When 343 Industries first showed the Halo Infinite campaign, it was met with a mixed response. While it seemed many fans were intrigued by a Halo game with open world gameplay elements, many others were let down by the graphics and weren't shy about voicing their disapproval. Halo Infinite's campaign became a meme, and perhaps in response to the backlash, the game that was meant to be the flagship launch title for Microsoft's Xbox Series X console was delayed for over a year.
343 Industries went dark when it came to the Halo Infinite campaign, focusing on multiplayer instead. That's changed as of late, as 343 has started ramping up its Halo Infinite marketing, releasing a campaign overview recently that offered a deep dive into what the story mode has in store for players. Hot off the heels of the Halo Infinite campaign overview, 343 has released yet another trailer for the game, this one focusing on The Banished villains and specifically their leader, Escharum.
The intense Halo Infinite trailer features Escharum of The Banished faction threatening Master Chief. "Humanity clings to the belief that a savior will come, that a hero will rise, shrouded in armor, to save you. It won't. Armor can be broken. Bodies, shattered. When you look back on these last days you will realize that all you built was a tomb," Escharum says in the trailer. Escharum's comments are interspersed with clips of Master Chief getting in his armor, teasing the eventual confrontation between the two characters.
It seems 343 is doing a lot to hype up Escharum and establish him as a legitimate threat for Master Chief, which could be in response to some of the criticism that was aimed at Halo 5: Guardians. Compared to other games in the Halo series, the Halo 5 story was criticized for assuming players had knowledge of some of the extended universe Halo happenings and for lacking a strong antagonist character.
It will be interesting to see what happens when Master Chief and Escharum come to blows, though Escharum isn't the only villain fans will encounter when they jump into Halo Infinite. The Halo Infinite campaign overview teased more villains that Master Chief will have to contend with, though their exact identities are unknown at the time of this writing.
The Halo Infinite release date is just over a month away at this point, so fans don't have to wait much longer to find out what happens in the campaign.
Halo Infinite launches December 8 for PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.