It seems fair to say that the recently released Halo Infinite offers new and improved looks at everything within its universe — which is basically a necessity given the lengthy gap between its release and that of 2015’s Halo 5: Guardians. But while a new understanding of the likes of Master Chief and Cortana was basically a given, the title also provides some updated perspective on the lowliest minion in the franchise. According to Halo Infinite lead narrative designer Aaron Linde, the Banished’s grunts are less cowardly than before, though perhaps no more effective.
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“One thing that I’m really glad to see people noticing is the higher degree of confidence in the grunts,” Linde told GamesRadar+ as part of a larger email interview. “We wanted to convey a sense of meaningful change for them as part of the slightly-more-egalitarian Banished, where they have more equity—or at least more than they did in the Covenant, where they had none—and more philosophical buy-in on their part as a result. They’re still cowards, and still treated terribly by their peers, but they’re on more even footing with the others, even if only constitutionally. And you’ll hear that reflected by the other species from time to time as well, particularly the Elites (‘go, tiny warrior!’).”
In essence, Linde posits that the grunts have received the smallest confidence boost possible and it’s made them all the more dangerous (and hilarious) for it. Whether this continues to be a thread to be explored in future installments remains to be seen, but players likely won’t tire of the little critters chattering nonsensically with largely unearned pride.
As for the video game itself, Halo Infinite is currently available for the Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, and PC. You can check out all of our previous coverage of the latest and greatest Halo title right here.
What do you think about Linde’s assertion that grunts are less cowardly than before in Halo Infinite? Have you noticed that for yourself in the video game as of yet? Let us know in the comments, or feel free to reach out and hit me up directly over on Twitter at @rollinbishop to talk about all things gaming!
