, this is our first glimpse into an open world title on a Halo ring, but is Halo Infinite actually open world and what are our key takeaways?
1. Halo Infinite is Semi-Open World
A brief look at Halo Infinite's interactive map. As you can see, you are not restricted in where or what you wish to explore.
When 343 Industries showed their first teaser at the 2018 E3 presser, audiences were amazed by the scale of the landscapes they were witnessing. As the trailer panned over vast meadows and dark nightscapes, it was something we haven’t seen in a long time when it comes to a Halo title. Cut to the July 23rd Xbox Games Showcase, and we saw our first glimpse into how open world the game actually is.
- The game is partially open world, meaning it doesn’t seem to follow a traditional RPG open world experience. You still have a main campaign story to accomplish, but you will have to explore and discover the answers yourself instead of a guided, linear experience. Think of a more detailed Halo 3: ODST gaming experience; instead of looking for your squadmates you’re going to be conducting various tasks to fight the Banished.
- As you can see from the image above, you will have an open world map. You will be able to explore various landscapes and monuments on your way to fix a gun battery, allowing players to fully bask in the sun of Halo Infinite.
2. Halo Infinite has Dynamic Content
The Master Chief observing Halo after a fight with the Banished. The ring's unfinished nature is in full display.
The new Slipspace engine is going to be a serious talking point when Halo Infinite releases. How will it perform? Are there going to be any bugs? What video game facets does it highlight? As I’ve mentioned in a previous article, the Slipspace engine was meant to give creatives more flexibility in creation. But what if it provides creatives the opportunity to develop large scale, dynamic, and powerful content?
- 343 Industries has mentioned that they are developing scheduled content drops for Halo Infinite. This means that we will get new story missions, activities, and experiences within the environment.
- Fortnite has successfully performed many world-changing events, and Destiny 2 has followed suit. Halo Infinite is likely to be next in line as the open world environment will change dynamically based on the content drops that 343 Industries will provide us. This would act as a refresher for our open world; instead of making a new game and new world, they just need to keep changing it.
3. Halo Infinite has Dynamic Environments
As the Master Chief pilots his Warthog, Halo's massive landscapes come into view. Miniature outposts dot your path as you explore the environment.
Because Halo has historically been a linear campaign experience, we’ve never seen dynamic environmental changes. Even in titles such as Halo 3: ODST and Halo Reach, we’ve seen some facets of changing environments, but none that resemble an open world. What makes Halo Infinite so different?
- Halo Infinite will have diurnal cycles. This means that we will experience day and night as we play through the game. This is the first time diurnal cycles will be introduced in a Halo game and doesn’t even exist in many open world titles today.
- Wildlife will be roaming the fields with you. Despite Halo Reach introducing wildlife, they were usually hostile and required you to put a bullet between their eyes. This time, you’re welcome to simply take pictures but don’t feed the animals! (Update: 343 Industries has confirmed you can’t pet them; what a shame.)
4. Halo Infinite will Still Have a Linear Storyline
Master Chief will once again be our main man as he battles through the Banished and their vengeance against the Demon.
With Halo Infinite taking on a semi-open world environment, players might be concerned with how this format will detract from the storytelling experience. Destiny 2 has suffered slightly from this design philosophy as it’s easy to forget why you were running an errand. However, Halo Infinite will seemingly circumvent this issue.
- Despite a vastly different game structure, 343 Industries has confirmed that the game will still follow a linear storyline. In comparison to traditional open world RPGs, you could get lost in side quests and effectively ignore the main story line, but Halo Infinite will still guide you through the fight with the Banished. This means that those who are not traditionally open world gamers won’t have to worry about their storytelling experience being sidetracked by too many options.
5. Halo Infinite is Massive
Halo Infinite's landscapes are just a tease of where and what we will be able to explore. There is literally a whole world waiting for us to experience it.
Halo Infinite’s narrative director Paul Crocker (who worked on the Batman Arkham series) has extensive experience creating open world games. However, he realized that traditional Halo players may not be so receiving of a pure open world experience and even Crocker himself wanted to set Halo Infinite apart from other gaming experiences. But just how would he do that?
- Halo Infinite is huge. Crocker claims that the open world experience will be larger than Halo 4 and Halo 5: Guardians combined (and that’s just to start!). However, Crocker continues by emphasizing strong Halo elements, whether that be in the form of Forerunner architecture or friendly faces and vehicles.
- Halo Infinite’s dynamism doesn’t only mean changing landscapes, but possible extensions. Because of no plans for a Halo 7 anytime soon, 343 will have to find a way to make the game even bigger as the years go by.
Despite only an 8-minute gameplay tease at the Xbox Games Showcase, much information has already been released about Halo Infinite’s open world design philosophy. These five are perhaps the most important ones, but what open world hopes and dreams do you have for Halo Infinite?
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