Halo Infinitewas released to popular reviews from critics and fans who praised the game’s return to form for the series. Adding to that was the decision to makeHalo Infinitean open-world-styled game, unlike the previous entries in the franchise. While its multiplayer campaign is free for all players, another first for the series, its story campaign requires player purchases, with future seasonal content becoming available. Sadly, the story campaign’s co-op elements and split-screen co-op features for side-by-side players to utilize were unavailable at launch.
Initially promised to be released alongside season two, which was delayed until May 2022,343 Industries has since updated fansthat co-op won’t be coming until sometime in August 2022. However, through the Halo Insider program, fans can experience a beta form of co-op play in July while bugs are continuously worked on. The release of these co-op features will undoubtedly be a big deal for many players in the community, as they embrace the idealsHalowas designed on.
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Co-Op Is Essential to Halo
Campaign Project lead Joseph Staten, who has served as lead writer and cinematic director ofHaloat Bungie, was one of the leading forces behind delaying the game’s initial launch and co-op options.Staten reasoned that playingHalowith friendsis what it means to playHalo, and to release a product inferior to the benchmarks the rest of the franchise has held would be catastrophic in the long run. States emphasized that a delayed but fully polished game is a better scenario than a bug-ridden mess.
With split-screen multiplayer returning for multiplayer campaign events after its exclusion inHalo 5: Guardians, fans were excited to jump back intoHalo Infinite’sstory campaign with their friends. As Staten has expressed, this is a fundamental concept thatHalowas designed on, with levels, weapons and upgrades, bosses, and other elements intended to play with friends in person or through an online connection. The planned co-op release also strives to add new content, upgrades, modes, and other features to keep players enticed.
An Open-World for Exploring
Halo Infinitehas also set itself apartfrom the rest of the series by being the first entry to feature open-world maps for players to explore and traverse before engaging with the main activities or quests. While the maps forHalo Infinitearen’t as massive as other open-world games, this new feature gives players even more reasons to stay invested in the game. With upgrades, enemies, loot, and other elements present in these open-world areas to explore and evolve, players are allowed to take advantage of different builds and upgrades to design their arsenal.
Including this open-world option also makes the inclusion of co-op an essential and exciting feature because now players can come together to explore the world that 343 Industries has created in breathtaking detail. Often, players of single-player open-world games desire to share their experiences and lore discoveries with their friends. Now, as players venture across the mysterious world of Zeta Halo anduncover the secrets of the Forerunnersand the Banished, these opportunities to explore together have a more impactful meaning.
Halo Infinitehas taken theHalofranchise to new heights with an impressive narrative and beautifully designed open world for players to explore fully. The initial lack of co-op and split-screen co-op modes may have disappointed fans; however, 343 Industries felt it better to provide a fully realized concept than a buggy one. With co-op being integral toHalo’s overall play style and design, and fresh open-world areas with many nooks and crannies to explore,the August release of co-op modesshould leaveHalolovers more than a bit excited.
Halo Infiniteis available now on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
