Halo: Spartan Assault

Halo: Spartan Assault is an isometric shooter video game developed by Vanguard Games in collaboration with 343 Industries; it is the eighth game in the Halo series. Originally designed and released for Microsoft Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8, enhanced ports of the game are upcoming for Xbox 360 and Xbox One. Set between the events of Halo 3 and Halo 4, the game features 25 missions that tell the story of the SPARTAN-IV Program's earliest operations. The game went by the codename "Bootcamp" prior to its official announcement. Spartan Assault was released on July 18, 2013 for Windows 8. The complete version of the game (including all DLC) was released on December 23, 2013 for Xbox One and released on January 31, 2014 for Xbox 360.

Plot summary
Set sometime between March 2553 and July 2557, Halo: Spartan Assault ' s main narrative explores the SPARTAN-IVs' first Spartan Ops during the Battle of Draetheus V. This battle is part of the second war between the UNSC and the remnants of the Covenant, which is still being waged during the events of Halo 4. The story unfolds through the UNSC TACSIM, a historical computer simulation which the SPARTAN-IVs use for combat analysis and training, much like Halo 4 ' s War Games mode, though the framing story takes place at some point after Halo 4 ' s campaign. This framing structure explains some of the game's arcade-like elements, such as weapons' ability to fire continuously; indeed, Roland jests that the TACSIM doubles as "a fun game you can play in your spare time".

The campaign has two protagonists, Spartans Sarah Palmer and Edward Davis, whose first meeting is depicted in the Halo: Initiation limited comic series. Rather than the in-engine cutscenes used in most Halo games, Spartan Assault instead makes use of motion comic-style animations between missions, much like the terminals in Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary and Halo 4. Various quotes are displayed in the game's mission loading screens, some acting as gameplay tips while others provide backstory for the events of the game.

Campaign
The campaign mode is divided into six chapters called "Operations", with five missions each. The co-op mode comprises five missions.

Control input
As a "twin-stick" top-down shooter title, Halo: Spartan Assault is developed primarily for touchscreen platforms. The default controls for the game use some of the common control mechanics of touchscreen games: the movement control is located on the left screen whereas the aiming and firing control is located on the right. Halo ' s staple abilities, (such as grenade with a single button and using vehicles seamlessly), are readily accessible to the player and are placed next to the aiming and firing controls for ease of use.

On Windows 8 PCs and tablets, the game can also be played with a mouse and keyboard. Keyboard controls use a standard shooter format: the "WASD" key group controls movement and the mouse is for aiming and firing. On August 29, an update was applied to the game which enables the use of an Xbox 360 controller as well. The console versions of the game feature an altered control scheme in which the player must press the Right Trigger in order to fire weapons; in contrast, the other versions do not distinguish between the "look" and "fire" controls.

Player loadout
Players are able to customize their Spartan character's primary and secondary weapon loadout, armor ability, and booster (akin to Halo 4 's a tactical packages and support upgrades) at the start of each mission.

Cooperative play
The Xbox 360 and Xbox One versions of the game include a two-player online cooperative mode. In this mode two Spartans battle against hordes of Flood forms across five missions. The also mode features never-before-seen weapons and equipment, including an M6 machine pistol (which is dual-wielded like the M7), a teleportation armor ability, and a what appears to be a "cryo bomb" which emits a cloud that the Flood cannot penetrate.

UNSC

 * Spartan Edward Davis
 * Spartan Sarah Palmer
 * Roland

The following characters are only mentioned in pre-mission quotes:
 * Private Aaron Landvik
 * Lieutenant Abbi Strand
 * Sergeant Albert Sessa
 * Private Alexandra Tran
 * Private Amber Penzak
 * Private Andy Dimotta
 * Lieutenant Benjamin Wallace
 * Spartan Bethany Kossup
 * Captain Brad Falkenrath
 * Lieutenant Brendan Hale
 * Lieutenant Caitlin De Sauveterre
 * Lieutenant Chandana Pasternack
 * Private Charlie Sultan (ODST)
 * Private Christopher Olsen
 * Corporal Craig Prinz
 * Private Dave Moriarty
 * Private Edward Levesque
 * Lieutenant Elizabeth Kwan
 * Major Geraldine McNally
 * Private Gerry Payne
 * Private Guy Amjad
 * Lieutenant Han Quigley
 * Private Harold Amundsen
 * Sergeant Harry Benton
 * Lieutenant Henry Darzi
 * Private Jamie O'Neal
 * Lieutenant Jim Nikolai
 * Private John Rosenfeld
 * Private Kelly Tremblay
 * Sergeant Lindsay Asturias
 * Lieutenant Mark El-Hashem
 * Sergeant Mary Russo
 * Private Matt Salamanca
 * Private Molly Markozi
 * Private Monica Ernst
 * Captain Nada Rand
 * Private Nick Rhee
 * Private First Class Nozomi Li
 * Lieutenant Patton Liao
 * Private Paul Voclain
 * Private Peter Zhou
 * Sergeant Ramone Dakota
 * Commander Richard Moe
 * Private Rob Petersen
 * Private Roger Alfarsi
 * Private Samantha Hass
 * Lieutenant Sasha Wu
 * Lieutenant Scott Pham
 * Doctor Sheila Nerrivik
 * Lieutenant Stefan Morris
 * Lieutenant Tara Nguyen
 * Sergeant Tom Winter
 * Private Victor Quintana

Covenant

 * Merg Vol
 * Parg Vol

Equipment and technology

 * Artificial intelligence
 * Avatar
 * Data pad
 * UNSC Tactical Simulator
 * Hard light
 * Light bridge
 * Z-90 Photonic Coalescence Emitter/Aegis
 * Holography
 * Holotank
 * Jiralhanae power armor
 * Chieftain variant
 * Jumper variant
 * Jump pack
 * Kig-Yar combat harness
 * Minor variant
 * Kig-Yar point defense gauntlet
 * M2705 Regenerative Kinetic Dispersal Field
 * MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor
 * MJOLNIR [GEN2]
 * MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor/Recruit
 * MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor/S variant
 * Overshield
 * Repel
 * Sangheili combat harness
 * Field Master variant
 * Major variant
 * Minor variant
 * Stealth variant
 * Zealot variant
 * Seeker Drone
 * Stun Blast
 * Teleport
 * Type-27 Responsive Holographic Form Emulator
 * Unggoy combat harness
 * Minor variant
 * UNSC Marine Corps Battle Dress Uniform
 * Z-2500 Automated Protection Drone

Events

 * Human-Covenant War
 * Battle of Voi
 * Reclamation conflict
 * Battle of Draetheus V

Locations

 * Draetheus system
 * Draetheus V
 * Epsilon Expanse
 * Faraday Base
 * Red Slate Plateau
 * X50
 * Arid Ripple
 * Arid Sea
 * Cistern
 * Basalt Maze
 * Glacial Perch
 * Mirror Flats
 * Research Facility Alpha
 * Sol system
 * Earth
 * Africa
 * East African Protectorate
 * Republic of Kenya
 * Voi
 * X-40
 * Conduction Refinement Facility
 * Overwatch Construction Platform
 * The Fort

Organizations

 * Covenant remnant
 * United Earth Government
 * United Nations Space Command
 * UNSC Defense Force
 * Spartan
 * SPARTAN-IV Program
 * UNSC Army
 * 23rd Armored Cavalry
 * Special Warfare Command
 * UNSC Marine Corps
 * 21st Scout platoon
 * Orbital Drop Shock Troopers
 * 3rd Helljumper Platoon
 * UNSC Navy

Species

 * Flood
 * Forerunner
 * Human
 * Jiralhanae
 * Kig-Yar
 * Sangheili
 * Unggoy
 * Yanme'e

Vehicles

 * UNSC
 * AV-14 Hornet
 * AV-22 Sparrowhawk
 * D77H-TCI Pelican
 * M313 Heavy Recovery Vehicle
 * M808 Main Battle Tank
 * M850 Main Battle Tank
 * M9 Main Anti-Aircraft Tank
 * Covenant
 * Orbital insertion pod
 * Type-25 Spirit
 * Type-26 Wraith
 * Type-26 Banshee
 * Type-29 Shade
 * Type-52 Anti-Aircraft Wraith
 * Type-52 Phantom
 * Phantom gunboat
 * Type-26 Banshee
 * Type-29 Shade
 * Type-52 Anti-Aircraft Wraith
 * Type-52 Phantom
 * Phantom gunboat

Weapons

 * UNSC
 * ARC-920 railgun
 * BR85 Heavy Barrel Service Rifle
 * M247 General Purpose Machine Gun
 * M247T Medium Machine Gun
 * M319 Individual Grenade Launcher
 * M41 rocket launcher
 * M45D Tactical Shotgun
 * M6 Grindell/Galilean Nonlinear Rifle
 * M6 machine pistol
 * M6H Personal Defense Weapon System
 * M7/Caseless Submachine Gun
 * M9 High-Explosive Dual-Purpose grenade
 * MA37 assault rifle
 * MA5D assault rifle
 * Napalm grenade
 * Sniper Rifle System 99-Series 5 Anti-Matériel
 * Covenant
 * Automated plasma turret
 * Fuel rod cannon
 * Mega Turret
 * Type-1 plasma grenade
 * Type-1 energy sword
 * Type-2 gravity hammer
 * Type-25 Directed Energy Pistol
 * Type-25 Directed Energy Rifle
 * Type-25 Grenade Launcher
 * Type-29 Anti-Infantry Stationary Gun
 * Type-33 Guided Munitions Launcher
 * Type-38 Anti-Aircraft Cannon
 * Type-51 Directed Energy Rifle/Improved
 * Type-52 Special Applications Rifle
 * Forerunner
 * Z-510 focus turret

Design
Vanguard Games began development of Halo: Spartan Assault around April 2012 for the Windows 8 platform, before the announcement of Windows Surface. During initial development, Vanguard experimented with several prototypes by bringing the traditional Halo first-person shooter experience to the mobile platform and found out the gameplay is wholly unsuitable for the platform. The game's AI system is managed by HAVOK, the same AI system management technology used in Halo 4. The Microsoft Surface Pro version of the game runs at 60 frames-per-second; the Xbox One versions runs at the same frame rate with a native 1080p resolution. The Windows Phone 8 and PC versions are locked at 30 FPS. The game's top-down view and stylization result in an aesthetic very similar to that of Halo Wars.

Sandbox
The sandbox features weapons, vehicles, and armor styles from throughout the series' past. Most of the UNSC's arsenal from Halo 4 is represented in Spartan Assault; indeed, all but one usable UNSC weapon comes from Halo 4. The Covenant's arsenal is instead an eclectic mix of weapons from previous games, notably featuring the focus rifle and plasma repeater from Halo: Reach. Several vehicles and stationary weapons which originated in Halo Wars are virtually unchanged from their incarnations in that game, aside from improved textures. The Covenant Wraith and Banshee also appear to use their models from Halo Wars, evidenced by the former's plasma turret and the latter's canard layout.

Aside from Merg Vol, the Covenant species are based on their appearances in earlier media rather than their Halo 4 incarnations. Specifically, the Grunts, Elites, and Jackals have the physiology of their Halo: Reach counterparts and wear corresponding armor. The Brutes and Drones are instead represented with their designs from Halo 3 and Halo 3: ODST.

Integration features with Halo 4
The game is closely integrated with the player's experience in Halo 4 where players can unlock experience points, new achievements, and an emblem for their Halo 4 account. After purchasing the Champions Bundle Pack or the Bullseye Map Pack, the game will unlock:


 * The Striped (STP) skin for the DMR.
 * The Vision (VISN) skin for the Air Assault armor.
 * The Rush (RUSH) skin for the CIO armor.
 * A new stance called Determined.

Title update
On August 29, 2013, Operation F: Hydra was released in the form of a title update. Hydra includes five new missions as well as five new achievements, worth a total of 50 gamerpoints.

Trivia

 * In terms of platform availability, Halo: Spartan Assault is the first Halo game to be released on mobile devices, the first to be released on Xbox One, and the first to be available for download as an Xbox Live Arcade game.
 * Despite being depicted on the cover art, Hunters do not appear in the game.
 * When shot, the Drones make the same noises Engineers make in Halo 3: ODST and Halo: Reach.
 * This marks the first Halo game in which Jackals use plasma grenades.
 * The first mission's briefing screen and the opening cutscene for Mission 9 depict Unggoy and Sangheili in their Halo 3 likenesses, whereas they resemble their Halo: Reach counterparts in gameplay.