Halo Infinite’s campaign is ambitious, but it’s clear that development for this game was all over the place, and the end result is disappointing because of it.
First of all, the story is missing a beginning & end. I personally don’t think that it was a good idea to cut an entire act and present it as audio logs. Audio logs should contain interesting details, not major plot points. If you skip the audio logs, which I imagine the majority would, you get left with a lot of unanswered questions. It also gets repetitive to listen to, since there are no terminals that provide another method of backstory.
Secondly, “The Endless” play a key role in Infinite’s story, but are never revealed. The game is named after them, they’re not some secret lore faction that is only hinted at in a terminal, they’re the plot’s main focus. Imagine if Halo CE never revealed the Flood, but only hinted at it. It would’ve been terrible. I’m pretty sure we’ll see the Endless in the inevitable campaign dlc, but they should have been in the main campaign.
Furthermore, Cortana’s redemption in this story felt rushed and hollow. Moments after she shatters the Brutes’ homeworld, she turns good because Chief is presumed dead? Am I missing something here? Also, the game never explained WHY she went crazy. Her whole ‘Created hold the Mantle’ falls flat on its face with her genocidal actions. Why did she go to Zeta Halo anyway?
Finally, the open world, which is surprisingly limited. The already piss poor vehicle sandbox is even more ridiculed by the fact that over half the terrain is inaccessible by ground vehicles. Players are basically forced get in air vehicles (good luck with the EMP’s), or grapple everywhere. It did not remind me of the humble exploration of Halo CE. Zeta Halo has only one biome, and it’s filled with nothing more but a list of collectibles.