4.5/5 ★ – enovo15's review of Halo Infinite.

Played in 2022 Halo Infinite takes the Halo franchise in an entirely different direction than prior entries, but this change pays off immensely as this is the best entry in the franchise since 343 Industries took over the series. Ditching the linear missions of prior Halo games in favor of an open world design was a breath of fresh air for a series that had been slowly declining over the past few entries, and fighting the Banished, a mercenary faction that broke off from the Covenant, kept the enemies mostly familiar, but with new motivations and goals. The open world was mostly fun to explore, with high value banished targets to eliminate, banished outposts to destroy, and various collectibles scattered around the world. The newest item in Master Chief’s arsenal, the grappling hook, was an incredible addition to the gameplay, as it was immensely useful in traversing the open world, as well as one of the best combat tools you could use. Another deviation from the classic Halo formula is the emphasis on boss battles. Each high value target in the open world was essentially a mini boss battle (with some being extremely challenging) but in the main story alone there are 8-10 boss battles, with a few of them standing out as highlights of the entire game. The Banished leadership of Atriox and Escharum were great antagonists, who gave the game more of an overall enemy than some other Halo games. The conflict in Infinite felt more personal since there were individuals that embodied the enemy, instead of going up against the entire covenant, or groups as a whole. The story in Halo Infinite was incredibly entertaining, with some great characters, moments, and foreshadowing to what could be coming next in the Halo franchise. The only real downside to this game was the time lapse between the end of Halo 5: Guardians and the start of this game, which is months later and all the events set in motion at the end of Guardians were settled off screen between games. The threat of Cortana and her Guardians, as well as all the other Spartans were nowhere to be seen during this game outside of some conversations, which I was not thrilled about. As much criticism as Halo 5: Guardians gets, I still found the overall story to be extremely interesting and I was looking forward to seeing how things played out after the ending with Cortana and the Guardians, so I was a bit disappointed to find out this was all wrapped up between games. I would really like a prequel game that covers these missing events, or possibly a DLC that bridges the gap a bit more than what was done so far. Overall, Halo Infinite is an exceptional return to form for the franchise, with a great story, incredible gameplay, interesting characters and enemies, and an ending that will make any Halo fan excited for what’s to come in the series.