The Halo community seems to have a lot of mixed feelings about Halo Infinite. On one hand, many fans think that 343 Industries has done right by the franchise with the past two numbered releases, and that the Halo series by in large is as good as it ever has been thanks to the constant support and updates to Halo: The Master Chief Collection. Others have been less thrilled with 343's handling of the IP, but are hoping that Halo Infinite might be the return to form that the studio has promised.
Now that the multiplayer technical previews for Halo Infinite have wrapped up, it seems like a lot of fears about the game's mechanics have been put to rest. That said, one major aspect of the game is still up in the air: its singleplayer campaign. The campaigns of 343's other Halo titles have been hit or miss with much of the community, and there seems to be no telling how it's going to land this time around. Although it may be something of a wild card, it already has some substantial good things going for it.
The Many Uncertainties Surrounding Halo Infinite
Although the technical preview reminded players how fun Halo multiplayer can be, there are still plenty of red flags surrounding the game and its campaign. For starters, there has been very little public knowledge in regards to what the game's story will actually be about. There has been a small handful of story-related trailers, but none of them have delved into much regarding what's in store for Master Chief in Halo Infinite. This could be on purpose, as 343 might be wary of sharing campaign information following the story leaks that were discovered earlier this year from the first technical preview. Still, it gives fans a reason to be wary of the campaign.
The rest of the uncertainties surrounding the game are over the fact that Halo Infinite is being released with a lot of missing content. Campaign co-op and Forge mode won't be included until several months after the game's release along with other features like assassination animations and playable elites, who won't be coming to the game at all. These aren't campaign-specific worries, but they do add up to make fans uneasy about getting too excited just yet. The game was delayed for an entire year, which means that expectations for 343 to deliver are pretty high, and for some the studio is already not meeting them in certain places. Those issues are causing some fans to be worried about the campaign, because if something isn't finished in one area, then it's possible that other things will be unfinished elsewhere.
What Halo Infinite is Getting Right
Plenty of fans have been skeptical of Halo Infinite ever since the infamous trailer that featured "Craig" the Brute, which left a lot of viewers unimpressed. Now that players have had the chance to hop in some games following the three different technical preview weekends, it's clear that the year-long delay was put to good use. The gunplay is as good as it ever has been in the series, and the new weapons introduced to the franchise's arsenal are doing a lot to change things up for the better.
Even if Halo Infinite's campaign underdelivers from a narrative perspective, it will still feature the great gameplay mechanics that have been put front and center in the multiplayer. There's still so much that remains unknown about what the campaign will hold, but it's already got a solid foundation to build from. As such, hopefully it can impress fans in a similar way to that of the technical previews.
Halo Infinite releases on December 8 for PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.