A Little Bit of Background 

Until recently, the only thing that seemed infinite about Halo Infinite was its development. First announced in July 2018, the game didn’t have an official reveal until two years later at Xbox’s E3 press conference. Fans had built up their excitement ever since the franchise’s last installment in 2015, but Infinite’s 2020 reveal left much to be desired for many Halo fans and gamers alike.

Halo Infinite’s launch was lined up to release the same day as Microsoft’s Xbox Series X and was meant to be the flagship launch game for the console. Like previous console releases before it, the Series X aimed to be the most powerful console on the market, capable of top-of-the-line graphics, frame rates, and the best games library of any system. With Halo Infinite leading the charge of the console’s lineup, the pressure was on for it to really show what the console could do.

Unfortunately, it did not deliver. Instead, Xbox fans were presented with a game that many referred to as looking unfinished. Despite the positives and negatives of the reveal’s gameplay mechanics, the gaming community seemed focused on Infinite’s look graphically. Many took to social media to voice their concerns, criticisms and of course flood the internet with memes about the game, many of which centered around an expressionless, hairless ape enemy known as a Brute featured in the game’s demo, that the internet rallied in renaming, Craig.

The feedback that Halo Infinite’s developers, 343 Industries, received about the demo pushed them to delay the game to work on the issues expressed by fans. Now, over a year later, the game was set to release on December 8. To the surprise of the whole gaming industry and fans, 343 Industries released the free-to-play multiplayer component of Infinite early on November 15, Xbox’s 20th Anniversary as well as the anniversary of the very first Halo game, Halo: Combat Evolved. 

The free-to-play multiplayer released early in the form of a beta which will last until the game’s official release in December, but unlike most betas or technical tests for games, this is the full meal deal for Halo Infinite. Featuring every map, mode, and item available at launch, the only thing beta-like about this version of the game is only the name. The purpose of this is to show that 343 Industries is dedicated to supporting the game up to and after launch, taking player feedback prior to the official release and implementing necessary changes and fixes as early as possible.

The Good

So how is the game? 343 had a whole extra year to polish after Infinite’s initial reveal and it looks like that extra time in the oven was exactly what it needed. Although the reveal was for the game’s story mode (Campaign), it’s likely the extra time was used on the multiplayer as well and it plays great. The movement, maps, weapons and overall gameplay experience mimic the classic Halo feel that veteran players have come to love since 200. Halo Infinite’s multiplayer does this while also not feeling dated by innovating modern game mechanics that are synonymous with the most popular shooters today. All together Halo Infinite’s gameplay is a mix of fast paced, engaging and nostalgic mayhem and I love it.

The multiplayer gameplay is enticing enough as it is, but may not be the game’s most drawing feature. That title belongs to Infinite’s free to play and crossplay enabled model and this has been the most exciting element of it for me as well. Features like this make the game more accessible for fans and newcomers alike. A tight budget doesn’t have to stop friends from getting to play with one another, and neither does the player’s platform of choice so long as they are within the Microsoft ecosystem… for now.

The two telling factors that really determined whether I enjoyed Halo Infinite was firstly, that it drove me to finish my school assignments this past week and secondly, I stayed up much later than I should’ve, playing it. I am currently running off about four hours of sleep as I write this because I was up late playing Infinite.

The ‘Needs Work’

However, the game is not perfect, and one of its best features that I’ve mentioned may be mostly to blame. Games that choose a free-to-play model often have microtransactions (in-game payments) that come along with it. Many games have created struggles with their fanbases about how these paid elements are implemented and unfortunately Halo Infinite finds itself among them.

Players are displeased with the game’s battle pass system which is the main method to unlock cosmetic items for your character in multiplayer. For an already free-to-play game, microtransactions can be justifiable but 343 so far heavily limits the progress you can make in Infinite’s battle pass which encourages paying your way through.

Progress in the battle pass can almost only be made through completing challenges within the game, with the other method being just playing matches which doesn’t give you enough progress to really be worth the time.. Unfortunately, you are only given a certain number of challenges for the week and once you complete them, you have to wait until the next week for more. For now it’s frustrating to see how this system works considering Halo: Reach had a similar system that it nearly perfected over a decade ago.

Additionally, the challenges one must complete to make progress often result in players being uncooperative in team games, instead pursuing their challenges solely and abandoning any team objective which can ruin the fun at times. It’s things like this that make me glad the game is considered to be in a beta state which implies fixes can and will be made to the troubling aspects of the game and perhaps by its official launch some of these fixes will be implemented.

The Verdict

In conclusion, despite some of the game’s negatives, overall I am very happy with Halo Infinite’s multiplayer so far and this comes down to one reason mostly, friends. Many of mine drifted from Halo and Xbox years ago but were drawn back in due to the free-to-play and crossplay features of Infinite. This game has managed to recapture the excitement and passion we had for the game together a decade ago, making us feel like we’re back all on the same couch playing together. In fact, we can and have done that with Infinite. Me being on my Xbox and TV, my friend next to me on his gaming laptop, both of us in the same multiplayer match. It’s symbolic of the good ol’ couch co-op days and I am grateful to have that feeling back.

Again, the game has a little ways to go, some problems to fix, but a very solid foundation that keeps me playing despite its drawbacks. Between its beta period and its “Games as a Service” business model, this is just the beginning for Halo Infinite’s multiplayer and if it’s this good already, then I eagerly await it getting even better.

– Dawson Bainbridge