Halo: Spartan Assault

Halo: Spartan Assault is a twin-stick shooter video game developed by 343 Industries and Vanguard Games. Part of the Halo franchise, the game was released on July 18, 2013, for Microsoft's Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 platforms. The game was subsequently released on Xbox 360, Xbox One, Steam, and iOS. Halo: Spartan Assault is set between the events of Halo 3 and Halo 4. Players control the human soldiers Sarah Palmer and Edward Davis as they fight a new splinter faction of the alien Covenant. The game launched with 25 single-player missions; an additional campaign was released as downloadable content. The console versions also feature an exclusive cooperative horde mode. After years of rumored or cancelled handheld Halo projects, Spartan Assault was the franchise's first mobile game. The developers spent time adapting Halo's distinctive elements to a touchscreen game meant to be played in short bursts. The game received mixed reviews on release. Reviewers praised the game for its success at replicating Halo's aesthetic; the mobile versions of the game received lower average scores. Spartan Assault was followed by a sequel, Spartan Strike, in 2015.