After a solid performance as a third-person shooter, The Coalition has added some new perks to Gears 5 and have pushed the game into the present. So far, this is not the game you have come to love, it’s much more. With the plot still growing, players will delve deep and stay submerged in the gameplay.
From the beginning, Gears 5 picks up right after Gears 4. This time, however, you play as Kait and she must find out the truth behind her family and how it is all related to The Swarm. Before you jump into her adventure, the standard stuff happens first. You will follow JD Fenix first and get your first taste of the game.
Once the game takes off, the switch happens to follow Kait. When the world opens up, you get a vehicle to explore the new areas. The new exploration of the game feels unfamiliar, which is a good thing actually. From frozen tundras to burning dessert, there will be hidden items and items to upgrade Jack on your way. At this point, there should be some confusion. Why? Because there is no shooting, no chaos and people are actually talking to you. Weird. But this is the progression that the series needs. It’s feeling like an actual in-depth game.
Battle still feels linear but players will get to keep their favorite weapons to use. There is one thing The Coalition didn’t change and that’s the fact that the battle mechanics are fine. No need to mess up what is working after all. One of the new things, however, is the new mode called Escape. You and other players get to fight your way out of a facility with limited ammo and work through an environment with quickly spreading poisonous gas. Eventually, with good teamwork, you’ll reach the extraction point. Somehow this mode seems like a good thing to keep for the game in the series.
There are some cool extras. Sarah Connor from the new Terminator film is here as a playable charcter. For WWE fans, Batista makes his arrival in the role that he has been lobbying for years. There is also a PvP mode which should allows fans to take their skills against other players. What I like about these features is that they are just little extras, not the main focus of the game.
Overall, Gears of War 5 needed the character push and development. Deeper stories needed to happen as well as an open-world shift. Otherwise, the game would remain linear and eventually go stale. The Coalition did a great job of leaving what works while changing the game in a major way. Hopefully, the next game will keep u0p with this type of gameplay and keep moving forward.
8/10
Available on: Xbox One and PC
