The Halo franchise is among the most storied in gaming, with its epic narrative and phenomenal online multiplayer helping to establish Microsoft as a serious contender in the gaming sector during the sixth console generation. Although many have enjoyed recent entries in the series, the general sentiment is that the best Halo games are in the past with the franchise’s glory days getting further and further away as the years tick by.
Halo‘s dip in success and loss of identity is usually associated with the IP being transferred from Bungie to 343 Industries, an internal Microsoft studio developed with the sole purpose of helming Halo moving forward. This association isn’t entirely unreasonable as, while 343 Industries certainly has an abundance of talent within its workforce, the changing of hands is bound to result in a difference in style and design philosophies, which led to 343 performing a tricky balancing act between evolving the series and keeping it true to Bungie’s original vision. Moreover, Bungie intended the Halo story to end with Halo 3, so 343 was given the gargantuan task of justifying additional chapters in Master Chief’s story.
Revolutionizing Halo Will Be Hard
Halo Infinite‘s adoption of the open-world format represents the greatest creative leap in modern Halo history, and for that, 343 should be commended. The structure of the open-world sandbox meshed well with the game’s mechanics as well, with features like the grappling hook synergizing with unshackled exploration and traversal. Coupled with the return of classic vehicles and the Halo series’ long-standing penchant for open-ended level design, the open-world formula of Infinite is a surprisingly good time.
But it’s not exactly “Halo.” Linear missions and set piece moments are what make Halo campaigns memorable, aiding their narrative delivery, and these moments were decidedly few and far between given Infinite‘s open world. Making matters worse is the fact that, while not poorly designed, Infinite‘s approach to its open world can hardly be called revolutionary: it suffers from many of the same shortcomings of open-world series like Far Cry and Assassin’s Creed, with repetitive activities, vast open spaces, and environmental design that doesn’t facilitate engaging exploration.
So, getting ambitious with open-world design didn’t exactly lead to mind-blowing results, but experimentation with other design elements in the future could pose similar issues. For example, cranking up the intensity or allowing for a wider selection of equipped weapons could draw unfavorable comparisons to the likes of Doom, which already has a good bit in common with Halo. The point here is that, while Halo may still have potential, it shouldn’t feel the need to reinvent itself, as new features, mechanics, or formulas aren’t what is missing from the series.
Halo Might Not Need to Reinvent the Wheel
Although many long-running gaming franchises are criticized for a lack of innovation, Halo might actually suffer from the opposite problem. In many ways, the changes that have been made to Halo‘s story, gameplay, and multiplayer in the post-Bungie era are what have garnered the most ire from fans, and few people seem to be arguing that Halo isn’t changing enough.
Strong, accessible first-person shooting mechanics and a terrifically fleshed-out physics system are among the most important elements of the original Halo games. Halo Infinite understood this, doubling down on its raw gameplay, but other creative risks like going free-to-play and implementing the open-world may have held it back, adulterating what makes it a true “Halo” game and instead pitting it against other free-to-play and open-world games. Maybe, instead of shooting for a radically distinct and experimental formula, 343 Industries simply needs to continue honing what makes the Halo franchise special.
