During the Xbox Games Showcase today, we finally got our first real look at the much-hyped and anticipated Halo Infinite. We didn’t have to wait long for Microsoft to give us what we wanted, as the presentation started off right away with the official gameplay reveal trailer for the title, which shows us actual in-game mechanics as well as a brief teaser for the story. Running at the much desired 60 frames per second, and looking absolutely stunning to boot, Halo Infinite is looking to be 343 Industries’ biggest and most ambitious game yet. Oh yeah, it also launches later this year during the 2020 holidays.

Become the Master Chief and save humanity in the most expansive Halo campaign ever made. #HaloInfinite

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During the trailer we see the famous Master Chief riding in a dropship with a brand new character that has yet to be named, all while badgering the Spartan for causing him some trouble. This is a very interesting look at Halo as literally no one has ever talked back to Chief before, yet alone give him a serious yelling. They both land on, you guessed it, another Halo ring world. No explanation was given as to why they were on this particular one, but according to 343 Industries, this ring is much bigger than ones from previous entries. In fact, it’s so large that Chief will be able to travel around and complete objectives within the game, giving Halo Infinite some open-world mechanics.

As for the core first-person shooter mechanics, it’s very much Halo as Chief runs and guns his way through the area while he takes cover every now and then. Chief even jumps into the famous, or infamous Warthog vehicle and rides his way to the next objective. There are a couple of new things we got to see, such as some new weapons like a newly created shotgun, and even an LMG (Large Machine Gun). However, the biggest addition to Chief’s arsenal is the Grappling Hook, which easily changes the dynamic of the battle. Chief can now hook onto enemies and grapple his way to their location, stunning them in the process. The Hook can also grab objects to be thrown, including grenades.

Further into the trailer, we see a massive Brute warrior, who looks to be the leader of The Banished, a new faction in the series. The unnamed Brute taunts Chief as he touts that he and his allies will be successful in their endeavors. What their plans are is anyone’s guess, but if Chief is involved then you know it’s something on a galactic scale and will more than likely result in the destruction of something near and dear. The trailer ends there, giving us more questions for the story than answers as to how it connects to Halo 5: Guardians. 

Story aside, the game looks beautiful, and from what we can tell, a good portion of it will take place on this ring, and possibly others, with the implementation of the open-world objective mechanics. This will be the first Halo in the franchise to utilize this, and while we’re excited at the prospect of playing it, only time will tell if the fans are ready to partake in it. Still, Halo Infinite has made its mark in the community. We didn’t get to see any multiplayer today, but 343 promises that it will come soon.

Halo Infinite will officially launch this year during the holidays for the Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and for PC through Steam.