This so great news, Halo enthusiasts and experts; the main thing is that the new music released by 343 Industries is not for the game but rather to be used outside the game. The complete Halo soundtrack library, which is considered by some to be an all-time great collection, has been initially made available on Bandcamp by 343 along with this comes the album that is only on Bandcamp called ‘Halo Infinite: Road to Zeta,’ where all the marketing tracks and promo pieces we have been listening to for years are collected. The Halo account said nothing more than: ‘Your next mission: Press play!’ Okay? But this is a command I can easily follow.
What is this so-called big deal? First of all, it is a great opportunity for anyone who has ever felt the famous Gregorian chant’s goosebumps or experienced a blood rush during a Warthog run. The whole music from classics down to Halo Infinite is there. The ‘Road to Zeta’ part is extra cool as it merges music from the trailers and promo material for Infinite, which might not always be easy to find in a clean, high-quality format. Players have been asking for this music in particular for a long time. One user, breadslice404, put it nicely: ‘I have been waiting for the Campaign launch trailer music for YEARS. Thank you. Thank you so much.’ That is the feeling.
The internet, however, was not short of its… let us call it, ‘spirited discussions’ around the announcement. Initially, many gamers’ reactions blended pure excitement and utter confusion. The hype was definitely very real. Comments started pouring in like ‘Absolutely incredible W’ from Sidera and ‘It’s actually fire. All of it’ from Ex_Revenant. The community is extremely happy to be able to officially own these tracks in the right way.
Next was the puzzlement. Moreover, the complaints followed. One of the main issues? The Bandcamp exclusivity. Not everyone is a Bandcamp user, folks. It’s a tiny platform compared to the giants like Spotify and Apple Music. InfiniteGrunt voiced a common frustration: ‘Damn, Bandcamp exclusively really sucks! I don’t want to spend more money on a music service when I’m already paying for Apple and YT music. 😭’ Others like SergioLoyola117 were just inquiring, ‘Spotify? :(‘ Then there was TheGamerGuy1981, who went all boomer with, ‘What the hell is a band camp? Nobody uses anything but Spotify. Wake up, you old folks.’ Harsh, but it is still a valid point.
A prayer to the gods at 343 was also a common theme in the replies. Players have now that music has been officially released and celebrated, they want it in the game back. There has been a dispute over the music on the menu in Halo Infinite, with many saying that the wonderful campaign tracks are missing. paxunova bluntly demanded, ‘Now add the campaign tracks back to the menu.’ endurion_dev was on that side, asking, ‘Now that the soundtrack is here, can we talk about adding it back into the actual game?’ It is a fair request—why not allow users to experience the great score while doing boring things like reviewing armor cores, right?
While dealing with all the logistics, the main point of the discussion was the music. The players were very praise-full to the composers. JMako67 fervently claimed that Infinite has ‘the best music we’ve had since ODST’ and even begged 343 to ‘keep th damn composers on retainer or something.’ JokerValets echoed and even related, ‘Please don’t change the music team they did a great job mix of new and old is the right path soundtrack wise.’ There was even a deep-cut acknowledgment of some sort, with refraynn pointing out how the motifs of the Banished were sounding ‘primal’ and ‘war-song-like,’ which is, sculptural, in a way!
Wait, did I start to say something? Oh, yes! The music is so good. It is so deeply embedded in the DNA of the Halo series that the manner of release seems to unveil a slice of gaming history. Inconvenient for some as it may be, the way of delivering on Bandcamp also brings to the forefront other issues the players have with the audio presentation of the game. But, at its heart, this is a win. It is 343’s way of recognizing that this score matters, that these tunes are as much a character in the series as Master Chief, himself. For collectors and audiophiles, it is a dream come true. You can at last have those crisp, lossless files and make the ultimate lineup of Halo study or workout playlist. The community’s passion is evident on platforms like PlayStation and Xbox networks.
