have pretty serious ramifications
going forward.
More important than the pleasingly
tight plot are some big mechanical
changes. The showiest new addition?
Gears has gone open world... kind of.
The game’s two longest acts both
take place in sandbox environments,
with the first whisking you off to
a frozen tundra and the second a
baking desert. When you’re not
on story-specific missions, The
Coalition encourages you to explore
these striking environments that
are often hit by all the bad weather.
These detours take the form of
side-objectives – some are simple
shootouts, others are inoffensiveThough the first of the game’s
four, reasonably meaty acts sees you
play as JD, it’s not long before you’re
shunted into the surprisingly spry
boots of Kait. The resulting story sees
our new hero grapple with a sense of
conflicting identity, one the series has
never dealt with before, as she and
her good buddy Marcus embark upon a
quest to uncover her family lineage.
Are the big ‘twists’ predictable?
Sure. Still, Gears 5 tells an emotionally
honest, well-acted story that mostly
gets the tone of scenes just right. In
a first for the franchise, a late-game
decision also opens up two different
endings. Whichever option you plump
for, it looks like this key moment will
attempts at half-hearted stealth
sections. Even if you don’t want to
engage with the side stuff, these
sandboxes provide a welcome palate
cleanser from the more linear action.Skiffy B
They also give you the excuse to
careen around in Gears 5’s skiff: an
all-purpose, super sleek land craft
that lets you explore in style. Brilliant
fun to control, this responsive sci-fi
ride even lets you store extra weapons- useful for when you want to save
a couple of heavy weapons for that
special Swarm-murdering occasion.
Even if you just concentrate on the
main missions and getting the skiff
from extra murdery A to offensively
homicidal B, the simple controls are
so responsive and gratifying, you’ll
cherish every trip.
The other major addition comes
in the form of Jack. Like a far more
helpful, way less irritating version
of Johnny 5, this robot companion
adds strategic possibilities to every
battle in Gears 5. You’re looking at
the AI jack of all trades. He can fetch
far-off weapons with a press of X.
He can open locked doors. He can
briefly possess Swarm soldiers to fight
on your side. He’s able to scan the
environment for enemies and objects
of interest. He can protect Kait and
co with a shield. Your bot buddy can
short
cutWHAT IS IT?
The latest entry in
Xbox’s biggest
third-person
shooter series.
WHAT’S IT LIKE?
Classic Gears, with a
bolder story and an
open-world twist.
WHO’S IT FOR?
Those who dig
guttural firefights and
colossal biceps.LEFT The series
hasn’t lost its
sense of scale,
as the epic
fight with the
Kraken proves.070 THE OFFICIAL XBOX MAGAZINE