Gears 5 Pre-Review: Changing What It Means To Be Gears of War

"Am I playing a Gears game or Uncharted?" Is a strange thing to ask you. And yet, in the first minutes of play Gears 5I swing between the wide-eyed surprise and the suspicion of the eyes.

I did not expect to explore a vast expanse of lush jungle ruins nor to have witty conversations in the series that puts a chainsaw – a chainsaw that cuts enemies in half and sprays blood stranger on his teeth – on a machine gun.

Gears 5 is different enough to be potentially repulsive for those who might come forward for the gore and for the thrills and violence expected. I found myself exploring a jungle, learning about these characters, and wondering if Gears of War is growing to stay stable. Does the franchise grow – and I can not believe I ask the question – become contemplative?

The answer, from my experience with most Gears 5The long campaign behind me is a resounding yes. Observing the jungle is only the first time, among dozens, that the campaign exceeds my expectations before impressing or delighting me. It's a game that aims to push the franchise in new and interesting directions, all of which seem to be laudable goals.

The only question that remains is whether the players will follow.

relaxation

Gears 5 follows a group of COGs in a series of missions, some of which become violent. No surprises there. Do not worry if you missed 2016 Gears of War 4or you do not remember much. Gears 5 offers you an updated reminder of the game world. Thus, even novice players in the series will not be lost.

Gears 5 introduces very intelligent characters, especially with Kait, an exhausted soldier trying to stay together after a family tragedy Gears of War 4. I accept this when she wakes up from a bad dream with a headache. I feel that when I watch her kill herself almost by stubborn carelessness. The cast is packed with excellent dubbings that are well above average for games in general, not just for this series.

And character development is not just for humans. As my group of soldiers explores the landscape, a flying robot named Dave (no relation) emotes through beeps and bloops. He is immediately endearing, like a Star Wars droid.

Then the action begins and I fall into familiar patterns and comfortable. Gears 5 is still a game with chainsaw weapons and its own fighting brand. If you come and expect that your shooter skills from other games are translated – or it's been a long time since you've played a Gears game – an excellent tutorial mode called Boot Camp is here for you remember (or teach you) how to play. this particular flavor of third-person shot-based blanket in maybe 10 minutes. These types of tutorials are usually slightly hidden early in the game. But considering how Gears 5 I think it's better to learn it there than to make mistakes in the campaign.

Weapons in Gears 5 Keep the mechanical and voluminous feel of the previous entries, and the risk-reward cycle of active reloading with perfect timing causes constant joy and frustration, depending entirely on the fact that I spoil it while monsters attempt to murder me. . The fight did not surprise me. Gears 5 feels and plays like a title of Gears of War.

The match waited for me to feel comfortable before hitting my face.

Another type of campaign

Gears 5The campaign takes place in four acts.

The first act is installed in a template. We walk, we explore and we fight. The world is beautiful, rendered with as much care and credibility as I walk through the ruins under a jungle canopy, whether I'm sailing on frozen lakes at high speed or walking in a dark room, lit only by a lamp pocket friendly robot. hovering over my shoulder.

The spoken dialogue keeps my interest between the fights because the actors are stellar. The fight establishes the right balance between challenge and pleasure, at least as long as I remember that I have to take cover in this cover shooting game. I am in this mix of action, history and pretty lights. Nothing exceeds its reception, and all this meets my expectations and that I wish a new title of Gears, which is basically more or less identical, but also a little better.

In his early hours, Gears 5 feels like an autonomous action movie with a complete beginning, middle and end. You are sent to do one thing, you follow a linear path to do the thing, you learn things along the way, and you kill a lot of bad guys by blowing up a bunch of shit.

Gears 5 goes into unknown territory for the franchise in the second act, however. It's as if the Coalition has decided to create a mini-game of Gears of War lasting two or three hours to make everyone feel comfortable before throwing a grenade.

Evolution

Do you like the vast regions of the open world? Gears 5 Do you like secondary missions? Check. What about skill trees? Buckle your belt. Everything is about to arrive.

None of these things fit my concept of what Gears of War is, and I'm skeptical – at least until I start playing everything I do not know. to have play to continue the story, and I realize that it works better than I expected.

It's a good reason to drive my skiff across the vast tundra, not only because it's fun, but also because rewards are waiting for me. I notice blips on my card (yeah, Gears 5 has maps) and I decided to explore an area that turns into a five minute quest. I discover others who are much longer. I play them all – not because I have to, but because I love them and amuse myself. Here, there is much more to do and think than I expected.

I am starting to see the shadow of other games with transitions redefining the series. 2018 God of the war comes to mind many times, for reasons that I will not spoil here.

It's hard to talk about Gears 5 without saying too much. These new ideas and mechanisms are better for you and the experienced. We'll have a lot more coverage in the coming days, including multiplayer thinking, but in reality we did not have a lot of time to experiment with the game before we could write about it.

For now, I do not think many people have a clear idea of ​​what to expect from Gears 5. God knows I did not do it. And a lot of fans will be very very wrong about what awaits them. God knows I was.

And that's where I am, with the bulk of the campaign behind me: always surprised and curious to see if the game can keep this pace of reinvention.

I guess others will be surprised too, because Gears 5 It certainly sounds like selling violence in dead heads. Let's be clear, I was happy to sign up again and again, but the people behind the game clearly have things to say and a desire to subvert and expand that formula. They were not afraid to play with that genre or what it was, and the result is the kind of intrepid change in a franchise that must take place if this series is to continue to find a larger audience than its pure players and hard.

Gears 5 is personal, like his predecessor, and insists on his characters. He is thoughtful and not afraid to interrupt action in favor of history slowdowns and sections devoted to exploration. And these are the parts that I liked the most. There is often a small fighting fight, followed by a slight rush of exploration.

Except that I continue to think that it should not job. I mean, if someone had said, "Gears of War, but with parallel quests and huge environments!", I may have choked a laugh as I stepped out of that elevator . And yet, I am here to try to convince you that it is real and that it is worth while, while the most insistent thought in my head is that I want to start playing again.

Gears 5 will be released in early access for Windows PC and Xbox One on September 6 and September 10 for readers of the standard edition. The game was played on Xbox One using a final "commercial" code provided by Microsoft. You can find additional information on Polygon's ethics policy here.