Coalition gives fans the Gears
Gears 5: The Coalition Xbox Game Studios Available on PC, Xbox One
It’s there in the title: Gears 5, not Gears of War 5. Just Gears, the de facto name that fans have been using for over a decade. The clipped title aligns itself with the game’s sense of focus, which seems intent on reminding players why the series remains a shining example of AAA game development.
When I began the campaign with a close friend of mine, another guy who has played through the entire series, we wondered what a new game could bring to the table other than proof that The Coalition could keep the IP — which Microsoft purchased from
Epic Games in 2014 — respectably afloat. But by the time we skipped the credits, both of us agreed that Microsoft’s internal studio had created a knockout experience that stands in flattering contrast to many of today’s big budget shooters.
Stylistically, the Gears look is thick-limbed, thick-necked male and ultra-athletic female soldiers, known as Gears, versus all manner of fantastically designed creatures — from waist-height packs of corpse-white Juvies that can overwhelm with their numbers, to hulking monsters that can pulverize, swallow or otherwise tear you apart.
Much of the plot in Gears 5 revolves around a small band of young Gears trying to bring a devastating weapon, known as the Hammer of Dawn, back online. This laser-powered weapon, which relies on satellites for operation, has been deemed too dangerous by the Prime Minister of the Coalition of Ordered Governments (the COG).
Though they recognize the Hammer of Dawn’s potential for mass destruction, the Gears disregard the Prime Minister’s injunction. In their view, the possibility of eradicating an alien threat known as the Swarm outweighs the acknowledged risks.
Their decision to follow their own path is not without consequence. People die and personal bonds are strained. You don’t have to peer too deeply to spot the subtext of loss and anguished responsibility that runs through the story. However, pithy dialogue and meaningful glances notwithstanding, Gears 5 is very much a capital-A, action game that caters to itchy trigger fingers.
Like 2016’s Doom, this is a shooter that expects you to internalize enemy patterns to the point where you can efficiently adjust your tactics to suit the situation and the enemy. That means knowing at a glance what to prioritize and what to ignore.
The environments in Gears 5 are gorgeous. So luminous is the red sand in the game’s Act 3 desert level that it reminded me of the lovely saturated colours in the BBC’s Planet Earth II.
Although I encountered a couple of glitches, the overall performance of the game running on the Xbox One X is remarkable. Frame drops are incredibly rare despite the profusion of effects that occur in the most intense combat situations. The Gears of War games have always been technical showcases and this one extends the tradition.
Gears 5 is the rare action game I’d love to play again.
The Washington Post