In the last few weeks before I started upGears Tacticsto review, I had played throughGears 5since I hadn’t quite gotten to it when it released last fall. Since it’s been some time since playingGears of War 4, I felt familiarizing myself with the gameplay elements ofGearsagain would be good context for how the developers at Splash Damage and The Coalition would approach a tactics game take on the third-person shooter series.
Thankfully, when I started upGears Tacticsand went through its opening levels, I didn’t feel nearly the whiplash that I expected coming to it fromGears 5. While it took some time to adjust to the feel of playing a squad tactics game versus a third-person shooter, through and through,Gears Tacticsis still very much aGearsgame, just interpreted differently. All of the familiar elements that fans would expect from the series have been translated authentically into a new genre, and now it just makes me wonder why we didn’t have a strategyGears of Wargame a lot sooner.
The core campaign ofGears Tacticstakes place over a decade before the events of the originalGears of Warand follows the story of Gabe Diaz, who is the father ofGears 5’s protagonist, Kate Diaz. After being enlisted by veteran COG soldier Sid Redburn, Gabe and Sid go on a mission to recruit Gears to hunt down Ukkon, a Locust scientist that would lead to the creation of the Locust’s most dangerous foes like the Brumak and Corpser, while encountering other challenges and rising tension to try and save humanity.
As a prequel to the events of the first game,Gears Tacticsslightly treads some familiar ground and scenery for series’ fans, but its production value and extra dimensions to the lore shouldn’t make you doubt that it’s aGearsgame all the same. Each mission starts and ends with excellently-produced cutscenes that feel like they could be right at home inGears 5, and given Gabe’s relationship with Kate, longtime fans are in for some interesting connections and revelations. Though it may not be one of the series’ deepest or most interesting stories,Gears Tacticsstill offers worthwhile moments that fans will want to experience for themselves.
[pullquote]“Gears Tacticsis still very much aGearsgame, just interpreted differently."[/pullquote]
To put it in the simplest way,Gears Tacticsis essentiallyGears of WarmeetsXCOM, as its gameplay borrows liberally from the mechanics that have madeXCOMthe household name in squad-based tactics games. The core elements ofXCOM’s gameplay–commanding a squad of characters, using action points to command them, and Overwatch–are all here as you might expect them to be. While things might feel familiar at first if you’ve played anyXCOMgame before,Gears Tacticstakes the foundation of what works well inXCOMand layers in its own elements to make it feel like a more distinctlyGears of Warexperience.
Make no mistake, even thoughGears Tacticsis in a completely different style of play from the core games, it still looks and feels like aGears of Wargame in the right ways. All of the small touches from the series are here; you’re able to chainsaw Locust into a bloody mess, slide into cover, turn enemies into globs of meat with a Mulcher, and kick Tickers into groups of baddies for an explosive surprise. Even the distinctiveGearsguitar riff that plays once you’ve cleared the battlefield of enemies makes its way intoGears Tactics, making it feel right in line with the games that have come before it.
[pullquote]“Gears Tacticstakes the foundation of what works well inXCOMand layers in its own elements to make it feel like a more distinctlyGears of Warexperience."[/pullquote]
However,Gears Tacticsisn’t just simplyGears of XCOM. Though its core gameplay is largely inspired byXCOM,Gears Tacticsmakes a few fundamental changes that reinterpret how it plays. By comparison,Gears Tacticsis meant to feel like a much faster-paced and action-driven experience, largely because each unit has three actions per turn compared to two inXCOM. This small but impactful change inGears Tacticsgives players a much larger degree of flexibility, as you’re able to now move a unit, fire at an enemy, and use an ability or reload all in the same turn.Gears Tacticsalso frees players from the constraints of a grid-based movement system, as instead you can move and place units wherever you see fit, with the distance they can move being governed by the amount of action points they have left. With so many areas offering cover that your characters can use to mount their defenses, the battlefield naturally sort of has a “grid-like structure” to begin with, and gives some agency to how and where you are moving.
One ofXCOM’s signature abilities, Overwatch, similarly has a neat overhaul inGears Tacticsby having players drag a cone onto a section of the map to determine what area they will guard. It’s a simple but effective implementation that not only easily shows players how far a unit’s Overwatch will see an incoming enemy, but also affects its range and accuracy. Dragging the Overwatch cone out will increase its spread but decrease its accuracy, while keeping its range closer and less spread out from your character will make them way more likely to deal greater damage to an approaching enemy.
[pullquote]“Splash Damage and The Coalition have given players a lot to work with to make their squad their own inGears Tactics."[/pullquote]
Though these larger overall changes are a big departure from the limitations thatXCOMpurposefully imposes on players to increase tension,Gears Tacticsdoesn’t let up in any way on difficulty or challenge (including whether you decide to play with Ironman Mode enabled or not). But whileGears Tacticshas changed up some of the rules ofXCOM, what really sets it apart are theGears-inspired gameplay touches that add extra depth and elements to a strong tactical gameplay foundation. The ways that Splash Damage and The Coalition have integrated some ofGears’ most familiar elements are more than just fan service, but actually have vital roles in the gameplay and can wildly change up your tactics.
Executions especially are one of the best aspects of the series thatGears Tacticsimplements into a strategy game setting. Once you get an enemy unit down to a certain amount of health, they’ll be downed and vulnerable to an execution by one of your units. Aside from witnessing the gory scenes that we’ve come to know and love from theGearsgames, executions inGears Tacticsalso have the benefit of giving each of your other units an extra action that round, making them hugely advantageous to, well…execute. In one round of a level where I executed three enemy Locust Drones with one of my Snipers, I was able to gain basically an entire extra turn with all of my other squad members, allowing me to set up a devastating turn for the next wave of enemies.
[pullquote]“Gears Tacticsgoes all out with customization for each unit, and it’s one of the game’s best elements that I hope makes its way into future mainlineGearstitles."[/pullquote]
Players inGears Tacticswill command a squad of up to four characters throughout the campaign, which is usually divided in a level between one or two “hero” characters that are crucial to the story (such as Gabe or Sid), and assorted Gears soldiers that you’ll recruit along the way. Each of your soldiers is based on one of five classes (Support, Vanguard, Scout, Sniper, and Heavy) that have their own specialized abilities and weapon preferences. While you can’t change the fundamentals of these classes like what primary weapon they’re using and their feature set, over the course of the campaign you’ll be able to gain new weapon parts that can alter different stats like damage, accuracy, and ammo capacity, along with using skill points to unlock new abilities or passive skills. Each class features their own distinctive skill trees with several paths and specializations, as Splash Damage and The Coalition have given players a lot to work with to make their squad their own inGears Tactics.
The extensive array of customization options for your squad members inGears Tacticsalso adds a whole other level to make each character feel distinct from one another. When I first started gaining new Gears Recruits that I could add to my squad, I spent more than a fair share of time just tweaking the various settings and custom features that you’re able to add to them. While they start out randomly generated, Recruits can be completely altered to your liking compared to hero units, other than their race, gender, and class. You can alter their hairstyle and color, name, and customize each of their weapons and armor down to their color, metal finish, adding a design pattern, and more.Gears Tacticsgoes all out with customization for each unit, and it’s one of the game’s best elements that I hope makes its way into future mainlineGearstitles.
[pullquote]“Each of the bosses that you come up against feature some of the most iconic big bads in theGearsuniverse, and they’re all thrilling to engage with in their own ways."[/pullquote]
When taking your squad members out onto the battlefield, the core gameplay ofGears Tactics–like the third-person shooter series that inspired it–revolves heavily around utilizing cover and staying aggressive against enemies, maybe even more so than in the coreGearsgames. With the game being turn-based, players will really have to put a lot of consideration into where they are moving their units and how they are covered, as a unit placed in poor cover or a bad position can easily be overwhelmed by an approaching enemy squad. WhileGears Tacticsmight be challenging for those that may not play a ton of strategy games (or even for those that do), it’s a flexible experience that prioritizes speed and action over hunkering down and playing too defensively.
Like in the coreGearsgames, each Locust enemy unit that you come up against inGears Tacticshas their own unique ways of being taken down that you’ll have to utilize on the battlefield. At first you’ll come up against units like Drones and Wretches that aren’t huge threats but can overwhelm you with their numbers. Later on you’ll be facing more specialized Locust units like the Grenadier, which can do heavy damage to characters up-close, Snipers that will pin your characters in place, and others that you’ll need to exploit their weaknesses in order to take them out effectively.Gears Tacticscan get pretty challenging with the number of enemies that you’ll have to fight in a map, making it easy to get overwhelmed. However, the way it tutorializes each enemy type and teaches the player how to deal with them feels smart and well-developed, especially once things get much more difficult later in the game.
[pullquote]“Gears Tacticsstill feels remarkably in line with the rest of the series and is a thrilling, worthwhile experience thatGearsfans and strategy game veterans will enjoy."[/pullquote]
This all culminates in several boss fights during the campaign ofGears Tactics, which put all of the player’s tactical skills to the test and are some of the best encounters in the game as a whole. Each of the bosses that you come up against feature some of the most iconic big bads in theGearsuniverse, and they’re all thrilling to engage with in their own ways, especially once you figure out their attack patterns and weaknesses to take them down. The very first boss fight that you’ll engage in at the end of the first chapter has your squad going up against a towering Brumak, equipped with homing missiles, chainguns, and a deadly stomp attack if your characters get too close. While at first this fight felt like an overwhelming challenge, once I figured out the key strategies that I needed to employ–splitting up my squad members and keeping my distance–the Brumak fight became a thrill where everything I learned in the game up to that point clicked into place.
Gears Tacticsat first seems like a straightforward premise that blends two incredibly popular franchises together, but that shouldn’t be mistaken for it lacking depth or fun. Despite playing in a completely different style compared to the coreGearsgames,Gears Tacticsstill feels remarkably in line with the rest of the series and is a thrilling, worthwhile experience thatGearsfans and strategy game veterans will enjoy, while being completely accessible to newcomers. If you considerGearsas chocolate andXCOMas peanut butter,Gears Tacticsis how they meet: a combination of ingredients you’ve likely had before, but together, they just work so damn well.
