enemies in large open spaces filled
with waist-high blocks of ice.
Gears 4 didn’t try to reinvent the
franchise, preferring to add a few
flourishes but keep the basic
mechanics familiar. Fans loved it (us
included), especially after the three-
year wait following the disappointing
Judgement. But some criticised
developers The Coalition for ‘playing
safe’. It’s very likely that Rod
Fergusson will want to prove those
people wrong with this sequel.
Expect some cool new mechanics
that will change things up when it
arrives later in the year. While we wait
for more details, why not replay Gears
4? It’s available on Game Pass now. Qew games match the
hulkingmachismo
that pours out of the
Gearsfranchise. In
2006, it was all about
massive dudes with massive guns
shooting massive monsters from
behind waist-high walls. Thirteen
years on,Gears 5is (rightfully) looking
to shake things up a bit, and take
some creative risks.
It starts with the storyline. This time
around there’s a female lead, as we’ll
be focusing on Kait Diaz’s story as she
ventures into the frozen north to
discover secrets about her past. It’s
all very mysterious, but here’s what
we’ve figured out so far (we’ll do our
best to avoid spoilers)...Design for strife
At the end ofGears 4, Kait was given a
pendant owned by her grandmother.
This pendant bore a design that will
look very familiar to anyone who’s
played the series as a Locust symbol,leading to questions about Kait’s
ancestry, and her family’s links to the
alien scourge.
At the start of Gears 5, Kait’s been
having weird dreams that she’s
convinced were caused by the
pendant. So she decides to set off to
‘where it all began’ to find out what
the heck it all means.
Yes, that means the dream team of
JD, Kait and Del are splitting up, with
just the latter pair heading into the
cold. The game will introduce new
weapons, and new enemies to battle
in some stunning new locations. You’ll
be clambering through ice caves,
creeping through freezing bases, and- let’s face it – probably shooting
F
“JD Kait and Del are splitting
up with just the latter pair
heading into the cold”
ETATBC 2019PUBLISHERMICROSOFTDEVELOPERTHE COALITIONLET’S HOPE THERMALS ARE STANDARD FOR THE GEARS
GEARS 5
ABOVE Of course,
the game will be
optimised for
Xbox One X, which
means incredible
fidelity and some
stunning visuals.
BELOW Kait’s been
triggered.030 THE OFFICIAL XBOX MAGAZINE2019 PREVIEW