July 23, 2020August 24, 2021 by Michael Goroff

Halo Infinite gameplay debut shows off open world, grappling hook

Halo Infinite debuted its campaign gameplay during the Xbox Games Showcase, and it looks like developer 343 Industries is taking the series in a slightly new direction.

The gameplay preview first shows Master Chief and the pilot who found him in the previous trailer crash landing on a new Halo ring. Master Chief announces he has to take down the anti-air cannons that are preventing their escape, and it’s off to the races.

Yesterday’s box art reveal definitely seemed to hint at what comes next, as we see an expansive, lush, mountainous terrain that’s reminiscent of the beginning of Combat Evolved. From there, Master Chief easily dispatches a few grunts and finds a conveniently parked Warthog, which he uses to tear across the landscape.

The most surprising part of the demo is what happens next: Master Chief opens up a map that reveals a large, open-world area with multiple markers designating objectives. So Halo Infinite is an open-world game.

The other interesting gameplay moment comes when Master Chief gets in his first big firefight. At one point, Master Chief hits an enemy with a wrist-mounted grappling hook, which pulls him towards the enemy. He then uses this opportunity to stick a grenade to the enemy. Later on, we see Master Chief grapple an explosive barrel, pull it towards him, and then throw it at an enemy on a mounted gun. It will be really interesting to see how this grappling hook plays out in multiplayer.

While an open-world design and grappling hook might not sound like classic Halo, Infinite looks a lot like classic, Bungie-era Halo, at least in terms of its movement and weapon design, and especially in the setting.

Take a look at the full gameplay premiere below:

Prior to the gameplay reveal, 343 debuted a short video that shows Master Chief’s armor being built. While Infinite is confirmed to be a continuation of the story from Halo 5, it’s also something of a fresh point of entry for new fans, according to the developer. This video seems like a nod to Halo Infinite being what 343 has called a “spiritual reboot.”