'Halo Infinite' campaign trailer looks a lot like 'Halo'

As much as we all enjoy a few rounds of Slayer and Grifball, Halo fans know that a meaty single-player adventure is a key part of the franchise's identity. Well, developer 343 Industries has released a new overview of Halo Infinite's campaign, and it looks a lot like the Halo action that you might expect.

The trailer shows off the single-player mode with a frankly impressive level of depth, especially the new setting of "Zeta Halo," which has a strong resemblance to the green fields and rolling hills of the original Halo: Combat Evolved. Once again, Master Chief is summoned from his slumber to figure out just what the heck Cortana has been up to in the intervening years, and he has to blast a bunch of aliens (now termed "The Banished") on the road to get there.

Big strides — As a whole, it's pretty clear that 343 wants Infinite to be a return to form for the franchise, and the devs are clearly aiming to trigger a rush of nostalgia for the aging fans who played the first one back in 2001. (Several of the clips in the trailer look straight out of classic Combat Evolved levels like "The Silent Cartographer" and "Halo.") That said, the trailer emphasizes that all of these levels are much more open than the original games, and that players will have many options at their disposal for taking care of these Banished foes.

For example, it appears that players will have an open-world style map with objectives that they can complete in any order they desire. There are also Far Cry-esque strongholds that players can clear out in whatever way works for them — aerial bombardment, sneaky-sneaky stealth, or simply grappling your way in and blowing stuff up. (Did we mention there's a grappling hook now, because this is next-gen?) It's unsubtle, but it seems to work.

Who's next? — While these clips certainly look impressive, we'll have to see if the actual thing lives up to the trailer when Halo Infinite releases on December 8. Despite Infinite's troubled development (and multiple delays), 343 has definitely improved on the game since last year's eight minute demo, which resulted in a wave of fan outrage. In particular, the blocky brute dubbed "Craig" by fans looks like he's been taking care of himself a little better, and he's even grown a beard. It's always nice to see a celebrity make a comeback.