Halo Infinite multiplayer map design had eight mainline games' worth of examples to lean on, from the beloved to the bemoaned. While the series has come a long way since 2004's Halo 2, components of its design, in particular, still hold up. 343 Industries seems to have carried over one especially important element of Halo 2 into Halo Infinite: its multiplayer maps' focus on verticality.
Of course, Halo 2 wasn’t the first Halo game to include maps with this in mind. Some of Halo: Combat Evolved's best multiplayer maps, like Hang ‘Em High, Chill Out, and Prisoner, all favored players on the higher elevations. If a player on Derelict controlled a Rocket Launcher on the upper floor, they could maintain control by scoring easy kills on players vying to reach them. Controlling the high ground is important in any shooter game; it provides a better vantage point, grants superior visibility, and ensures that - while enemies can still attack from the sides or below - at least they can’t attack from above.
It was Halo 2, however, that took this formula to the next level. The small-scale chaos of Lockout was divided into levels, navigated with chutes, narrow ramps, and a gravity lift. The close-quarters nature of the map kept intensity high, but its compact rooms rarely had more than two or three people fighting in them at a time.
With Halo Infinite’s limited sprint feature and new grappling hooks, players have more mobility. To accommodate, Halo Infinite's map design appears to reflect the smaller, more vertical maps of Halo 2. Combined with their new tools, this lets players be more active in controlling the size of their encounters.
Halo Infinite Learned The Value Of Verticality From Halo 2
Along with affecting where players fight and letting them determine the size of engagements, verticality also provides an extra challenge: How will the player get to an important location above or below them" which conspicuously launched players above the battlefield, opening them up to pot shots and concentrated fire. Halo Reach took this further, allowing players the option to use a jetpack at any time. Multi-storied maps like Sword Base offered a distinct advantage to players who opted for the jetpack, as they had a consistent means to ascend without relying on the more dangerous gravity lifts - just as Halo Infinite's grappling hooks could.
With Halo Infinite’s weapon spawn locations relegated to designated spots, multi-storied maps like Recharge and Bazaar become more conducive to coordinating a strategy with teammates. If the fireteam moves together in a Team Slayer match, they have a stronger chance of securing power weapons. When that movement is vertical rather than side to side, these maps also encourage close-quarters encounters, capitalizing on the game’s default weapon, the Assault Rifle. Halo 2 showed verticality was important in determining how players reached a chokepoint and how they approached the fight once they got there, and Halo Infinite appears to be repeating that success.
Halo Infinite will be released on Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC later this year.
