Halo is a storied franchise that is inextricable from the Xbox brand; both the console and game share the same birthday, and Halo had always been seen as the one killer app in the Xbox roster. While both Halo 4 and Halo 5’s campaigns were met with a somewhat lukewarm response, the multiplayer still offered the frenetic, energetic action fans have come to expect from the series.

And Halo Infinite, the latest entry from 343 Industries, looks to be another multiplayer success story for the Xbox studio. I’ve played obsessively since the game’s surprise release on November 15th (Xbox’s 20th anniversary) and I’ve come away incredibly impressed with 343’s efforts to make Halo Infinite feel like the best iteration of Halo to date.  

Gameplay

Halo Infinite is exactly the kind of refreshing gameplay experience it needed to be, offering some of the most exhilarating moments I’ve ever had in a shooter. And that’s after playing it for just two weeks. Even now, in its so-called beta phase, Halo Infinite feels like a strong contender for Game of the Year, especially after the tepid reception for both Call of Duty: Vanguard and Battlefield 2042.

Moment-to-moment action

There is a tension to each match in Halo Infinite that’s all first-person shooters strive for, and every moment in the game feels like it has the potential to be something special. 343 has struck a beautiful balance between environmental awareness and situational gunplay that offers a satisfying and rewarding challenge.

This is in large part thanks to the variety of guns Halo Infinite has to offer and the fine-tuning 343 has done to make them all feel great to use. Returning guns like the Battle Rifle feel just as good as they always have, while newcomers like the Heatwave are welcome and exciting additions. They’re satisfying to use, and feel viable in a variety of combat situations.

While not every gun in the series has returned in Halo Infinite, all the highlights are here: the Power Pistol, the BR75 Battle Rifle, and of course, the M41 SPNKR. I’m delighted to confirm that firing a rocket into the middle of a group of opposing players is just as fun as it’s always been, but the new guns have produced some of my favorite moments in the multiplayer so far.

The Skewer has proved a fan-favorite already, and I can see why; it’s essentially a giant sword shooter that hits like a truck. Getting a hit isn’t easy, but it’s a guaranteed kill in just about any scenario. The Heatwave is another great new addition to the arsenal that can vaporize enemies in a single blast or take them out with a well-placed bank shot.

And I can’t write about the moment-to-moment play of Halo Infinite without talking about vehicle combat. One of my fondest memories from the days of Halo 4 multiplayer was taking the Warthog out for a spin with my college roommate on the turret, and I can safely say that running and gunning with vehicles still feels great in Infinite.

While most of the vehicles are returning classics like the Warthog, Mongoose, and Scorpion, there are a few new additions that fit perfectly into the Halo multiplayer mold. The most interesting of these is the Chopper, a hefty big-wheel that’s great for churning enemies up and spitting them back out. Oh, and splattering enemies on the front of a Ghost is still awesome.

Game Modes

Halo Infinite kicks off its first multiplayer season with a bevy of games modes for players to enjoy, including the beloved Big Team Battle that now features 12 players on each team. It’s a chaotic scramble for power that no other game manages to match. But what Halo Infinite offers in mode variety it lacks in specific selection.

There are two primary playlists in Halo Infinite’s multiplayer menu: Quick Play and Big Team Battle. Each of these playlists features multiple different game modes like King of the Hill, Slayer, and Oddball, but there’s no option for players to opt-in or out of any particular mode. It’s all or nothing, and you won’t know what mode you’re in until the game has already loaded.

It’s an odd choice for 343 to make and one that can actively detract from the fun of the game. The only logical explanation I can think of is that they don’t want to fracture the player base across multiple playlists. That said, it’s frustrating to match into a mode you don’t like or the same mode five times in a row, and 343 should think about splitting these playlists up a bit to allow for more choice.

Progression

It’s been the hottest discussion topic about Halo’s multiplayer since launch, and the complaints are justified. Halo Infinite has implemented its own battle pass, not unlike Fortnite or Destiny 2 before it, but Infinite’s method of progressing through said battle pass is sluggish and unrewarding.

Unlike previous Halo games, Infinite doesn’t reward experience for playing well in or winning a match. Instead, all experience gains are tied directly to daily and weekly challenges that require you to fulfill a specific objective while playing the game. While some of these are as simple as getting kills or assists in a match, others can be as complex as ending an opponent’s killing spree or defeating an opponent by knocking them out of a vehicle.

It's demoralizing to spend a match playing the objective or going on a killing spree only to find that all you earned was a paltry 50 experience points. The grind is laborious and ultimately distracts players from focusing on winning the game. Players are encouraged to target individual goals instead of playing as a team, which isn’t ideal for a team-based multiplayer mode.

It doesn’t help that Halo’s battle pass also offers some pretty lousy rewards. The majority of the free rewards are challenge swap consumables, and even the premium battle pass doesn’t offer many incentives. All of this begins to feel somewhat manipulative when looking at the much more desirable rewards in the item shop.

There’s no better example of this than in Infinite’s first limited-time event, Fracture: Tenrai. It features an underwhelming battle pass that is padded with consumables and an even more frustrating experience grind. Meanwhile, the item shop has excellent cosmetics that are basically improved versions of the rewards available to earn.

Progression is where Halo Infinite needs to improve desperately. As it stands right now, it’s one of the worst battle pass grinds in gaming that somehow feels even less rewarding when you finally do level up. 343 needs to implement better rewards and a more streamlined method of earning them soon because I don’t see the majority of players sticking with this system long-term.

Verdict

Halo Infinite is a nearly unmitigated triumph for 343 Industries and Xbox. It features some of the best gunplay in any current shooter and the game modes feel both fresh and nostalgic at the same time. It’s a game that appeals to Halo fans both old and new, offering the same, great action with some exciting new twists. The only downside is an underbaked, ill-conceived progression system that dictates how players should approach the game and offers a limited selection of largely undesirable rewards.