Halo Infinitewas a decidedly ambitious installment to such a longstanding and iconic franchise, with the title boasting an extensive amount of changes to the usual formula that the IP has historically employed. With an unprecedented open-world campaign and a multiplayer mode littered with brand-new mechanics, it is clear that the vision behind the release was one of innovation to curate a new experience for the series.
Despite these bold changes, it can be said that many considerHalo Infiniteto be somewhat of a disappointment overall. While most of the game’s criticisms are related to its core multiplayer, the campaign ofInfinitehas also been brought into question ever since the title’s launch in November 2021. Despite not being the most pressing issue to come from the release, it is clear that the successor toHalo Infinitewill have to put some serious thought into whether it is logical to continue the game’s bold open-world single-player experience.
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The Issue With Halo Infinite’s Open-World
It is clear howHalo Infiniteattempted to maintain most of the core gameplay framework of the franchise while implementing changes to stamp out its own new identity. For example, the game sees the player take sole control ofMaster Chief in a protagonist role, doing away from the somewhat controversial focus on other protagonists that previous titles portrayed while returning to the roots of the IP.
This familiarity is returned to the player within an entirely different context, however, withHalo Infinitescrapping the linear gameplay of most prior franchise installments in favor of a sprawling and vast open world to explore. Of course, this decision complements new mechanics thatHalo Infinitefeatured such as a grappling hookfor map traversal, and the game’s open world was regarded by some fans as a welcome change of pace for the franchise.
However, many argue that the presence of this open world took away fromHalo’siconic storytelling via bombastic set-pieces, which are suited more to traditional linear experiences. It can be said that theHalofranchise is experiencing somewhat of an identity crisis in this way, and soHalo Infinite’ssuccessor has many key decisions to make.
An Open World In Halo Infinite’s Successor
Nothing is currently known about a potential successor toHalo Infinite, with the 2021 title still firmly adhering to its post-launch content roadmap by continuously bolstering its multiplayer modes. However, thesize and cultural importance of theHaloIPmake it more than likely that a new installment will eventually come out, and it seems obvious that this title will find itself at a daunting but important crossroads.
Doing away with theopen-world campaign thatHalo Infiniteintroducedwould crucially allow its successor to feature more intimate and high-octane gameplay sequences akin to olderHalotitles, as well as crucially giving more importance and room for individual characters to shine and better interact with the player. On the other hand, this would further tarnish the reputation ofHalo Infiniteas a failed outlier to the franchise norms, and so maintaining an open world in the next game would give more continuity to the IP’s new identity while allowing more unique landscapes to be explored.
The weight behind this decision is massive, but it is important that 343 is confident in its eventual choice to finally cement the new identity and heart of theHalofranchise. There are of course pros and cons regardless of whether an open world is maintained, yet a sensible middle-ground between the two would likely satiate the largest amount of fans overall.
Halo Infiniteis available now on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
