Fans have been itching to see more Halo Infinite gameplay ever since the eight-minute Campaign Demo last year. Last month’s Halo Infinite multiplayer reveal trailer only served to whet gamers' appetites for more gameplay.
The waiting finally paid off during the technical preview on Tuesday. Fans finally got their first look at unedited Halo Infinite multiplayer gameplay on the Xbox One.
The actual gameplay only took up a small portion of the ninety-minute stream. Still, the clips offered up a great look at Halo Infinite’s free-to-play multiplayer content. The first clip showcases a Slayer match using Infinite’s Bazaar map. As the presenters point out, it’s the first opportunity fans have had to see that arena in first-person. The environment’s African-inspired architecture is instantly reminiscent of Old Mombasa from the second level of Halo 2. One building even seems to share the same basic layout as the first combat encounter of that zone.
The gameplay itself is fairly typical of what Halo players have come to expect from Xbox’s signature FPS franchise. Infinite’s new grappling hook was absent, despite the gadget’s prominent appearance in the 2020 demo and recent Halo Infinite Multiplayer trailer. However, the gameplay did show off Infinite’s friend or foe system, a new approach to Halo’s traditional Red vs. Blue multiplayer teams. Instead of giving opposing teams different armor colors, Infinite highlights other players with red or blue outlines. While that may seem like a small change, the developers hope it will let players more easily show off their personalized armor.
Speaking of personalization, the stream spends a decent amount of time discussing Infinite’s expanded customization options. While very little has been implemented in the current build, the developers explained how players can customize vehicles in addition to weapons and armor. When grabbing a vehicle in Halo Infinite’s multiplayer, its appearance will change to match the custom vehicle skin of the first player to claim it. The stream also showed off a small sampling of other customization options, such as players giving their Spartan’s cybernetic limbs.
The tech preview also showed off parts of Infinite’s Academy system, which 343’s Tom French described as a “ramp” to ease new players into multiplayer. It’s essentially an extended multiplayer tutorial. As he explained, Academy consists of multiple segments letting new players familiarize themselves with weapons and maps and practice against bots. The stream showed some gameplay from the Weapon Drill mode, which is essentially a firing range with bots as targets. It also offered an opportunity for 343 to show off Infinite’s new Commando rifle. While not present in the current build, French mentioned the possibility of introducing leaderboards to the Academy modes.
The presenters repeatedly stressed that the Halo Infinite Technical Preview only showcased a fraction of what players will see in Halo Infinite. However, it gives fans an idea of how far along the game is into development. The focus on Xbox One also demonstrates Microsoft and 343 Industries' commitment to making Infinite a true cross-generation game.
Halo Infinite releases Holiday Season 2021 for PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
Source: 343 Industries