WhileHalo 3famously launched with the tagline “finish the fight,” fans of the franchise may not be looking at an end in sight for the currentHalostory any time soon. The Reclaimer Trilogy has been renamed the Reclaimer Saga, indicating thatHalo Infinitewill not wrap up Master Chief’s story.
The name makes it more likely thatHalo Infinitewill end with a hook for the next installment in the series. With no end to the story in sight, however, 343 risks making fans less invested in the narrative.
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Finishing the Fight
The Reclaimer Trilogy name originally indicated thatHalo 4,Halo 5: Guardians, andHalo Infinitewould be a second arc to the originalHalotrilogywhich, likeHalo 3, would reach a full conclusion to its main story. While the end ofHalo 3left Master Chief’s story hanging, the ending came as more of a bitter-sweet sacrifice made by the famous player character rather than a plot hook for a subsequent game. The next game was a prequel instead, taking players back to an early part of the war with the Covenant withHalo: ReachwhileHalo 3showed the final end to the main conflict present throughout the original trilogy.
The Reclaimer Saga name replacingthe Reclaimer Trilogyalready sets upHalo Infiniteto avoid totally resolving the plot of the last twoHalogames. While it is still claimed for now thatInfinitewill end the Reclaimer Saga, the name change will strike many fans hoping for a clear resolution to the franchise as suspicious. It is likely that 343 Industries has plans to continue theHalostory well into the next-gen, especially since the company ishiring for a newHalogame. The name change makes it likely that Master Chief’s story will not have a bombastic resolution withInfinite,and instead focus on expanding the game into a saga.
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The Future of Halo
One of the biggest problems with the renamed saga is that many fans will now likely go intoHalo Infinitenot expecting an end to the story in the same way they did withHalo 3. Even ifInfinitehad a more open ending, fans would not necessarily have lowered expectations without the name change and would still likely be more engaged with the story throughout the rest of the game.
Many fans will have been hoping that some major plot threads left hanging inHalo 5would also be resolved. What will be the final fate ofCortana, who has been in everyHalogame with Master Chief so far? How will humanity react to Cortana’s attack on UNSC systems across the galaxy? While it is still very possible thatInfinitewill resolve Cortana’s story, the resolution could be less satisfying with the knowledge that Master Chief’s story will likely continue without one of the most important characters and personal relationships in the series so far.
It is also still possible thatInfinitewill wrap up the main story of the Reclaimer Saga while 343 releases stories which are part of the saga but do not affect the main plot, in the same way theHalo 3: ODSTandHalo: Reachran parallel to the original trilogy. However, the renaming does giveHalofans reasons for concern which will be confirmed one way or another when the came releases.
Halo Infiniteis in development for PC, Xbox One, and the Xbox Series X/S in 2021.
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