Halo Infinite Multiplayer Preview

The first weekend of the Halo Infinite tech preview has come to an end. Keeping in mind that what I played was not a final build with limited playtime, maps and modes, I was extremely impressed with what I played and put an embarrassing amount of hours into the game.

Right away, I noticed the performance and gameplay is much more fluid since the last tech preview, and there was also a noticeable boost in the graphics and textures. I spent most of my time playing in the performance mode and was impressed with how well the game is optimised. There were no major frame drops during the time that I played.

Huge shoutout to the audio team at 343 Industries; they have nailed the music. I spent a fairly large amount of my time in the menu listening to the music. It was nostalgic, bringing back every good memory I had with the game. The AIs, who give you updates momentarily and are a more prominent version of the announcer- basically being the Cortana to your Master Chief throughout your multiplayer gameplay. They all sounded fantastic and had unique personalities making it hard to choose amongst them. Make sure to pick the right one for you as they really help boost your morale during the game.

The developers have pretty much nailed the gunplay. Every kill feels satisfying and every gun feels terrific to fire. I really enjoyed the balance between the AR and the Sidekick weapons, it was pretty balanced like most guns. Needler however is steroided and the Bulldog shotgun requires some of that steroid. The Bulldog feels quite frail for a shotgun, as it takes multiple shots to eliminate someone even if they’re right in front of you.

The map design is outstanding- every map is enjoyable and fun. All the maps feel like classic Halo from the very limited selection I’ve played in. Behemoth being my favourite, it is bigger than the others and felt odd at first for a 4v4 map but the selection of vehicles and equipment leads to chaos making it very enjoyable.

I like 343’s approach with new gadgets. The grappleshot which allows you to swing like Spider-Man has been everyone’s favourite because you can do some absolutely crazy stuff with it. The repulsor, however, has been my favourite. It allows me to yeet people off the map, which feels so satisfactory. Drop wall is something I’m not a fan of, it is extremely weak and could use a buff.

There are some things that I disliked about Infinite multiplayer. The lack of ‘Halo Physics’ in the game really put me off. Player collision and friendly fire had been a core part of the Halo franchise, phasing into players felt so uncomfortable. No grenade jumping and hammer launching is also something I can’t make peace with. Halo also requires a very skill-based matchmaking system. I know this was only a tech preview, but playing solo was a pain in the ass. Made me rage quit countless times especially in CTF where I was paired with braindead teammates. I also saw some newbies turning away from Infinite because of this.

The bot matchmaking needs to make it to the game as a permanent feature. It’s great for new people to jump into and figure out how everything works. Training mode is an underrated feature where you can try new guns and explore maps with bots or solo. You can also change the weapons, numbers of bots and gadgets mid-game without any inconvenience.

Now to address the elephant in the room; the battle pass. Here's the thing: I’m conflicted. The challenges to tier up the pass aren’t that hard, I progressed through most of my pass really quickly. However, the challenges we saw were only a few. I believe there will be easy challenges but there will be equally frustrating ones too. I’m still hoping and rooting that they reverse their decision and matches played should also add to your battle pass progression.

Halo Infinite MP is the most fun I had with any Halo multiplayer in a very long time. The positives vastly outnumber the negatives. None of the stuff that I disliked was a dealbreaker. I still managed to put considerable hours into the game. Safe to say Halo Infinite multiplayer is shaping up to be the best Halo multiplayer of all time and possibly the biggest since its launching free-to-play for the first time in the franchise’s history.

There is a lot at stake for Halo Infinite. With the feeble demo last year and a year-long delay, it is good to see long time fans and new players are in for a treat. Halo is determined to take its place back as the ‘king of FPS’. What remains to be seen is if Master Chief will reclaim his place on top due to the lack of campaign gameplay shown, but after seeing how well they have executed the multiplayer side of things, my faith has been restored.

The extra year has really polished the game even more. As a longtime Halo fan, it is reassuring to know that at the very least, the franchise will have its strongest multiplayer in years. Exciting and impressive to see how the developers managed to pull this off. They had listened to exactly what the players wanted and delivered. I have to say, the six-year-long wait might just be worth it.

Halo Infinite multiplayer is something you don’t want to miss out on when it launches later on the 8th of December. I’ll see you on the battlefield, spartans.