While titles like The Medium keep Xbox Series S|X owners busy, all eyes are on Halo Infinite. This is undeniably Xbox's killer app, and critics and fans alike expect quality when Halo Infinite finally drops later this year. Coming off its pair of controversial Halo titles, Infinite may be 343 Studio's last gambit to repair its reputation and put Halo on the upswing. Infinite is the perfect game to accomplish this, too, as it looks to be a soft reboot of the series.

While it may be a clean slate, Infinite is still informed by Halo's past games. As such, 343 Industries needs to consider what elements from the franchise overall should be synthesized into Infinite. Based on last year's campaign demo, there is a lot of Bungie in Halo Infinite. Whereas Halo 5: Guardians was all about fluid speed, Bungie's Halo games were about methodical sandbox gunplay. While both styles have their merit, the classic Halo gameplay loop is more iconic and fresher in the modern landscape. Halo 5: Guardians still retains Halo's spirit but places it in the context of a twitchier, eSports-focused experience other games excel in now.

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Retaining Bungie's Gameplay and Visual Style

To return Halo to its dominant position, slowing the game down and returning to Bungie's design philosophy is probably a good idea. It appears as though this is precisely what 343 is accomplishing. Watching the campaign footage indicates that 343 is carefully synthesizing elements from across Bungie's core games into Infinite. The gunplay and equipment systems look distinctly evocative of Halo 3, which is ideal. Halo 3 and Halo Reach's core combat is second to none in the shooter space, so this is exciting to see. There's an apparent influence from Combat Evolved in the more colorful visuals and Covenant designs.

This is for the best, as Bungie's use of color was far more effective than 343's. Halo 4 and 5's environments and enemies tended to blend into each other, largely due to the game's focus on fidelity as opposed to visual clarity. Even Halo 3 and Halo Reach felt muted visually. Seeing Halo Infinite return to Halo Combat Evolved and Halo 2's visual palette is exciting and will directly benefit gameplay in the heat of a firefight.

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Maintaining What Makes Modern Halo Distinct

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While it's important that 343 drums up and recaptures a lot of Bungie's magic, the studio should keep its strengths in mind too. 343 Industries' eye for cinematic presentation shouldn't be overlooked. Putting the content of its narratives aside, there was a sense of weight to every cutscene and story beat in Halo 4 and Halo 5 that shouldn't be forgotten. There are glimpses of this in the Infinite demo, especially when The Pilot and Master Chief are interacting. With a more focused script, 343's cinematic qualities could be sharper than ever.

At the same time, Halo Infinite should remember how fluid Halo 5: Guardians was to control. Some of 343's basic enhanced mobility is already back, including sprint and clamber. Plus, Infinite joined DOOM Eternal on the grappling hook wave, giving Chief a fresh traversal option. However, there is space for more, at least from a single-player perspective. Since Infinite is going to feature a semi-open world, it would be interesting to infuse some Metroidvania elements.

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Perhaps Master Chief could find suit upgrades similar to Metroid Prime that give him access to more of Guardians' movement, including the Ground Pound and Thruster Pack. These could, in turn, be used to access new areas of the map. While these elements could be kept out of multiplayer to focus on the sandbox, having them in single-player could be very interesting. In the context of the open-world, they would make backtracking and exploration more engaging.

After all, for as compelling as Halo Infinite looks, it seems like a Bungie game. For many fans, that's perfect. However, Halo 4 and 5 are at their weakest when 343 is trying to emulate Bungie and falling short. In light of modern Halo's flaws, 343 had a clear vision for advancing the franchise. Hopefully, some of that vision can shine through in Halo Infinite. The ideal reboot doesn't attempt to sideline 343's games in favor of Bungie's but instead brings both styles into the conversation to make something fresh.

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