The comparisons between Halo and Destiny have plagued Bungie’s latest series since moving on from its previously most popular franchise. However, now that Halo Infinite is starting to show off gameplay, more and more fans are starting to notice that the newest title in the series now seems to be imitating Destiny.
Finding similarities between Halo and Destiny is nothing new, to the point that the way these two games compare has been used to describe similar games like Disintegration. Of course, while seeing similarities between Halo Infinite and its competitors may at times cause worry for players, this doesn’t necessarily mean that it will entirely be a negative.
Specifically, this doesn’t only come down to the way that a number of enemies in both Halo and Destiny are one-to-one, like Brutes and Cabal. Instead, it’s more interesting to look at the story structure of Halo Infinite, with its decades of Halo lore behind it, and how the reinvented adventure relates to similar series. Further, there is also an argument to be made that the combat and way that players will interact with the world may even share similarities between the two franchises.
Escharum and Ghaul
One of the first things that fans quickly noticed when Halo Infinite’s villain was introduced in the latest gameplay trailer is how similar he seems to be to Destiny 2’s initial boss. A certain amount of this seems to stem from how Brutes and the Cabal from both series are so strikingly similar. Both of these factions are large enemies, covered in heavy armor that come from advanced and violent races obsessed with war, and have smaller grunts that are treated as servants to the larger, brutish leaders.
However, looking directly at the leaders that players will be interacting with, and eventually fighting against in the end, the similarities go much further than surface level. Both are proud fighters who seem to begin the game having beaten the player, and are now attempting to capture the power that the main character has previously commanded for his own gain. Everything about Halo Infinite’s big bad Escharum, even on the deeper levels of motivation, personality, and military tactics is nearly identical to Destiny 2’s Ghaul.
The Banished and The Red Legion
Going beyond the leaders of Halo Infinite’s new enemy faction, the deeper lore surrounding The Banished almost feels like The Red Legion was a repurposing of scrapped concepts from Bungie’s previous work on the older series. On a surface level, it comes back to the Cabal vs Brute argument again, yet the history of each group also sheds light on their similarities. Specifically, the fact that both of these factions are essentially exiles that fled their war obsessed civilizations to become extremist conquerors, willing to completely destroy everything that dares to stand against them.
Even the basic plans of The Banished mirrors The Red Legion’s introduction, with Escharum and his followers selecting one of the Halo rings as their first target the same way Ghaul targeted the Traveler. Additionally, the power hidden in the rings, which it can be assumed is what The Banished are after, is the ability to destroy all life. The Red Legion’s plot to destroy the sun is so central to their story that it was revived for Destiny 2’s recent seasonal activities.
Mobility and Abilities
Looking beyond the ways that the stories compare, players have also noticed that the mechanics seen in the recent Halo Infinite gameplay trailer almost looks like footage from Destiny 2. A lot of this looks like it may stem from the high mobility available within the game, which isn’t something that Halo has always been known for. This combined with new pieces of equipment, like a front facing deployable shield, that looks identical to Desiny 2’s Titan shield, have led players to the conclusion that the two games might play the same.
Beyond some of the more obvious additions, new features like Halo Infinite’s grappling hook also seem to be bridging the gap between the two franchises. While Destiny doesn’t have the exact mechanic of a grappling hook, movement abilities, like the Titan jetpack, Warlock flight and blink, and Hunter double jump, do define combat in the series. With the increased mobility, there is less of an incentive on hiding behind cover in many encounters and more of an emphasis with moving quickly around the map to take the advantage, something seen in footage for Halo Infinite.
Open Spaces and Exploration
Along with the added mobility of the grappling hook comes open exploration that has led a number of fans to wonder whether or not Halo Infinite will be open world. From the way the 343 Industries has spoken on the subject so far, the answer seems to be mixed. This semi-openness likely means that the game will have open elements, but not a completely open sandbox like Skyrim or Breath of the Wild.
Fans of Destiny 2 will likely recognize this approach to level design, as the series also delivers a series of open areas, with more linear paths for players to follow during missions. Looking at Halo Infinite’s map interface, it seems that the upcoming title will be following a similar design philosophy. So players jumping back and forth between the franchises might find a familiar feeling when exploring the world if it continues to lean the same way as Destiny.
Equipment and Item Drops
Of course, with everything that seems to be the same between Halo Infinite and Destiny 2, it is still important to make note of what is different. In the case of these games, it comes down to how equipment drops and is placed around the map, feeding all the way into the complete separation of leveling and loot mechanics. Specifically, the new Halo won’t include Destiny’s heavy emphasis on loot, instead opting for a more traditional route of dedicated weapon spawns and equipment drops from enemies.
So, while the gunplay, and even some of the equipment available to pick up makes some abilities between the two games feel identical, there is a fundamental difference that divides the two. As Halo Infinite intends to reboot the franchise in the direction that Destiny went, it isn’t going so far as to copy, paste, and hope for the best. There will be remnants of the series that came before, and the experience does look to be attempting to please longtime fans of the series.
Halo Infinite is set to release Holiday 2020, for PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.