TraditionalHaloseems like it’s been gone a long time, even when consideringHalo 5: Guardians' 2015 release date. Compared to the rest of theHalofranchise, the wait betweenHalo 5and a new mainline entry has been longer than it’s ever been for the series. Without counting spin-off games likeHalo Wars 2, it’s been six years since a mainlineHalogame has released, leading up to the recent release ofHalo Infinite. However, ifHalo 5’s campaign was contentious among fans for being a less traditionalHalocampaign,Halo Infinite’s singleplayer adventure is an even greater departure. That being said, the reception ofInfinite’s campaign has been positive.
For the first time in the franchise, 343 Industries has brought theHaloseries into an open-world format with the singleplayer campaign.Halo Infinite, after its explosive opening hour, lets players loose on to Zeta Halo, free to choose whatever tasks they want to complete first. It’s certainly a unique change of pace compared to any previousHalogame, but has lead to a lot ofFar Crycomparisons toInfinite’s campaign, which makes a lot of sense at face value. Singleplayer campaigns forHalohave largely been designed as linear experiences with open-ended sandboxes, but this is the first timeHalois going truly open-world, and it’s arguably doing whatFar Crydoes in a far more compelling manner.
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Comparing Halo Infinite and Far Cry’s Open-World Design
Far Crycomparisons mainly stem from the open-world mission design and structure ofHalo Infinite, which upon first impression to those who’ve playedFar Crypreviously, will seem very familiar. However, in practice,Halo Infinite’s setup and design of Zeta Halo’s open world emphasizes a balance more recentFar Crygames have struggled to get a handle on. Zeta Halo’s map and objective framework doesn’t overload the player with nearly as many side missions, waypoints, collectibles, and various other things that can eventually lead to cluttered Ubisoft world maps.Halo Infiniteby comparison is not devoid of tasks entirely, but isn’t filled with superfluous objectives either.
The big differentiation between 343 Industries and Ubisoft’s approach to open-world mission design is the degree of “formulaic” encounters present in the game’s world. The term “formulaic” is a bit reductive on its own, but it does edge towardsthe gripes that critics had regardingFar Cry 6; the same design elements that went into crafting the worlds ofFar Cry 3-5are still very much apparent inFar Cry 6. That degree of familiarity has started to wane in effectiveness with each entry in theFar Cryseries, but inHalo Infinite(even though there’s no source of comparison from theHalofranchise itself) seems to have achieved that gameplay balanceFar Cryonce had.
ForHalo Infinite, an open-world design is certainly new, but it also draws fromwhat madeHalo: Combat Evolvedso special back in 2001. Liberating FOBs on the Zeta Halo, taking down high value targets from the Banished, exploring and finding all sorts of nooks and crannies filled with Spartan Cores and cosmetics, all culminate in evoking that same degree of wonder that the firstHalogame had. Pair that with the awesome traversal of the grappling hook, FOBs providing the iconicHalovehicles, and just general exploration, and exploring inHalo Infinitebecomes very compelling.
It’s hard to say if futureHaloopen-world campaigns will be able to maintain that same accomplishment, but newerFar Crygames have had a hard time recapturing that same level of wonder.
Halo Infinite’s Subtle Context is Excellent
On a more subtle level,Halo Infinitealso manages to nail the narrative and contextualization of its open world design.Far Crygames have often struggled to nail the balance between the story and its open world; the sense of urgency emphasized by the game’s excellent villain designs are often offset by the wide open, task-filled worlds they take place in. Granted the Banished’s various Brutes can be comparatively genericnext to Vaas or Anton Castillo’s nuanced character depictions inFar Cry, but they help to ramp up the stakes progressively over time, rather than right away.
SomeFar Crygames do manage this narrative-gameplay balance serviceably, butFar Cry 5in particular comes to mind as the prime example of the issue. Players arrive in Hope County to apprehend Joseph Seed as soon as possible, and yet there’s so much time spent attempting to takedown his brothers and sister first. That’s exactly wherecriticisms ofFar Crybecoming “formulaic” stem from, as it’s soon revealed that these three Seed siblings predictably control three different regions of Hope County. Players have to deal with all three before encountering Joseph Seed towards the end of the game, forcing the player to deal with each one at a time.
There’s always a varying degree of dissonance between the villains' actions in aFar Crygame compared to what the player is able to do once the open-world finally opens up. The narrative sense of urgency inHalo Infiniteactually matches the slow pace and ability to explore the world of Zeta Halo, subtly encouraging players toexplore and rebuild the UNSC slowly.
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Halo Infinite Exceeds By Doing The Opposite From Far Cry
Thefuture ofHalocampaigns isn’t necessarily hinging on an open-world design, nor should it, in all fairness. Some of the most iconicHalomoments are well-crafted, linear moments that lead to the epic swells of the classicHalotrilogy. However, as a grand experiment for the franchise, 343 Industries has largely succeeded in merging an open-world with a compellingHalostory.Halo Infinitedoes a great job at remaining faithful to the overarchingHalofranchise, but still manages to emulate the classic scenario design ofCombat Evolvedin an open-world framework.Far Crymade this same experiment withFar Cry 3, and it largely paid off for Ubisoft’s franchise as well.
However, in that time,Far Cry’s world design and story has become a bit habitual and rote. The villain designs have still remained largely excellent, and theFar Cryseries has been right to rely on the strength of its star antagonists. However, as a result, other aspects ofFar Crygames that have plateaued or otherwise remained the same in the last four mainline games have become less compelling over time. Endeavoring to make a more distinct open world instead ofa less generic Escharum antagonist, as well as enhancing the gameplay loop with a great balance between the linear and non-linear,Halo Infinite’s Zeta Halo surpasses more recentFar Crygames.
Halo Infiniteis available now on PC and Xbox Series X/S.
