Another month means another wealth of new updates for 343 Industries’ upcoming Halo Infinite. Quite a bit was already divulged about the studio’s new-gen shooter entry, with the game’s dynamic environments on Zeta Halo and reasonable lack of dual-wielding explained in a new community Q&A video. As part of the detailed dev roundtable, new information also offered new insight on enemy encounters and how 343 approached these firefights for an open-world experience.

Answering a fan’s question on the matter, John Mulkey, the lead world designer ​for Halo Infinite, discussed how players encounter the game’s new antagonists, the Banished, revealing the enemy will be spotted in various outposts as well as in randomly assorted patrols in the world. Regarding the latter, patrols were specifically said to carry some light choice-based features, in that enemies are designed to confront players whether they choose to be on foot, in a ground vehicle, or in an aerial vehicle in order to provide a more open-ended experience.

Based on this description, adapting enemy encounters seem like it could make avoiding enemies a bit more challenging in Halo Infinite. However, Mulkey emphasized that this mechanic isn’t meant to “punish” players with needless difficulty, but provide a new way to meet players with opportunities for “fun” and rewarding encounters. He went on to reference the more linear gameplay of previous Halo titles and how the team is aiming to present that same thematic experience regardless of how players choose to tackle Infinite’s more open-ended structure.

The decision to add more player agency in Halo Infinite is not too out-there of an idea given the game’s repeatedly-touted open-world ambitions. This amount of thought going into simple enemy encounters might be a good indication of how development has extended so far from its original release date, especially considering the impressive work 343 has detailed so far. With any luck, fans won’t have too much longer until a more proper look at gameplay is shown off, or perhaps even a more concrete release date.

Halo Infinite is set to release for PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S in Fall 2021.

What do you think? Are you excited to see how these choice-based encounters will play out in Halo Infinite, or do you get the feeling this mechanic may come to annoy you in the final release? Let us know in the comments below and be sure to follow Don’t Feed the Gamers on Twitter and Facebook to be informed of the latest gaming and entertainment news 24 hours a day! For more headlines recently featured on DFTG, check out these next few news stories:

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