Review for Gears 5. Game for PC, Xbox One and Xbox Series X, the video game was released on 10/09/2019
The Gears of War series has been synonymous with (literally) visceral action, fun and cooperative play for decades. It is very likely that, at least 9 out of 10 Xbox owners, have experienced firsthand the cooperative fun that the game brings to the screens since that spectacular and melancholy advertising that circulated on TV in 2006 (yes, it's a mad world -ndr). Since then things have changed - first of all the consoles - but the saga, for better or for worse, has remained a constant point of reference over time. Gears 5, beyond the severed name, has some entirely new arrows in its quiver: starting with a new protagonist, Kait and the supporting role of the members of the Fenix family. Although we will always talk about a family: our heroine, in fact, will be called to unravel the dark skein that concerns her descendants who, in one way or another, will find themselves inextricably linked to the future of humanity.
For those few and haggard who were not aware of it, Gears 5 (and with it the entire saga) is a third person cover shooter. The new chapter of the series, it should be specified, is not the usual Gears of War: it has the presumption to distance us even further from the Marcus with which we have learned to live (although it will almost always be present in the game) and, at the same time, to push ourselves. even further with regard to the playful backbone of the game itself. The Coalition, developer of Gears 5, tried to deviate from the appropriate road traveled from the saga in recent years: Gears 5, albeit in an atypical way, has abandoned the "rails" of past chapters, firmly anchored precisely to the progression of the storyline, to grant players greater freedom of choice and movement.
In fact, we will have the opportunity to follow the story of the main campaign but also to explore the rather vast game world, which will be filled with NPCs to which we can offer help: accepting the many secondary missions will allow us to obtain components that we can use to enhance our trusted mechanical helper (more on that later). But, in a showy shuttle of the game towards rolistic shores, we can also decide to freely explore, later in the game, a world devastated by decades of absolute war, perhaps going in search of Relic Weapons, alternative versions of the classic weapons of the game. The exploration will take place largely by driving a mythical skiff, a post-apocalyptic vehicle that can be used far and wide and that will allow us to fully experience the bleak Gears game universe. The exploration will be a real joy for the eyes, especially for Xbox One X owners, who will be able to enjoy the painstaking aesthetic embroidery work done by The Coalition in 4k at 60 frames per second which, in the test performed, have in rare cases abandoned their usual solidity and continuity. If on Xbox One X (and, consequently, on at least mid-range PCs), the experience is certainly enjoyable, the same thing does not happen for the "basic" Xbox: Gears, in that case, is anchored to the canonical 30 frame and often, it will “sob” in rather excited situations. To this, add that the game, at least at the exit, has some imperfections and various and possible glitches that undermine, even if only partially, the overall experience.
Gears 5, as repeatedly stated by the developers, contains within it the largest story ever made in the series: a linear yet varied narrative line with the clear invitations of the title to explore and discover the vast world imagined by the developers. Gears 5 is “a lot”: there is a lot to see, a lot to discover and a lot to understand about the overall lore and the state of the game universe. Basically, the campaign will unfold through a series of acts divided into main missions that will translate us into "instances" that will closely resemble the classic pace of the game, with its labyrinthine levels, full of enemies and tendentially "tight". The first feature that is immediately noteworthy is the good job of game AI advancement which, although not free from defects, will constitute a danger not to be underestimated. Although the game tends to tend towards somewhat darker and more distressing shores than in the past, Gears 5 inherits a small problem that however has a substantial impact on the atmosphere, that is to point out, usually through some message or joke from the companions, that " the clashes are over “. Despite being a minutia, the communication substantially breaks the tension and the atmosphere of yearning for danger.
As usual, as is tradition, the game will support a cooperative campaign for up to 3 players: in addition to our Kait, Del and Marcus, Gears 5 will also introduce Jack the factotum robot as a real character, with the latter being a further example of The Coalition's willingness to change the air, at least in part. Jack will in fact be very different from the past and able to actively participate in the game phases. Our metallic friend will in fact be able to use different attack and defense skills, which can be equipped one of each type, as well as being improved during the game. Jack will be customizable at will by accessing a convenient skill tree: the latter can be greatly improved thanks to the use of components, which we can receive as a reward by completing missions or simply exploring the surrounding world. For example, on our command, Dave will be able to emit a very useful impulse to identify enemies in the immediate vicinity or flutter and reach otherwise inaccessible places to retrieve useful objects. Even if, in the latter case, sometimes our trusted robotic helper will have some difficulty in receiving the orders, with the result that he will sporadically freeze in an attempt to retrieve the indicated object.
Usual, the overall gameplay will reflect the very high standards of the series, offering fluid gameplay, rather precise and plausible in its purely arcade essence. The sections dedicated to the classic "in your face" shooting of the game, together with cramped levels (which, as mentioned, will alternate with much larger maps), will instill in long-time fans the feeling that yes, it is Gears of War, but the name is different for a reason. Same thing, as anticipated, for the more exquisitely technical component: Gears 5 is a joy to behold despite the horror and brutality which represents in a "surgical" way (but is now an effigy of the series) and the valuable optimization work carried out by The Coalition, allows us to test its acrid taste with a solid fluidity and that only on very rare occasions remains a bit back. Basically, Gears 5 seems like the right transition step towards an evolutionary shore that opens up to the immense and imaginative universe of Gears of War, a completely different way of understanding the same.
To say that the Gears saga is just a pure single player experience is a profanity: the series, since the beginning, has offered an excellent and rich multiplayer sector, focusing much of its appeal on the online experience as a norm. Gears 5 is no exception: the modes are varied and, between the great classics of the series and new modes, fun is guaranteed. The multiplayer will essentially consist of 12 maps, "reinterpreted" also according to the chosen mode: Gears 5 will offer a total of nine different types of modes, including Deathmatch Arcade, Dodgeball, Escalation, Guardian, the very classic War Zone etc. The modalities proposed so far will be drawn more or less similarly from the old editions of Gears of War, with some small variations on the theme (starting with a more marked approach to the concept of "classes" in multiplayer) and will offer that complete and curated experience 360 ° typical of the saga. The Versus mode, for example, will have an Arcade "version" that will change the game formula a bit: in it we will have to choose a class, with specific skills to unlock and weapons that can be upgraded in game by earning "skulls" from killing of enemies.
But The Coalition does not seem willing, simply, to "stay on the subject": Gears 5 in fact introduces and expands the concept of multiplayer of the saga with some new weight. Starting from Escape mode, cooperative experience that is added to the immutable and emblematic (for the series) Horde. In this mode, designed for three players, we will have to escape (but go!) From a huge beehive inside which we “sprayed” a chemical agent to annihilate our “nice” enemies. Obviously, in the mode we will have to face a large number of specimens of the Swarm, however, having very few weapons available and always paying attention to the inexorable advance of the lethal substance. This mode can currently count on four maps that, surely, will increase in number during the post-launch classic content expansion which, as is the tradition of the series, will certainly be long and complex. But, beyond the "hope for a rosy future", The Coalition has included a novelty in the novelty: we are talking aboutmap editor, which will allow us to create but also to download new stages created by other users.
Staying on the subject of post-launch content, the "Tour of duty", A structure similar to the concept of the season found in a large slice of current multiplayer games: in the space of about three months, each player, through a classic progression system, will be able to unlock exclusive rewards through a series of levels and daily challenges and not to be completed. Finally, a nod to the aforementioned Horde, which has always been the hallmark of the multiplayer mode of Gears of War, revived in Gears 5 in a way almost identical to what appeared in the previous chapter, thus bringing with it all the innovations introduced in Gears of War 4, even if Gears 5 lingers a bit more precisely on the game classes that we will be able to use and which will each have very different characteristics, as well as complementary roles. All, of course, held together by a very important thread, namely the “Gameplay”: fluid, mechanically flawless and at the height of its glorious past. Basically, The Coalition has respected the long classic multiplayer legacy that Gears of War has accustomed us to, adding new depths who, without upsetting anything, succeed in the difficult task of distinguishing themselves from the past which, despite the very high peaks reached, was beginning to be "taken for granted".
Ultimately, Gears 5 is the natural evolution of the series, in some ways a step dominated by the "courage" in wanting to reinterpret something historical and "immutable" in its own way. The Coalition has taken a significant leap forward: Gears 5 could be understood as a "Gears of War 1.5", a full-bodied chapter of passage towards extended shores and possibilities. At the moment, certainly the best chapter of the series.
► Gears 5 is a Shooter type game developed by The Coalition and published by Microsoft Studios for PC, Xbox One and Xbox Series X, the video game was released on 10/09/2019
