Halo: Spartan Strike Review

Developer: Microsoft Corporation
Price: $5.99
Version Reviewed: 1.0
App Reviewed on: iPad Air 2

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Overall Rating:

Okay, so I was admittedly a little let down by Halo: Spartan Assault. Thankfully, Halo: Spartan Strike does an excellent job of making up for that initial disappointment. It’s “more of the same,” in a way, but it’s also noticeably better.

Functionally, Spartan Strike is about the same as its predecessor. It’s an isometric shooter, set in the Halo universe, and tells a sort of side-story that occurs on the periphery of the console games. It’s still twin-stick Halo, basically. The difference is that Spartan Strike has the benefit of being a sequel (i.e. refinement).

The levels in Spartan Strike are what really make it shine. Environments seem more varied, tasks are more exciting (even though they’re still pretty much all “go here, shoot anything in your way, now go here, etc”), and the occasional radio communications definitely kept me more engaged with what was happening around me. It just feels like there’s more going on than there was in the previous game.It feels more directed and more interesting.

It looks a little bit better too, of course, which is another sequel benefit. I still take issue with that obnoxious lag when trying to perform a melee attack, but at least now I can honestly say that I'm having fun.

In all honesty I don’t think you’d miss anything worthwhile by skipping over Spartan Assault. If you really want to get both then go right ahead (there’s even a handy bundle for you), but if you only have room for one Halo-inspired twin-stick shooter, make it Spartan Strike.