Halo: Spartan Strike
Halo: Spartan Strike is a twin-stick shooter video game set in the military science fiction Halo universe. The successor to Halo: Spartan Assault, the game was developed by 343 Industries and Vanguard Games. It was released for iOS, Windows, and Windows Phone on April 16, 2015.[1] During gameplay, players assume the role of human supersoldiers known as Spartans in a series of war games simulating fictional historical events. Players are able to use all-new weapons, such as the Suppressor, Scatter Shot, Incineration Cannon, and Binary Rifle, as well as new armor abilities, such as the Bubble Shield, Airstrike, Proximity Mine, Teleport, and Shock Chain in the battlefield.
Halo: Spartan Strike | |
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Developer(s) |
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Publisher(s) | Microsoft Studios |
Composer(s) | Tom Salta |
Series | Halo |
Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows, Windows Phone, iOS |
Release | April 16, 2015 |
Genre(s) | Twin-stick shooter |
Mode(s) | Single-player |
Gameplay
Halo: Spartan Strike is a twin-stick shooter game. Players control a human soldier and fight against enemy aliens with a variety of weapons, abilities, and vehicles. Gameplay is similar to Spartan Assault, Spartan Strike's antecedent.[2]
Plot
Halo: Spartan Strike takes place during two eras: the first part during the events of Halo 2, and the second part after the events of Halo 4. The player character is a Spartan IV supersoldier that leads UNSC forces against the Covenant within a combat simulation. During the Covenant invasion of the Earth city of New Mombasa, they sought an artifact known as the Conduit. While a group of human soldiers were able to secure the Conduit, they were presumed lost after the city was devastated by a slipspace rupture. Five years later, the UNSC receives a signal from the Conduit on the Forerunner ringworld Gamma Halo, where they fight against a new Covenant faction also seeking the artifact. They learn that the Conduit can open Forerunner portals across the galaxy, and transported itself away from New Mombasa to avoid destruction. This new Covenant faction intends to use the Conduit to bring Promethean reinforcements to Gamma Halo and wrest control of the ring. Though the Conduit is recovered, the faction open portals to the human city of New Phoenix. The UNSC brings the Conduit to the base to shut down the portals, stemming the invasion, but the Conduit slips away again. The player is tasked with joining a team to hunt down the Conduit.
Development
To produce the Halo franchise's first mobile game, 343 Industries partnered with Vanguard Games to create Spartan Assault, which was released on Windows 8 devices in 2013. Vanguard Games and 343 Industries announced Spartan Strike in December 2014. This game was released as a digital download for Windows devices and Steam in 2015.[3][4]
Reception
Aggregator | Score |
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Metacritic | iOS: 86/100[5] PC: 66/100[6] |
Publication | Score |
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TouchArcade | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Halo: Spartan Strike received mixed reviews from critics. Review aggregator Metacritic assigned the PC version a score of 66/100 based on 9 reviews,[6] and the iOS version a score of 86/100 based on 4 reviews.[5] Pocket Gamer's Harry Slater deemed the game "really good" and praised the game for recreating the Halo feel, despite not being a first-person shooter.[7][8][9]
The lack of multiplayer was criticized, with Slater calling it the game's biggest weakness.[7]
References
- Callahan, John (April 16, 2015). "Halo: Spartan Strike is out for Windows Phone, Windows 8.1 and iOS [Update]". Windows Central. Retrieved April 16, 2015.
- Ford, Eric (April 17, 215). "'Halo: Spartan Strike' Review – An Evolutionary Success". TouchArcade. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
- "Halo: Spartan Strike Comes to Windows 8 Devices and Steam this December". Xbox.com. Microsoft. Retrieved October 26, 2014.
- Tipps, Seth (May 1, 2017). "343 Industries Delays Halo: Spartan Strike to Early 2015". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
- "Halo: Spartan Strike for iPhone/iPad Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved September 5, 2015.
- "Halo: Spartan Strike for PC Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved August 9, 2015.
- https://www.pocketgamer.com/articles/064936/halo-spartan-strike/
- https://www.ign.com/articles/2015/04/21/halo-spartan-strike-review
- https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/halo-spartan-strike-review/1900-6416114/