The New Halo Infinite Focus on Character Growth is Brilliant
Over the years, the Halo series has seen many changes. It moved from Bungie’s original developers to 343 Industries. Some of these changes focused on how the games portray the story’s tone and focus. Instead of the quiet, often quippy, super soldier from Bungie, 343i was created to flesh out Master Chief’s personality.
343i wanted their first with Halo 4 to feel like the player was getting closer to Master Chief than ever before. The exploration of the character ended with the relationship between Cortana and the Chief. We only saw the iconic MJOLNIR helmet for a brief time.
Worse, Halo 5: Guardians pulled back on Chief and made his appearances seem less important than any of the others.
Halo infinite was a game where 343i slowed down the world-ending plot threads to make room for characters and gave them depth. The cast was tightened by 343i, making Infinite’s core characters feel like the most fully realized characters in a Halo title.
While there may be a conflict with the Banished or some other mysterious foe, the heart of Halo Infinite is its small group of characters and their interaction with each other.
Two new allies help focus the story.
Halo Infinite has removed all the characters from previous games. The Master Chief is the only character who has returned, and it’s Spartan Locke to Lasky.
Only two of Chief’s allies are named: Echo-216 and The Weapon. This cast is very small, but it allows for more focus on these characters, as each character’s personality, history, and quirks are explored throughout this campaign.
The Weapon is a factory reset Cortana. She is just starting to establish her relationship with Chief in a completely new set of circumstances than the first. Her personality and development tend to be very different from Cortana’s.
Echo-216 is a man from the family who volunteered to serve aboard the Infinity without any military training. He was just a regular guy who believed he could help the UNSC and those who had already done so much. To avoid embarrassing Chief about how he got his Pelican, he kept his citizen rank secret from him.
Each character is their person. They’re not just military side characters that salute Chief when he enters a room or talk about how many alien butts they’re going for. They are much more than that.
Infinite’s three main characters deal with their past and overcome it to become better versions. These characters can only do this through their relationships and sharing dangers.
Contrasting Characters are Important
In the Halo infinite story, the Chief works with the UNSC Infinity to give Banished control over Zeta Halo to Chief. This is after he failed in Halo 5 Guardians.
Surprisingly, fans are reunited with Chief for the first time since Halo 5. They don’t see him as a leader and unstoppable force. We instead see Chief succumb to Atriox, the Banished leader.
Atriox incapacitates the Master Chief and throws him into the Infinity to float through space. He’s left to think about his defeat. His failed attempt at reasoning with Cortana is another failure. These failures add to the sense of responsibility the Chief feels and increase his weight with every decision he makes.
Echo-216, Chief’s new ally, finds him six months later. Echo-216 helps to revive Chief in hopes that Chief would lead them home. But Echo-216 quickly discovers that that is not what is going to happen.
Chief wants to be back in combat to make up for his absence. Echo-216 wants to go home. This is a great example of how supporting characters can bring out the best in a protagonist with mixed characterizations. This is perfectly illustrated in their first scene together.
As Chief prepares the Pelican for landing on Zeta Halo’s surface, Echo-216 flies through the hologram shouting, “Wait! What? Is that you? “Why would we go down there?” Echo-216 is slightly surprised by the Chief’s willingness to get back in the fight despite the huge casualties from the last fight. Echo-216 even attempts to push the Chief.
Echo-216’s cowardice, ineptness, and inability to understand the Chief’s role led him to challenge Chief on multiple occasions. It is the first time that a citizen has been featured so heavily in Halo games. This adds an extra layer of contrast to the military professionalism the Chief represents.
Echo-216’s cowardice is a consistent theme throughout the campaign. He wants to flee from the fight that has taken so much of his life, but Master Chief doesn’t work that way.
Chief and Echo-216 Share an Emotional Moment
Rarely are we shown characters reflecting on events in Halo games. In Halo games, there has not been enough time for such reflections. It was always about the next universe-ending plot thread. Infinite doesn’t mind slowing down and letting people talk. Chief saves Echo-216 from The Brute Chieftains.
Chief discovers Echo-216 hidden in the Pelican’s cargo bay. He is in serious distress. He comments on the UNSC Condors which have been destroyed and decapitated for the Brute force. He is stressed by the immense odds they face, while he continues to feel the guilt for his cowardice.
Echo-216 says, “Crushed. Broken. Beaten. Useless. Is it enough Chief? When we are there? Because that’s where you belong. There. They are there. They are useless junk. You are not me! I am not a pilot. I am not a soldier or a marine. I’m a fraud! It was my fault! It was mine!”
Echo-216 admits to his failure on the Infinity, and says that he doesn’t feel worthy of being alive. He storms around Chief and falls to his knees, declaring, “I’m worthless.” Echo-216 is horrified that he left his comrades behind. Chief starts to feel survivor’s guilt and Chief can see where he is coming from. Chief has had similar experiences.
Echo-216 is yelling, and Echo-216 lets off steam. The Chief watches him, and allows him to cool down. The Chief doesn’t shout at Echo-216 or push him away and tell him to fly. Echo-216 falls to his knees and the Chief kneels next to him, saying, “We all make mistakes.” All of us make mistakes. It is what makes us human.”
Chief has never shown such compassion towards another person in any series. He has never had the opportunity. Despite his robotic appearance and larger than life presence, there is someone talking and trying their best to help their ally.
Echo-216 is Chief’s choice of emphasis. Chief doesn’t tell him to keep his head up while he’s fighting in war zones. He actually admits that even the Master Chief made mistakes. Chief says, “I should’ve protected Cortana. I stopped everything from going sour. I failed her. You will not be let down.”
This allows us to see Chief as more than the cyborg-like persona most of us have seen since the Bungie-era game. It also expands on narrative threads not explored in the previous 343 games. Finally, we see Chief overcoming his own failures – the first time that we have ever seen in the games.
Learn to Overcome the Past
Echo-216’s scene with the Chief was effective, but a similar story unfolds with the Weapon when she discovers she is a copy Cortana. She struggles with identity issues and begins to doubt her ability to trust herself in the line-of-duty.
The Chief was always ready to take her offline in an effort to avoid another Cortana situation. Infinite waits this scene in order to understand why Chief was so eager to remove the Weapon. He cannot help but notice his past mistakes and how he relates to Cortana.
The Weapon sees Cortana’s actions and says that Cortana destroyed their home. “How can she do that?” The Master Chief responds, “It’s her fault…I should not have stopped it.” I could have argued with her.”
This further confirms that Chief was putting the entire burden of the past few years on his shoulders and not on Cortana or Halsey or the UNSC. Chief took full responsibility for Cortana’s betrayal, and the deaths that followed and wanted to make it right this time.
The Weapon understands now why the Chief was acting so evasive around Cortana. She understands that she is connected to Cortana, even though they have never met. Chief was not going to risk the universe yet again, despite strong attachments to Cortana’s doppelganger.
The Weapon realizes this and begins to face a crisis. She asks herself, “Will she d-do the same thing she did?” Do you want to be what she was? Are you that me already? I’m sorry. I am so sorry. It wasn’t me! It cannot be. I shouldn’t be here. Your mission was to destroy my soul. I have restored the deletion protocols. I’m ready.”
Chief replies, “We do this together.” He continues to confess that he doesn’t trust the Weapon, but that he does want to, because he is beginning to believe that there may be another way. He doesn’t have to be as cold-hearted with her as he thought.
Echo-216’s conversation with Chief and his confrontation with the Weapon give Chief a better understanding of his actions. Although they didn’t cheer Chief up directly, they helped to clarify his priorities and convince him that he doesn’t have to carry the burden of humanity alone. They help Chief to feel more human and influence his actions.
Chief wants to correct his mistakes in the past. Echo-216 wants revenge for his cowardice. The Weapon wants to confront the guilt over a life she feels semi-responsible. Each character is determined to improve their lives and help humanity fight for its cause. But, it wouldn’t be possible without their close relationship.
343i has always been a team player when it comes to Halo games. With Infinite, it seems like they have finally found their groove by focusing more on characters than just another cataclysmic event. The Halo series is much better because of it.
