The 30 missions, spread across five areas, often feature multiple objectives, with players either shooting their way through scripted sequences or exploring an open map. The Warthog still has its slightly wonky driving physics, and special abilities like recharging health, speed boosts, and the Bubble Shield can still instantly turn the tide of battle.īeyond those surface details, Spartan Strike also marries Halo's more-measured pace with the typically more arcade-style gameplay of the top-down shooter genre.
Guns like the Needler and the awesomely overpowered pistol behave like they always have. But as an excuse to revisit classic Halo locales, and use classic Halo weaponry, it works.Ĭarrying the classic Halo feel into this new perspective brings the game together. However, the actual plot, which has players reenacting famous historical battles in virtual reality, makes the timeline much murkier. War MachineWhereas Spartan Assault piggybacked off of the then-recent Halo 4 by taking place between that game and Halo 3, Spartan Strike similarly ties into the upcoming Halo 5 by setting its story before the events of the highly anticipated Xbox One exclusive. And Tom Salta's orchestral score adds an almost-unearned amount of poignancy to something as simple and silly as blasting hordes of monsters from the back of a space truck. Spartan soldiers, Covenant enemies, and signature vehicles from both sides of the conflict retain their iconic designs even when the view is zoomed out. Levels are large and lush, taking place in varied environments such as ravaged futuristic cities and dense alien jungles. Fortunately, the game's not nearly as broken as last year's Halo: The Master Chief Collection, whose ongoing issues caused this game to be delayed by several months.ĭespite running on more modest hardware, Spartan Strike features enough production value to make it a worthy younger sibling to its AAA console counterparts. At one point I got stuck inside some level geometry at the end of a mission and had to restart. I encountered mild frame-rate issues whenever the action got too hectic, and Spartan Assault's occasional glitches return as well. However, supporting so many devices also means your own performance may vary.
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