Halo: Spartan Assault

 PC
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

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  1. adff500
    May 6, 2014
    5
    Pros:
    + Halo
    + Low Price
    + 30 (short) levels
    + nice graphics and music
    + quick loading
    Cons:
    - No Co-op or Multiplayer
    - Frustrating mission objectives (babysitting or time based)
    - No Replay Value
    - No Zoom (too tiny)
    - HUD Filters (breaks immersion)

    Average game at best. (From the famous series)
  2. DRiVER_helsinki
    Apr 6, 2014
    5
    average at best. looks and fEEls like mobile game (is ported). no rebindable keys, clunky to play, especially when driving vehicles using keyboard.
    Completed in 4-5 hours
    Missions last 2-6 minutes and very little replayability or variety, . Each mission begins with a loadout screen where you can select your loadout which consists of a primary weapon, secondary weapon, armour ability and    average at best. looks and fEEls like mobile game (is ported). no rebindable keys, clunky to play, especially when driving vehicles using keyboard.
    Completed in 4-5 hours
    Missions last 2-6 minutes and very little replayability or variety, . Each mission begins with a loadout screen where you can select your loadout which consists of a primary weapon, secondary weapon, armour ability and power up (not active by default), however you may only change your loadout by spending your in-game currency (XP), but there is no need to do so as the game is very easy without such purchases, as there are many other weapons, vehicles and stationary cannons scattered around each level that keep you stocked up long enough to complete the mission with very few issues.

    The story is very basic, and your average Halo fare: A human planet is under attack by covenant forces, lo and behold: the forerunners seems to have had a foothold on the planet before they died out, and then the UNSC and the Covenant duke it out to try and reclaim whatever technology they left behind, and to stop the Covenant from destroying humanity etc etc. It is not going to be the most memorable story, or even memorable at all, but what makes it worse is that missions are explained with a small block of text, and cutscenes are reserved for the completion of each “Operation” (every 5 missions), these cutscenes, whilst nice to look at with their graphic novel style presentation, only last a few seconds, and do little to break up the monotony of the combat.

    Graphically the game is very impressive for a mobile port. DX effects are squeezed in to make explosions look fairly impressive, as well as cramming in a large amount of particle effects such as embers and snowflakes which all make the game look alive. The lighting and background effects (post Operation C) are also very nice to look at as it obtains every bit of colour that Halo is known for, a refreshing break from the flurry of grey/ brown games that we are so very accustomed to seeing now. One huge downside however is the lack of graphics options past AA, resolution and refresh rate. Where are the texture options? V-Sync? Or even a colourblind mode?

    The sound design is very good though, the weapons sounds are taken directly from the Halo console games and thus are of a high quality (although they do sound a little muffled), and whilst the original music composed by Tom Salta (Halo: CEA) is very good, the music feels like it is implemented incorrectly, as the music that often accompanies combat is very calm and whimsical, not the epic music that I would expect from such a scenario (see Halo: CEA OST's "Strung"). The game feels very Halo-y in how it sounds, but it is a shame that this feeling does not carry over to the rest of the game.

    (As of the launch day) As expected, I did encounter a few bugs and issues during my time playing this game. I experienced a couple of crashes (which are inexcusable), as well as one irritating bug that causes the game to go into windowed mode when tabbed out, which makes this extra annoying because the options menu cannot be accessed whilst you are in the middle of a mission, and because there are no checkpoints, you will either have to finish the mission in windowed mode, or quit and start again. (There is no "Fullscreen" option in the menu, requiring the player to change the resolution of the game and then reverting it to your preferred resolution, or quitting the game).

    Halo: Spartan Assault is the first Halo game to reach the PC platform since Halo 2 back in 2007, but it is a shame that this is the Halo game that we got. If you are a avid Halo fan like myself, you probably already have it, but if you are on the fence about it, it might be worth the try just because of it's low price, or maybe just to convince 343i and Microsoft that the PC is a viable place to put Halo games both new and old, but otherwise, nOt recommend.    … Expand
  3. TheMasiMan1
    Nov 19, 2015
    6
    Halo: Spartan Assault is a fun -pick-up-and-play game. But the game isnt worth being called a Halo game. After a few missions you wiill realise that its boring, soulless and not an important addition to the Halo franchise. But Halo: Spartan Assault is a different from all the other Halo games. Its the worst Halo game yet, but that dosent mean it sucks.
  4. 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 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    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.    … Expand
  5. 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 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 aHalo: 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.    … Expand
  6. jthiel09
    Jul 23, 2013
    7
    As a fan of the Halo Universe from its inception this game gives a good insight to more back-story story to dig into. I'm a little ways in and the level designs have a "Halo Wars" feel to them, the shooter element is different form anything you've done in Halo up to this point and overall it plays great.

    I don't think anyone should expect the AAA quality of Halo 4 or Reach, but for    As a fan of the Halo Universe from its inception this game gives a good insight to more back-story story to dig into. I'm a little ways in and the level designs have a "Halo Wars" feel to them, the shooter element is different form anything you've done in Halo up to this point and overall it plays great.

    I don't think anyone should expect the AAA quality of Halo 4 or Reach, but for $6.99 you are getting a really great/fresh take on the Halo franchise. The only question I have is how this plays on a phone, as I have been playing on PC.

    Hopefully there are some updates DLC in the future and for those of you complaining about the Gamerscore it's essentially a version of an Xbox Arcade game so 200 points is the norm.    … Expand
  7. 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 "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    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.    … Expand
  8. TheBeast666
    Aug 28, 2013
    7
    The game is good. The problem?? windows 8. 7/10 overall
  9. dyspeptic
    Sep 5, 2014
    6
    Last Played: Sep 2014 (Xbox Controller)

    PROS: + Shooting… + Variety of missions + Mission length is just right CONS: - Sometimes hard to hit enemies – Auto aim can mess you up – Other UNSC guys supposed to help? REVIEW: Let’s be honest: you don’t buy a top down shooter made for a tablet but ported to PC and expect great things. Halo: Spartan Assault more than delivers on what    Last Played: Sep 2014 (Xbox Controller)

    PROS: + Shooting… + Variety of missions + Mission length is just right

    CONS: - Sometimes hard to hit enemies – Auto aim can mess you up – Other UNSC guys supposed to help?

    REVIEW: Let’s be honest: you don’t buy a top down shooter made for a tablet but ported to PC and expect great things. Halo: Spartan Assault more than delivers on what you’d expect (though this doesn’t make it a great game by any stretch of the imagination). You get top-down bullety goodness and a nice variety of short (1-5 min) missions (5 missions per block and six blocks). I never really tried this game with a keyboard and mouse, but with a controller sometimes things can be hard to hit and I can’t even imagine trying to play this with a touch device. There is an auto-aim to help you peg the aliens, though I never did quite figure out when it kicks in, and sometimes I emptied the last of my rounds into the air, while other times a grenade I meant for a hard target got wasted on a stupid, squishy enemy. My last gripe is the other dudes, who occasionally fire their weapons, but mostly just seem to distract the baddies so you can waste ‘em. Was this game worth the $5 price tag? Iffy for me, but I think the US$1.69 I got it for on Steam sale was worth it. WIll I ever play it again now that I'm done? ...maybe    … Expand
  10. Ishtiak_Ahmed
    Jul 7, 2014
    7
    Pros:
    Beautiful Graphics
    Great Level/Character Design
    Dual Wielding
    Quick yet still fun levels
    Good Story Line

    Cons:
    Difficulty Controlling Vehicles
    Limited Weapons
    Some levels are so easy I could do it without my eyes open, seriously.

    Overall: This game is pretty good, great way to kill about 4 hours, it is almost worth the amount of money.
  11. sinadoom
    Jun 27, 2014
    7
    I was expecting this game to be nothing more than a shody mobile port and a cash-grab attempt by Microsoft using their most successful game franchise to appeal to casual gamers and nickel & dime them with microtransactions. However, it appears that this is not the case; for the Steam version of the game anyway. The game is underpriced if anything - at £3.99 it's the cheapest version fo theI was expecting this game to be nothing more than a shody mobile port and a cash-grab attempt by Microsoft using their most successful game franchise to appeal to casual gamers and nickel & dime them with microtransactions. However, it appears that this is not the case; for the Steam version of the game anyway. The game is underpriced if anything - at £3.99 it's the cheapest version fo the game, yet also the best. A good achievement list, weekly challenges, level-specific challenges and a sizeable number of levels along with leaderboards and a score system provide lots of replay value. So what about the game itself? Well, it's surprisingly solid as a stand-alone PC game. The controls work perfectly, visuals aren't far different to the mobile version but still a decent looking game, framerate is smooth and never dips, nice soundtrack too. You could never tell that the game was a "port" from touchscreen devices. The gameplay is actually very much like other Halo games. Sure, it's top down but the core elements of level design, enemies, weapons etc. are all very similar. Even the sounds and animations are directly copy-pasted. The result is a highly robust top-down shooter which appeals to almost anyone (unless you have an intense hatred for the Halo universe). The scoring system is perfectly designed; rewarding fast, skillful play. Overall, Spartan Assault faithfully replicates the Halo universe in a top-down environment and is a shining example of how to make a game which works just as well on a smartphone as it does on a mouse and keyboard or controller.… Expand
  12. JimCorbett
    Nov 18, 2015
    6
    A decent twin stick shooter that does most thing right but doesn't bother trying to reinvent the wheel so what you end up getting is an average game that you've probably played before.
  13. legodinosandZT2
    Dec 10, 2015
    4
    Halo: Spartan Assault attempts to profit off the name of the well-established Halo franchise but is ultimately a tepid, bland, and thoroughly unsurprising affair. The mobile trappings are still incredibly blatant even when transposed to a different platform, but what's most insulting is that the developers didn't even feel the need to switch anything up. The format (top-down shooter) isHalo: Spartan Assault attempts to profit off the name of the well-established Halo franchise but is ultimately a tepid, bland, and thoroughly unsurprising affair. The mobile trappings are still incredibly blatant even when transposed to a different platform, but what's most insulting is that the developers didn't even feel the need to switch anything up. The format (top-down shooter) is completely banal, the story is half-assed at best, and for some reason the worthless, nigh on insulting microtransactions have been carried over from mobile as well. On an overall scale, Spartan Assault would have amounted to nothing had it not been for the Halo branding; as is, it's still garbage. This is one that should've stayed on tablet.… Expand
  14. SilentHightimes
    Jul 6, 2017
    6
    A pretty simple top down shooter Halo style easily beat in 4 hours, options to make the game harder to give you more play time and reruns. Well worth $1.49.
  15. Klewer
    Jan 28, 2015
    6
    Action heavy top down shooter that while is plenty of fun has a few quirks which are quite irritating. Still hard to find well controlled native touch games for Windows 8 but this is probably still worth a go.
  16. chuckle_h0und
    Aug 24, 2015
    2
    No co-op of any form on PC, which turns this from a mediocre top down shooter, into a mediocre top down shooter I can't even play with my friends. Why this feature got removed I have no idea.
  17. Orangejin
    May 12, 2014
    3
    i just buyed because it was cheap and i had 5$ in the wallet to spare, i loved halo games, i played all the fps ones, but this one feels unfinished, like playing a beta, NO COOP in pc??? damm, no graphic options??? no mappeable buttons??? i played both with keyboard and with xbox 360 controller and it feeled weird and clumsi, added the lack of options it becomes into a problem that youi just buyed because it was cheap and i had 5$ in the wallet to spare, i loved halo games, i played all the fps ones, but this one feels unfinished, like playing a beta, NO COOP in pc??? damm, no graphic options??? no mappeable buttons??? i played both with keyboard and with xbox 360 controller and it feeled weird and clumsi, added the lack of options it becomes into a problem that you have no other option to get used to, microsoft can do it better with and update and more options, at the moment it just feels like a beta game.

    PS: you cannot adjust the distance of the camera, eyes hurt after a while.    … Expand
  18. Tomle1202
    Jun 2, 2022
    6
    Nobody really asked for Halo: Spartan Assault, but funnily enough it got made anyway.
  19. DiFF7Skyns
    Apr 2, 2016
    8
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. A major release of Microsoft for mobiles devices and PC. In isometric perspective, HALO arrives with a different gameplay of those who were accustomed to the series in the first person of exclusive titles for Xbox.

    The game does not offer a considerable amount of weapons and vehicles. Still, the gameplay is good and the graphics are excelent. The soundtrack is great, and the campaign is well diversified, with several missions divided into operations, in order to stop the Covenant advance, for breaking a peace treaty with humans.

    It is worth checking the game. Guaranteed fun.    … Expand
  20. Mobile
    Jul 4, 2018
    6
    ENG RU
    I have little experience in such games, but I liked this game. Looks nice, management is adequate, although sometimes there are shoals, liked the style of the cutscenes. The game is short, sometimes Missy end in minutes and it is not clear why such scraps do, and closer to the end of the job become monotonous and deliberately complicated,for the experience you can buy equipment    ENG RU
    I have little experience in such games, but I liked this game. Looks nice, management is adequate, although sometimes there are shoals, liked the style of the cutscenes. The game is short, sometimes Missy end in minutes and it is not clear why such scraps do, and closer to the end of the job become monotonous and deliberately complicated,for the experience you can buy equipment only for the current mission, but given the duration and not a large influx of experience, it is not particularly clear, and the average complexity and did without it, but the money the game
    У меня мало опыта в подобных играх, но это игра понравилась. Приятная внешне, управление адекватное, хотя иногда и есть косяки, понравились стиль заставок. Игра короткая, порой мисси заканчиваются за минуты и как бы не понятно для чего такие обрывки делать, да и ближе к концу задания становятся однообразными и заведомо усложненные,за полученный опыт можно покупать экипировки лишь для текущей миссии, но учитывая продолжительность и не большой приток опыта, то особо не разгуляешься, а на средней сложности и вовсе обходился без этого, но свои деньги игра отбивает.    … Expand
  21. clem666
    Jan 16, 2021
    3
    After some long issues to launch this little game, I eventually managed to play it. This game is repetititititititive, opponents have very bad hitboxes and difficulty is impossible to change! Levels are just all the same: kill mobs who have more and more life according to the level you're playing. Weapons are boring, sound like nothing but dumb lasers and shoot whithout any consistence orAfter some long issues to launch this little game, I eventually managed to play it. This game is repetititititititive, opponents have very bad hitboxes and difficulty is impossible to change! Levels are just all the same: kill mobs who have more and more life according to the level you're playing. Weapons are boring, sound like nothing but dumb lasers and shoot whithout any consistence or noticeable difference. Environment is just really bad: sometimes your bullets can pass through things, sometimes you just realize the enemies' bullets can and simply not yours. Story is... meh, Halo story...… Expand
  22. marpolaris
    Apr 17, 2020
    7
    es bueno pero no se como que se siente incompleto en cuanto ala historia pero es divertido y si tiene su reto, es buena propuesta para pasar el rato
  23. 3t3rnal
    Feb 12, 2022
    3
    Seeing as this is actually a mobile game, I could live with shorter stages and the dated graphics. What I cannot live with it is lazy level design from the get go, where you at times get stuck in a very small box with invisible walls, and defeat a couple waves of enemies, or have to do stupid escort missions for slow moving vehicles and so on. The roster of weapons has also been cut down aSeeing as this is actually a mobile game, I could live with shorter stages and the dated graphics. What I cannot live with it is lazy level design from the get go, where you at times get stuck in a very small box with invisible walls, and defeat a couple waves of enemies, or have to do stupid escort missions for slow moving vehicles and so on. The roster of weapons has also been cut down a lot compared to the mainline games, as has the enemy roster, which is unforgivable - you have everything you need, all the designs, all of the behavior patterns, everything - just stick it in the game. But they were too lazy even for that.

    As for the PC version specific issues I encountered on the Windows Store / Gamepass version - the game is 4:3 window mode only and in some stupid resolution, can't even upscale it properly because of that. There's no graphics settings at all, at least I did not find them, you can't change controls either and the binds are f-cking dumb, the people working on this port probably never played a game on PC.

    The gameplay is okay, I guess. It's more or less well balanced. The hitboxes of the environment are crap though, and because of the limited enemy and weapon roster, the combat gets stale really quickly.

    Lazy game, crap PC port, waste of time and money.    … Expand

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
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. 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.
    Read full review
  2. 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.
    Read full review
  3. 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]
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »