Halo Infinite Is The Next Chapter In The Halo Saga, And It Looks Amazing

In the age of game engines and proprietary software, every big franchise these days runs on its own hand-made software to help bring to life the worlds and imagination of its creators. Why should Halo be any different? Well, Microsoft and 343 Industries seem to share the same belief, and that's why Microsoft decided to put Halo Infinite on its own game engine, known as the Slipspace Engine. The brand new game will see Master Chief making a return to form in what looks to be the first ever truly open-world adventure set within the Halo universe.

The trailer debuted during Microsoft's E3 press conference this year. It's not quite like the kind of world premiere you may have been expecting.

The trailer starts by letting viewers know that everything rendered in the trailer is part of an in-engine demonstration, and so it's not necessarily indicative of what the actual game will be, but does show what's possible. We also know that the story will center around Master Chief, with 343 likely wanting to rectify where the story went in Halo 5.

The trailer starts by showcasing a lot of natural physically based light rendering, complete with god rays. We see a lot of really cool small graphical elements on display, such as trickling water particles, stream effects, and material based rendering.

The Slipspace Engine for Halo Infinite also gives us a look at the day and night cycle, as we see a lot of natural light sources completely draping the environments in different kinds of settings, including a forest shot of some deer drinking at a small pond set in a misty forest. This poses some interesting possibilities for what we might see from the game when it comes to moving through the forest and battling it out in a thick forest filled with fog.

We see some dynamic weather effects on display in the trailer, with a cloud filled with lightning, giving gamers the impression that the game will have real-time weather effects, mirroring other top-end engines like the Frostbite and the Unreal Engine 4.

Things switch over to a desert area where we see some remnants of ancient structures. The sandy environment hints at yet another place that could make for an interesting battleground. Another cool feature is that we see a dust kick-up in the background, indicating that much like the fog in the forest and the rain, the dust effects could play a huge role during combat.

Aaron Greenberg, the marketing manager for the Xbox brand, said that the team wasn't ready to talk about the details, but the community will be part of the development process. There are no details on when the game is coming to the Xbox One or how far along in development it is.

Will Usher

Staff Writer at CinemaBlend.