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. 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
  5. 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
  6. TheBeast666
    Aug 28, 2013
    7
    The game is good. The problem?? windows 8. 7/10 overall
  7. 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
  8. 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.
  9. 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
  10. 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.
  11. 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.
  12. 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.
  13. Tomle1202
    Jun 2, 2022
    6
    Nobody really asked for Halo: Spartan Assault, but funnily enough it got made anyway.
  14. 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
  15. 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

Critic Reviews

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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.
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  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.
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  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]
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