Respawn Entertainment might not be able to make up its mind over the state of Titanfall 3. But as it happens, they might not have to, with Halo Infinite's latest technical test making a strong case for the wall-runner's throne.
Public matchmaking for the current technical test hasn't even kicked off, but thanks to a new training mode, players are able to give Infinite's new tools the full go-around without restrictions. And with new toys in the sandbox, the movement possibilities have shot through the roof.
July's test already gave us a glimpse of the grappling hook's potential. But this week's test lets us try it without limits, starting you out with five charges on spawn with which to yeet yourself across the map. That's enough to get very good at yanking people into your fists.
And here was me worried Halo Infinite wasn't going to be -great- pic.twitter.com/9ilLHfQPDySeptember 24, 2021
We've also got more toys to play with this time around, including a "Repulsor" that blasts a physics burst directly in front of you. Perfect for punting baddies off cliffs, sure, but it also acts as a kind of rudimentary rocket jump. Combined with the new shock rifle and "Dynamo" shock grenades, I've been pulling off some incredibly daft stunts.
Started cooling on Infinite again over the past few months, considering how little we've seen of the campaign and how hot it appears to be dropping.And yet. And YET pic.twitter.com/2DBYc3nLbYSeptember 24, 2021
Now, granted, Halo Infinite doesn't have wallrunning (yet), and the game's Spartans don't dart about with the blistering speed of Titanfall's pilots. But Infinite is showing a strong desire to have the same kind of interesting, informal movement that made Respawn shooters great. Hell, there's Apex-style crouch sliding, and you can even do the same slide-hops off small inclines to get a little boost.
I love Halo 3, and there's a charm to its heavy, floaty movement. But Infinite already has me thinking about the wild possibilities afforded by chaining grapples, Repulsor blasts, sliding and managing momentum. I want to see people like Titanfall movement expert Mokeysniper can do with this toolbox. I want to see people break the game with this stuff.
Halo Infinite's back-to-back test weekends are only just underway, with bigger maps, vehicles, and 12v12 Big Team Battle matches set to kick in as we go on. With Halo 4 somehow managing to ruin the Warthog (the best videogame car ever made), I'm cautious about these additions. That said, I'm not rushing to get behind the wheel when I can Spider-Man around the map like this.
And hey, Halo's had mechs in it before. There's a chance, however small, that Infinite could very well be the Titanfall 3 we deserve—at the very least, until Respawn makes up its mind.
