The fourth mission in the Halo: Combat Evolved campaign is often remembered by fans as one of the best moments throughout the entirety of the first game. It's an iconic mission in Combat Evolved, and arguably the entire Halo series altogether. Storming the beach to find the map room on the sandbox-style island, all while the iconic Halo melody starts playing in the background, was a moment that contributed to solidfying Halo as a formative shooter franchise. Sure, nowadays it may not be nearly as impressive a setpiece as it was back in 2001, but this mission continues inspire Halo to this day, including Halo Infinite's upcoming campaign.It's been a long while since 343 Industries took over for Bungie on the Halo franchise, but even the first game in the series continues to have a tangible impact on modern entries. Many were quick to compare the original reveal of Halo Infinite to some of the early moments of Halo: Combat Evolved's campaign, which was likely an intentional decision made by 343 to harken back to the title that started it all. Now, over a year after the controversial first gameplay trailer for Halo Infinite, this week's new reveal trailer for the campaign emphasizes that The Silent Cartographer's influence has informed the open-world/open-ended design of the next entry's ambitious campaign.
Halo: The Silent Cartographer Is Combat Evolved's Best Mission
The Silent Cartographer stands out in the first Halo game's campaign, mostly because it emphasizes what made Halo campaigns so iconic. Players are often presented with a sandbox firefight in Halo where there are multiple ways for players to clear an area and progress. The Silent Cartographer, at the time, essentially did that better than any other Combat Evolved mission in the singleplayer campaign. Even if there is an optimal route, no single playthrough of this mission plays out the same, and the objectives can be tackled in a non-linear fashion. It's not quite as open-ended as more modern shooters like a Far Cry outpost, but it made the mission one of the best.
On a more analytical level, everything that makes a good Halo sandbox is present (to a certain extent) in The Silent Cartographer mission. Environments are diversified, ranging from wide-open beaches and hills, to cramped Forerunner corridors packed with multiple Covenant enemies. Players spend their time methodically clearing the beach with an assault rifle and pistol, but eventually they some extra firepower with a rocket launcher, and later on with a Warthog as well. Compared to a mission in Halo 3, The Silent Cartographer might seem like a simpler design, but the best aspects of every Halo game do somewhat stem from Combat Evolved's fourth mission.
Halo Infinite's Open-World Is The Silent Cartographer Turned Up to 11
Some of the best missions from subsequent Halo games have improved upon The Silent Cartographer's design in unique ways. Halo 2 missions like Metropolis and The Arbiter feature the same degree of gameplay variety throughout, following a specific pace that ramps up in intensity as players progress. Missions like Halo 3's The Covenant, or Halo: Reach's New Alexandria, follow a similar pace while adding a touch of non-linear progression. Even some of the Halo games developed by 343 Industries followed a similar formula despite being greater departures from the classic Bungie design, like Halo 4's Requiem or Halo 5's Enemy Lines missions.
Now, with Halo Infinite increasing the degree of non-linearity in its singleplayer campaign, the open-world design is taking The Silent Cartographer's foundation and cranking it up to 11. Going open world in Halo Infinite's campaign isn't necessarily a huge departure for the Halo franchise as a whole, but becoming entirely non-linear is definitely a new way to experience Halo. Exploring a larger map progressively, discovering new missions or tasks along the way, is definitely still in the spirit of gameplay diversity that made past Halo campaigns so unique in execution. Going fully open world is just an extension of that same design, just to a greater extent.
This is without even taking into account the other more obvious aspects of Halo Infinite that are garnering comparisons to the original Halo game. The Zeta-Halo in Infinite is uncharted territory for Master Chief, especially given the fact that humanity is once again on the backfoot. While the Banished are the main aggressors this time around, the Brute-led opposition is very reminiscient of the Covenant chasing the Pillar of Autumn in Halo: Combat Evolved. Exploring the Halo for the first time in Combat Evolved evoked a similar sense of curiousity, something Halo Infinite's open-world design will likely attempt to recreate.
Halo Infinite releases on December 8, 2021, for PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.