Halo Infinite campaign gameplay overview features a new dynamic sandbox

Halo Infinite
Halo Infinite (Image credit: Xbox Game Studios)

What you need to know

  • 343 Industries has shared several details about Halo Infinite's campaign in a new campaign overview video.
  • The video primarily focuses on the dynamic open world-style campaign gameplay as well as new pieces of information about the story.
  • The Halo Infinite campaign will be available for $60 and will launch alongside the game's multiplayer on Dec. 8, 2021.

In a new campaign overview video, Halo developer 343 Industries has shared several details about what players can expect from the Halo Infinite campaign experience. This includes a detailed look at the game's gameplay, notes about Halo Infinite's story and writing, and more. Notably, this marks the first time that we've seen the Halo Infinite campaign up close ever since the original gameplay reveal in 2020.

The video primarily showed off many of Halo Infinite's gameplay features that are intended to make the experience feel more open, dynamic, and non-linear than previous entries in the franchise. These include the game's day/night cycle, enemy patrols, side objectives in the open world that require you to save Marines or clear out Banished strongholds, named Banished minibosses, and upgrades that you can obtain for Halo Infinite's various Equipment pieces by finding Spartan Cores in-game. There will also be areas where you can call in pieces of ordnance, like weapons or vehicles, to use as you explore Zeta Halo. Have a look at the new footage below:

The video also showed off some brand new hints about Halo Infinite's story. One of the driving elements of the plot will be to find out what happened to Cortana after the events of Halo 5, in which she took control of the Forerunner Guardians and subjugated the galaxy. Additionally, the video also showed some new scenes of the Banished's leader War Chief Escharum and a deadly Spartan-killer Elite named Jega 'Rdomnai. "The Harbinger" that was briefly mentioned in the 2020 gameplay footage was revealed as well, and she appears to be an entirely new character that claims "The Forerunners' lies are at an end" and that "she is the Harbinger of the truth."

Unlike Halo Infinite's free-to-play multiplayer, the Halo Infinite campaign experience costs $60 (notably, you will unlock some campaign-exclusive items in multiplayer). Alternatively, you'll get access to it if you're an Xbox Game Pass subscriber, and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers will also get monthly rewards. The campaign will release alongside the multiplayer suite on Dec. 8, 2021 on the Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One consoles, and Windows PCs.

Brendan Lowry

Brendan Lowry is a Windows Central writer and Oakland University graduate with a burning passion for video games, of which he's been an avid fan since childhood. You'll find him doing reviews, editorials, and general coverage on everything Xbox and PC. Follow him on Twitter.

6 Comments
  • Last part with Escharum was confirmed not in-engine. Apparently we are getting 2 more things, news, footage or something related to this.
  • I really don't want every game to be an open world collectathon with repeated side missions scattered throughout. Whatever happened to just telling a good story without padding. Even Uncharted felt the need to drop an open world area into Lost Legacy. Gears 5 did it as well with the absolutely boring skiff travelling. Oh well, I'll give it a shot still as it's included in Game Pass but I'm just hoping the story doesn't suffer for it as it often does in open world games (they tend to kill the flow of the narrative which I'm discovering more and more lately).
  • Unfortunately, with games at least, many people liken value to hours of gameplay. Which I understand but do not agree. This trend seems to be turning around though, at least when it comes to Ubisoft games. As people are upset with the same open worlds over and over.
  • I agree with your statement. I do think this is a unique case since we are getting to explore Zeta Halo. If they do it right that is. I'm hoping that exploring will reveal a some lore about the Forerunners
  • It's long overdue to give a bit more freedom. I'm curious if they go the Gears 5 or Metro Exodus route. Linear with some open areas to explore
  • I haven't played Metro Exodus yet, but Gears 5 should not have had open areas, it just felt like padding to make the game longer rather than actually incorporate any kind of gameplay into it. I did enjoy the first two Metro games because they were linear but the world building made it feel like there was more to everything than what you could see. Only a month and a half before we get to try this one out which is exciting.