The question of mobility in Halo Infinite doesn’t have a very easy answer. As much as classic enthusiasts say otherwise, a full-on classic-style Halo would feel fairly antiquated to many people in 2020. On the other hand, Halo 5’s movement was really divisive among the fanbase, ranging from an outright rejection of Sprint to a lukewarm/controversial reputation for Thrust. As they are, I think the Spartan Abilities are poorly implemented, but there are glimmers of goodness in there that I hope they retain in Infinite.
Like, you can’t really deny how intrinsically good it feels to boost, run, and climb all over the place. You often see the sentiment that “sure, Halo 5’s campaign sucked but the multiplayer was awesome!” I would bet that this is what people mean. Halo 5 simply feels really good, even if the abilities have negative indirect effects on the rest of the game. Finding a Doom 2016-style balance between the old and new isn’t easy, but they can start by addressing the main criticism of all the abilities.
Sprint separates movement and combat. Most people have agreed that this goes against the nature of Halo, so they can fairly easily remove it and increase the Base Movement Speed. Easy enough. Clamber is a bit trickier; whether it’s a quality-of-life convenience or map-stretching annoyance depends on who you ask. Spartan Charge and Ground Pound are nuisances that almost everyone agrees should be removed, while Hover and Slide are often so niche that they hardly affect the game (barring specific jump sequences). The majority of abilities are fairly easy to navigate, in terms of discussion, as their effects are pretty clear.
Thruster Pack, however, is a thornier topic. I think It has tangible effects on the game that are both positive and negative. As many have pointed out, it extends maps due to it’s hypermobile nature, with many jumps requiring players to use it, or wait awkwardly for it to recharge when it’s down. By making jumps and sightlines alike larger, Thrust becomes a necessity rather than an option. Furthermore, it acts as a sort of get-out-of-jail-free card when a player is in trouble, as the boost goes farther and faster than base movement–especially in the air–to the point where you can flat out run away from certain encounters.
On the other hand, Thrust genuinely opens up options that weren’t there, before. Being able to change your momentum so quickly, on the ground or in the air adds new depth to the way players strafe to throw off their opponent’s aim. In fact, Thruster Pack is able to save you from a Rocket Launcher fired at your feet, or even dodge a Sword lunge; it adds more potential to outplay your opponent, even in situations that would have been instant death in classic Halo. However good you were, a Rocket was a Rocket and you were as good as dead. Whether you chalk it up to the design of the weapons or the movement, older Halo’s didn’t let you avoid what you can in Halo 5, and I think allowing players to dodge instakill weapons is a great thing.
It’s important to focus on Thrust specifically, because it’s reception is the most mixed of all abilities; of all the people there are who want it removed, as many would call it the best addition of Halo 5. If the popular Mythic playlist was anything to go by, 343 was willing to remove every single ability–except Hover and, more importantly, Thrust. It would seem to me that they see no issue with Thruster Pack, meaning it is the single most likely ability to return in Infinite. With this in mind, I think it’s best that we all weigh in on it, specifically. I imagine they know what we think about Sprint, but really dissecting both the good and bad of Thrust might be good in the long-run, because it will honestly probably end up in the next game. So, assuming Thrust will return in Infinite, how would you handle it? What should stay and what should go?
oh and get rid of the brutal ADS style zooming look already. It looks terrible! Update the look of the old style instead.