Is 343 Industries taking the Halo franchise back to its legendary, 2001 roots? Boy, it certainly looks that way based on a new piece of animated key art tweeted earlier today. Check it out below – those of you who remember what Halo: Combat Evolved’s cover art looks like (who doesn’t?) will definitely feel nostalgic, as it hearkens back to iconic levels such as The Silent Cartographer, which was defined by its lush and mountainous environments.
Very reminiscent. Nice one 343! pic.twitter.com/L92OxS1AUr
— Ξ S P Ξ R▫️A R T S (@ESPER_ARTS) July 22, 2020
Art direction is just one piece of the Forerunner puzzle, though. We aren’t sure whether Halo Infinite will actually play like Bungie’s original trilogy or more like 343 Industries’s Halo 4 and Halo 5: Guardians, but that veil should be lifted tomorrow during Microsoft’s Xbox Games Showcase. That’s when we’ll get our first-ever look at the sixth installment’s gameplay footage!
There’s also been a bit of speculation going around that the Master Chief will be able to get around in Infinite with a grappling hook. Whether that’s true or not should be obvious tomorrow, but if you look closely at John’s left arm in the animated key art, he does seem to be equipped with something that’s reminiscent of one.
“Grappling hook is in as to my limited knowledge, but it’s more like an equipment pick-up similar to Halo 3,” wrote Klobrille on the ResetEra forums. “No idea how that is included in campaign.”
“Halo Infinite Arena is all about going back to classic map control gameplay (power weapons and power-ups),” he added. “There are a lot of cool map power-ups to complement the sandbox. Grapple hook, thrust or classics like overshield. All this is very dynamic and might vary heavily based on playlist etc., of course. But more on all that at a later date.”