Developer 343 Industries has done a lot to change the way combat is handled withHalo Infinite.Halo 5introduced some series firsts, butInfinite’s grappleshot completely revolutionizesthe way that players think about combat when engaging enemies. The warm reception that Master Chief’s newest ability has received is proof enough that taking the time to perfect a game’s primary loop is worth it, but while that element of the newestHalotitle feels great, another area of combat could some work for 343’s next outing.
The two melee-centric weapons inHalo Infinite, the energy sword and the gravity hammer, function as they always haves, but they feel a little bit out of place as instakill weapons against Master Chief in such a boss-heavyHaloentry. Now that 343 has perfected moving around an open world withInfinite, it would be worth the studio’s time to reexamine the way it handles melee weapons forHalo 7, if such a game is in the works.
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Halo Infinite’s Boss Encounters
Boss fights andHalogames haven’t always meshed together cleanly.Halo Infinitefeatures plenty of boss fights throughout its campaign, but falls into one of the problems that the rest of the series has had: the power weapons that boss enemies wield are too powerful to make the fights interesting. Taking a look at one of the many boss fights against Brute Chieftains inHalo Infinite, they’re almost always wielding a gravity hammer that doesn’t have much in the way of counters other than using the grappleshot to get it out of reach. Likewise,boss fights against Spartan-killing Elitesrun into a similar issue with their iconic energy swords.
It would be a mistake to change the lethality of melee weapons given their place asHalostaples, but with how many bosses are able to instantly kill the player if they make a single mistake,Infinite’s fights often feel like they’re won with luck instead of skill. IfHalo 7were to get a new melee focus, it might be able to fix those problems should 343 Industries still be interested in keeping the frequent boss encounters ofInfinite’s campaign.
In general, it seems likeHalo Infinitehas a melee focus not seen in the series yet, as there are a huge number of swords and hammers littered across Zeta Halo. What’s more, many of the Banished’s weapons feature large blades and jagged edges that give a damage boostwhen Master Chief attacks with a melee strike. They feel as if they were meant to be incorporated into a more meaningful melee combat system, but don’t deal enough damage to be close to on-par with lethal energy swords and gravity hammers.
As it stands, the melee weapons inHalo Infiniteare a bit too powerful to be fun when Chief comes face-to-face with a boss. Reducing the damage they deal doesn’t seem like a satisfying solution, so hopefully 343 is able to find a good middle ground for whatever’s next in theHaloseries. Whether that’s by simply reducing the total number of melee weapons that players encounter or givingthe Banished’s weaponsmore of a melee focus to add close-combat options without instantly killing the player. That way, melee fights can happen more often without turning into frustrating sections that have the player dying repeatedly, while also making the fights when energy swords and gravity hammers appear be that much more impactful.
Halo Infiniteis available now for PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
