Halo: Spartan Assault

 PC
Metascore
70

Mixed or average reviews - based on 17 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 17
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 17
  3. Negative: 1 out of 17
  1. Game Informer
    Aug 8, 2013
    83
    The emotions Halo inspires, like panic from hearing your shield beep as enemies overcome you or the explosive joy you feel from throwing a well-placed grenade, are all on display here. Spartan Assault is a true Halo game, even if the series’ signature scope and size are scaled down.
  2. PC Games
    Aug 8, 2013
    77
    Excellent product values meet nearly perfectly captured Halo aesthetics; unfortunately, the touchscreen controls are more about trying to tame your spartans and especially their vehicles than actually directing them.
  3. GameStar
    Jul 30, 2013
    77
    Although smaller aspects such as in-app rip or missing multiplayer mode nerves, Spartan Assault is a worthy Halo offshoot that brings the big name no shame.
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  5. NZGamer
    Aug 23, 2013
    75
    A decent entry into the Halo franchise. It trades in the grand scope of the original games for some bite sized pieces of action that fit the mobile platform well. There are some control quirks which are annoying, but don’t go as far as ruining the experience. All in all, it’s well worth the $8.99 asking price.
  6. Gamer.nl
    Jul 25, 2013
    75
    Halo: Spartan Assault translates the Halo-franchise to a top-down mobile shooter successfully. The (touch sensitive) controls can be too complex and the game could lean less on micro transactions, but other than that Spartan Assault is the mobile game that Windows (Phone) 8 sorely missed.
  7. Meristation
    Jul 23, 2013
    75
    Halo: Spartan Assault is a good Top Down Shooter with simple but clever mechanics and a great recreation of the Halo Universe. However, it has some problems with enemy AI and the "pay for boost" system.
  8. Everyeye.it
    Oct 22, 2013
    70
    Halo Spartan Assault closes a hole in the games for Windows Mobile offer, remaining a forgettable title on PC.
  9. Multiplayer.it
    Aug 7, 2013
    70
    Halo: Spartan Assault is an entertaining and well-crafted spin-off, but it could have been better without annoying micro-transactions.
  10. Destructoid
    Jul 26, 2013
    70
    It's by no means Windows 8's killer app, but provided you have access to a Windows 8 device, you could do much worse than Spartan Assault.
  11. VideoGamer
    Jul 23, 2013
    70
    If you're willing to learn its touch inputs and put up with the frustration of in-game transactions - it often leaves you in a situation where things would be much easier and fun if you parted with cash - Spartan Assault is a solid way to feed any Halo pangs you may have, no matter where you are.
  12. Eurogamer
    Jul 22, 2013
    70
    Vanguard's created a decent blaster which offers a couple of moments of genuine bullet-dodging glory: Halo's touch-screen debut is good-looking, colourful, and fun.
  13. Games Master UK
    Sep 2, 2013
    68
    It's a little self-defeating. [Oct 2013, p.79]
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  14. IGN
    Jul 30, 2013
    67
    Played with a mouse and keyboard Spartan Assault becomes a much more enjoyable experience, better able to recreate classic moments of Halo brilliance, but it’s still limited by hit-and-miss mission design and fiction that takes the urgency out of this fight for survival.
  15. Vandal
    Aug 5, 2013
    65
    The Halo series changes its usual gameplay into a correct title focused on mobile gaming, with little to highlight and little to complain about.
  16. Post Arcade (National Post)
    Aug 2, 2013
    65
    Avid Halo fans who already have a Windows 8 device may want to give it a try, but Halo: Spartan Assault isn’t likely to draw many iOS or Android gamers into the Microsoft fold.
  17. PC Gamer
    Sep 13, 2013
    58
    A smart top-down reimagining of the Halo experience, let down by mobile game monetization. [Nov 2013, p.66]
  18. PCGamesN
    Apr 9, 2014
    40
    It’s almost absurdly simple. The thing I’ve always liked about twin-stick shooters is a sense of escalating chaos - the idea that you’re only just keeping a lid on waves of baddies. Spartan Assault never manages this: there just aren’t ever enough enemies on screen, nor do they ever feel particularly dangerous.

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
6.2

Mixed or average reviews- based on 143 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 53 out of 143
  2. Mixed: 51 out of 143
  3. Negative: 39 out of 143
  1. CyanSanguine
    Jul 21, 2013
    8
    Please note that this review is for the PC version.

    The game's theme and visuals are fantastic and what you would expect out of 343    Please note that this review is for the PC version.

    The game's theme and visuals are fantastic and what you would expect out of 343 Industries. At the price of $6.99, it is a good way to waste a little time (and if you're a major Halo fan like me, yet another fix of knowledge into the Halo universe).
    All things considered, I only have three minor problems with it.
    1. The in-game currency to purchase weapons and upgrades is kind of sad, but I expected no less from Microsoft.
    2. The game crashes from time to time. Maybe every couple of hours it will just close without saving progress. This is only a minor inconvenience because there's usually a maximum of five minutes between each save.
    3. If you are someone looking for Xbox LIVE achievement points, this game will disappoint you. It has a meager 200 gamerscore, and the achievements themselves are frustrating to the point you think to yourself "to hell with it, I didn't need those damn 10 points anyway". This has a lot to do with the inability to map your own controls; which are kind of awkward.

    Overall I feel a distinct lack of content, and as much as a Halo fan-boy such as myself would love to slap a 10 on it and move on, this is metacritic and people come here for real reviews. If this game would have some future DLC (preferable without additional cost) and maybe some better integration with other Halo games (Spartan Assault has an XP bonus in Halo 4, but as someone who reached max rank in just over a month, that is useless to me).

    Final verdict: Worth the buy for a Halo fan, someone with $7 to dish for fun, or someone incredibly bored. Under any other circumstances, this game is probably not going to impress you.    … Full Review »
  2. GhStRdR2k
    Jul 19, 2013
    6
    So far I'm not too impressed with this game.

    There are some positives to this game, visually it is a good looking game and I love the    So far I'm not too impressed with this game.

    There are some positives to this game, visually it is a good looking game and I love the "twin-stick" shooter twist on the Halo universe. Which leads me to the negatives of this game, the "twin-stick" style is on the touchscreen versions of this game. The PC version is stuck with using a mouse and keyboard. Which makes the gameplay feel clunky and disorganized, especially when gameplay gets frantic. Why 343 didn't add support for the 360 Controller I do not know, the gameplay would be be a lot more smoother and fluid if they had do this. It's something I am hoping comes in a very near update.

    Visually: Thumbs Up
    Controls: Thumb Down, Fart noise

    Now on to gameplay:
    The level design is ok, however the levels are too short and it's way to easy to clear the levels. Loadouts are a joke, you are limited to having either the Assault Rifle or Magnum. You can change either one out for a Sniper Rifle for a set amount of XP which you earn as you play. You can also have the Spartan Laser or a Rocket Launcher for 30CR which is only available through micro transactions. Something that isn't needed and feels like a way to milk money out of the players. I am only three missions into the game so I can't say if the loadouts change throughout the game as you get to new areas, so I can't say for sure. What about the Needler or Plasma Pistol? You do have the option to turn on Skulls for a XP bonus, which would be ok if the "Free" weapon was something other than the Sniper Rifle.

    Gameplay: Thumb Down, Fart Noise

    If 343 can put out an update and balance some things out to Loadouts and Difficulty that would be great, and add Controller support. Something that should have been there from the start.    … Full Review »
  3. Jman88s
    Apr 6, 2014
    10
    Halo: Spartan Assault is indeed a good game, but I'm disappointed Microsoft didn't put other Halo games like Reach, 3, 3 ODST, and more forHalo: Spartan Assault is indeed a good game, but I'm disappointed Microsoft didn't put other Halo games like Reach, 3, 3 ODST, and more for the PC. Halo and Halo 2 PC did good. This is better than Halo Wars... because instead of controlling your whole army, you're controlling JUST one person. But Spartan Assault's campaign makes no sense and isn't apart of the official Halo series just a minigame kinda.

    Overall: Good, could have been better. Microsoft, port other Halo games for PC.    … Full Review »
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