Summary
- Halo Infinite's multiplayer is finally shaping up after initial struggles with its live-service approach.
- The campaign initially received praise but didn't fully deliver due to cut content and lackluster story.
- Cut content included wildlife, Prometheans, and unused weapons, impacting the overall experience of Halo Infinite.
It's been an interesting few years for Halo Infinite. After an impressive debut, Halo Infinite's multiplayer quickly fell from grace thanks to its overreliance on its live-service approach. But now, almost three years after its launch, Halo Infinite's multiplayer is shaping up to finally be the experience that fans always wanted. But Halo Infinite's campaign is in a much stranger position.
Released a month after Halo Infinite's free-to-play multiplayer component, Halo Infinite's campaign was initially met with quite a bit of praise. Though it didn't quite nail its open-world approach, Halo Infinite's willingness to try something new was refreshing. Much like its multiplayer counterpart, Halo Infinite's campaign soon faded into the background, with its story not being as memorable as its Bungie predecessors, and its novel gameplay approach not being polished enough to retain players for too long. 343 Industries did the best with what it had, though Halo Infinite could have been a different game altogether if its cut content stayed in.
Every ‘Destiny Killer’ that Destiny 2 Has Outlived So Far
Despite several live-service and looter-shooter games being anticipated to ‘kill’ Destiny 2, none have been able to finish the job so far.
Every Major Piece of Halo Infinite Cut Content Explained
Halo Infinite Lost Two-Thirds of its Campaign
Initially reported on by Bloomberg's Jason Schreier back in December 2021, on the day it launched, Halo Infinite's campaign apparently cut around two-thirds of its content during development. Titled "How Microsoft’s Halo Infinite Went From Disaster to Triumph," this Bloomberg report details some of the biggest development hurdles that 343 Industries had to overcome while working on Halo Infinite, many of which contributed to the game receiving its infamous delays.
According to this report, 343 Industries originally envisioned Halo Infinite as the first fully open-world entry in the franchise, one heavily inspired by The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Halo Infinite's open-world would apparently feature a non-linear structure, allowing players to complete missions at their own leisure, in any order they desire. However, this highly ambitious scope would prove to be too much for 343 Industries, and thanks to some management issues, some outdated development tools, and a lack of central vision among the entire team, this open-world design for Halo Infinite would be cut back massively, along with about two-thirds of the campaign's content.
Though Halo Infinite still features an open-world structure, its missions are very linear, and its side content was cut back drastically.
Halo Infinite Cut Prometheans and Wildlife
Back in 2022, Twitter user Leaks_Infinite released a handful of videos showing some early-build content from Halo Infinite. One of the most intriguing leaks was the inclusion of wildlife, something that had been a major focus of Halo Infinite's initial E3 teaser trailer and was completely absent in the final game.
The two animals shown off were a rhino-like creature and a large Deathclaw-like creature known as a "Crusher." Based on Leaks_Infinite's footage, it seems as though the Crusher could have been a sort of mini-boss for Halo Infinite's campaign, wearing Banished armor and sporting a backpack full of loot that would presumably drop upon death.
Twitter user Leaks_Infinite also revealed some early-build footage of Halo Infinite's cut Prometheans, including a Watcher and Soldier enemy type. Cutting Prometheans from Halo Infinite is a bit of a double-edged sword, as while they were easily one of the most frustrating parts of Halo 4 and 5, it's a shame to see their plotline completely forgotten in Halo Infinite.
Halo Infinite Might Have Cut Some Weapons and Vehicles
After Halo Infinite's launch, dataminers began scouring for any signs of cut content. This deep dive unearthed a handful of unused weapons and vehicles hidden in Halo Infinite's files, many of which seemed to be leftover weapons from Halo 5: Guardians such as the Incineration Cannon and Shotgun. A prototype for a new UNSC vehicle called the Cougar, which was originally cut from the RTS Halo Wars, was also found in the game's files.
Halo Infinite
- Released
- December 8, 2021
WHERE TO PLAY
When all hope is lost and humanity’s fate hangs in the balance, the Master Chief is ready to confront the most ruthless foe he’s ever faced. Step inside the armor of humanity’s greatest hero to experience an epic open-world adventure and explore the massive scale of the Halo ring.
With Network Campaign Co-Op and Mission Replay, you can relive your favorite moments, rediscover collectibles and explore the wonders of Zeta Halo on your own or with up to three other fireteam members.
Experience Halo’s celebrated multiplayer reimagined and free-to-play! With over 70 maps in matchmaking, billions of customization configurations, and countless community Forge creations to experience, Halo Infinite is the franchise’s most expansive multiplayer offering to date.
Enjoy an unprecedented variety of gameplay experiences, ranging from fast-paced intense ranked modes to whimsical mayhem in Custom Games, or even co-operative coordination in the wave-based survival mode Firefight: King of the Hill. Assemble your Fireteam and conquer every mode – Halo offers endless opportunities for teamwork, strategy, and unforgettable victories.
- ESRB
- T for Teen: Blood, Mild Language, Violence
- Developer(s)
- 343 Industries
- Publisher(s)
- Xbox Game Studios
- Engine
- Slipspace
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer
- Franchise
- Halo
- Platform(s)
- PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- Genre(s)
- First-Person Shooter
- How Long To Beat
- 12 Hours
- File Size Xbox Series
- 90 GB (November 2023)
- Metascore
- 87
- Platforms That Support Crossplay
- PC, Xbox One & Xbox Series X|S
