343 Industries has compared Halo Infinite to Halo: Combat Evolved, stating that Infinite will feel like CE with the freedom to explore. Halo Infinite will be the first of its kind for the series offering players an open-world experience. Chris Lee, studio head for 343 Industries, stated that Halo Infinite is Combat Evolved with its walls knocked down.

The Halo series is known for its linear campaigns offering players little in the way of exploration. While the environments in which missions take place are beautiful and contain a lot of depth, they often times don't reward players who stray from the beaten path. And in some cases, there are rarely any other paths to explore than the one the player is intended to follow. Halo Infinite breaks from the tradition giving players complete freedom to explore the new Halo ring.

According to a Q&A session between Wccftech and 343 Industries, studio head Chris Lee stated that Halo Infinite's campaign is the "most ambitious campaign [343 Industries] has ever created in a Halo game." He stated that Infinite would be Halo's first take on "open gameplay" and that the campaign would be providing players with "unprecedented levels of freedom." Lee gave an example of how much players are allowed to explore by stating that, when Master Chief board the elevator during the 8-minute gameplay demo, everything that Master Chief sees is just part of what the player can explore. Elaborating, Lee explained:


The video above shows what Lee was referring to in regards to the expansive landscape that Master Chief can explore. He stated that 343 Industries is attempting to capture the feeling of exploring a foreign ring, and players will be rewarded for exploring with secrets, new equipment, and upgrades. This is also showcased during the gameplay demo when Master Chief views his minimap revealing the areas that he can explore. There are icons shown on the minimap signifying different important locations players can visit to potentially find new equipment and upgrades.

It seems as if players can expect a completely different experience in Halo Infinite. Lee mentioned that Infinite's campaign is much larger than Halo 4 and 5's campaigns combined, and that should be expected if 343 Industries is boasting such a massive world to explore. As the 2020 holiday season grows closer, hopefully, gamers will get a closer look at just how big Halo Infinite really is.