<s>
Halo	B-Application
:	I-Application
Spartan	I-Application
Assault	I-Application
is	O
a	O
twin	O
stick	O
shooter	O
video	O
game	O
developed	O
by	O
343	O
Industries	O
and	O
Vanguard	O
Games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Part	O
of	O
the	O
Halo	O
media	O
franchise	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
July	O
18	O
,	O
2013	O
,	O
for	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
Windows	B-Application
8	I-Application
and	O
Windows	B-Protocol
Phone	I-Protocol
8	O
platforms	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
subsequently	O
released	O
on	O
Xbox	B-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
,	O
Xbox	B-Device
One	I-Device
,	O
Steam	B-Application
,	O
and	O
iOS	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Halo	B-Application
:	I-Application
Spartan	I-Application
Assault	I-Application
is	O
set	O
between	O
the	O
events	O
of	O
Halo	B-Application
3	I-Application
and	O
Halo	B-Application
4	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
launched	O
with	O
25	O
single-player	O
missions	O
;	O
an	O
additional	O
campaign	O
released	O
as	O
downloadable	B-Protocol
content	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
years	O
of	O
rumored	O
or	O
cancelled	O
handheld	O
Halo	O
projects	O
,	O
Spartan	B-Application
Assault	I-Application
was	O
the	O
franchise	O
's	O
first	O
mobile	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
developers	O
spent	O
time	O
adapting	O
Halos	O
distinctive	O
elements	O
to	O
a	O
touchscreen	B-Device
game	O
meant	O
to	O
be	O
played	O
in	O
short	O
bursts	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Spartan	B-Application
Assault	I-Application
was	O
followed	O
by	O
a	O
sequel	O
,	O
Spartan	B-Application
Strike	I-Application
,	O
in	O
2015	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Halo	B-Application
:	I-Application
Spartan	I-Application
Assault	I-Application
is	O
a	O
shooter	O
game	O
where	O
players	O
experience	O
gameplay	O
from	O
an	O
overhead	O
top-down	O
perspective	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
touchscreen	B-Device
mobile	O
devices	O
,	O
players	O
control	O
the	O
character	O
through	O
virtual	O
joysticks	B-Device
—	O
the	O
left	O
stick	O
controls	O
movement	O
and	O
the	O
right	O
stick	O
controls	O
the	O
direction	O
of	O
the	O
character	O
's	O
fire	O
—	O
along	O
with	O
buttons	O
along	O
the	O
edge	O
of	O
the	O
screen	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Xbox	B-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
and	O
Xbox	B-Device
One	I-Device
players	O
use	O
a	O
physical	O
gamepad	B-Device
,	O
while	O
Windows	O
players	O
can	O
use	O
either	O
a	O
gamepad	B-Device
,	O
or	O
keyboard	O
and	O
mouse	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Playing	O
Halo	B-Application
:	I-Application
Spartan	I-Application
Assault	I-Application
earns	O
the	O
player	O
experience	O
points	O
and	O
content	O
for	O
use	O
in	O
Halo	B-Application
4	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	B-Operating_System
Xbox	I-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
and	O
the	B-Device
Xbox	I-Device
One	I-Device
versions	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
feature	O
an	O
additional	O
cooperative	O
game	O
mode	O
,	O
designed	O
to	O
be	O
different	O
from	O
that	O
of	O
the	O
main	O
campaign	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Windows	B-Protocol
Phone	I-Protocol
and	O
Windows	B-Application
PC	I-Application
version	O
support	O
cross-play	O
,	O
allowing	O
players	O
to	O
start	O
missions	O
on	O
one	O
device	O
and	O
resume	O
on	O
another	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Halo	B-Application
:	I-Application
Spartan	I-Application
Assault	I-Application
takes	O
place	O
in	O
the	O
26th	O
century	O
between	O
the	O
events	O
of	O
Halo	B-Application
3	I-Application
and	O
Halo	B-Application
4	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Following	O
the	O
events	O
of	O
Halo	B-Application
3	I-Application
,	O
the	O
human	O
UNSC	O
and	O
alien	O
Elites	O
(	O
Sangheili	O
)	O
signed	O
a	O
ceasefire	O
to	O
end	O
a	O
decades-long	O
war	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Over	O
the	O
years	O
,	O
rumors	O
swirled	O
of	O
a	O
handheld	O
or	O
mobile	O
version	O
of	O
Halo	O
for	O
the	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
Advance	I-Device
,	O
Gizmondo	B-Device
,	O
Ultra-Mobile	B-Device
PC	I-Device
,	O
and	O
Nintendo	B-Device
DS	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Then-Halo	O
developer	O
Bungie	O
quashed	O
speculation	O
they	O
were	O
developing	O
an	O
Xbox	B-Device
Live	I-Device
Arcade	I-Device
title	O
in	O
2006	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
Halo	O
overseer	O
343	O
Industries	O
was	O
interested	O
in	O
developing	O
a	O
mobile	O
game	O
,	O
Franchise	O
Development	O
Director	O
Frank	O
O'Connor	O
recommended	O
an	O
arcade	O
shooter	O
,	O
having	O
wanted	O
for	O
years	O
to	O
see	O
a	O
Halo	O
game	O
in	O
the	O
vein	O
of	O
Moon	B-Application
Patrol	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
developers	O
designed	O
adaptive	O
controls	O
that	O
move	O
around	O
the	O
screen	O
to	O
match	O
the	O
drift	O
of	O
player	O
's	O
hands	O
on	O
the	O
touchscreen	B-Device
and	O
reduce	O
frustration	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
the	O
console	O
release	O
of	O
Spartan	B-Application
Assault	I-Application
,	O
the	O
developers	O
took	O
feedback	O
from	O
reviews	O
to	O
further	O
tune	O
the	O
controls	O
and	O
adjust	O
balance	O
and	O
scoring	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Tom	O
Salta	O
composed	O
Spartan	B-Application
Assaults	I-Application
music	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Previous	O
to	O
Spartan	B-Application
Assault	I-Application
Salta	O
was	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
team	O
that	O
reorchestrated	O
and	O
recorded	O
the	O
music	O
for	O
Halo	O
:	O
Combat	O
Evolved	O
Anniversary	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Salta	O
starts	O
composing	O
on	O
a	O
keyboard	O
and	O
uses	O
Logic	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Spartan	B-Application
Assault	I-Application
was	O
announced	O
in	O
June	O
2013	O
at	O
San	O
Diego	O
Comic-Con	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
initially	O
restricted	O
to	O
Verizon	B-Application
phones	O
before	O
being	O
released	O
to	O
all	O
Windows	B-Application
8	I-Application
enabled	O
devices	O
in	O
August	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
Xbox	B-Device
One	I-Device
version	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
—	O
running	O
at	O
1080p	O
resolution	O
and	O
60	O
frames	O
per	O
second	O
—	O
released	O
on	O
December	O
24	O
;	O
the	B-Operating_System
Xbox	I-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
version	O
was	O
delayed	O
and	O
released	O
January	O
31	O
,	O
2014	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
Steam	B-Application
on	O
April	O
4	O
,	O
the	O
first	O
game	O
in	O
the	O
series	O
to	O
be	O
distributed	O
on	O
the	O
platform	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
a	O
free	O
title	O
for	O
Xbox	B-Application
Live	I-Application
subscribers	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
"	O
Games	O
with	O
Gold	O
"	O
program	O
in	O
June	O
2014	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
April	O
16	O
,	O
2015	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
released	O
for	O
iOS	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
update	O
added	O
new	O
missions	O
and	O
achievements	O
,	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
buy	O
certain	O
power	O
weapons	O
with	O
XP	O
rather	O
than	O
real	O
currency	O
,	O
and	O
support	O
for	O
the	B-Operating_System
Xbox	I-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
controller	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
update	O
also	O
added	O
compatibility	O
for	O
Windows	B-Protocol
Phone	I-Protocol
hardware	O
with	O
512MB	O
of	O
RAM	B-Architecture
,	O
and	O
enabled	O
play	O
using	O
an	O
Xbox	B-Operating_System
gamepad	B-Device
on	O
Windows	B-Application
computers	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Spartan	B-Application
Assault	I-Application
received	O
mixed	O
reviews	O
upon	O
release	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
PC	O
version	O
has	O
a	O
weighted	O
aggregate	O
rating	O
of	O
70/100	O
on	O
Metacritic	O
,	O
with	O
the	B-Operating_System
Xbox	I-Operating_System
360	I-Operating_System
and	O
Xbox	B-Device
One	I-Device
versions	O
having	O
lower	O
scores	O
of	O
51	O
and	O
53	O
,	O
respectively	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Critics	O
including	O
Harry	O
Slater	O
of	O
Pocket	O
Gamer	O
and	O
Chris	O
Carter	O
of	O
Destructoid	O
wrote	O
that	O
while	O
Spartan	B-Application
Assault	I-Application
was	O
not	O
going	O
to	O
be	O
a	O
Windows	B-Application
8	I-Application
killer	O
app	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
a	O
worthwhile	O
purchase	O
for	O
gamers	O
on	O
the	O
Windows	B-Application
8	I-Application
platform	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Game	O
Informers	O
Kyle	O
Hillard	O
called	O
Spartan	B-Application
Assault	I-Application
"	O
a	O
true	O
Halo	O
game	O
,	O
even	O
if	O
the	O
series	O
 '	O
signature	O
scope	O
and	O
size	O
are	O
scaled	O
down	O
"	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
game	O
featuring	O
familiar	O
Halo	O
moments	O
,	O
enemies	O
,	O
and	O
sounds	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
comparison	O
,	O
Polygons	O
Philip	O
Kollar	O
called	O
the	O
appeal	O
"	O
illusory	O
"	O
,	O
as	O
Spartan	B-Application
Assault	I-Application
did	O
not	O
contain	O
any	O
of	O
Halos	O
"	O
subtlety	O
or	O
strategy.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
IGN	O
's	O
Dan	O
Stapleton	O
considered	O
the	O
Halo	O
trappings	O
the	O
main	O
appeal	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
as	O
without	O
it	O
,	O
Spartan	B-Application
Assault	I-Application
would	O
be	O
just	O
another	O
competent	O
but	O
unremarkable	O
twin-stick	O
shooter	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
microtransaction	O
features	O
of	O
Spartan	B-Application
Assault	I-Application
were	O
generally	O
negatively	O
received	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Vanguard	O
Games	O
and	O
343	O
Industries	O
announced	O
a	O
sequel	O
to	O
Halo	B-Application
:	I-Application
Spartan	I-Application
Assault	I-Application
,	O
Halo	B-Application
:	I-Application
Spartan	I-Application
Strike	I-Application
in	O
late	O
2014	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
game	O
was	O
released	O
as	O
a	O
digital	O
download	O
for	O
Windows	O
devices	O
and	O
Steam	B-Application
in	O
2015	O
.	O
</s>
